I like acm’s rendering and don’t see a giant mushroom at all..

A mansard roof is such a dominant feature to a house that if you don't like it, if you don't love it, maybe it is better to pass on the house and keep looking. It's not that hard to get the brown out by replacing the roof and painting the cedar (I'm not a fan of the flesh colored cedar), but it is never going to be a cottage. I would be hesitant to change the window shapes, but an architecture expert can advise you better.

acm's rendering is good. A charcoal grey roof would look nice.

But a mansard roof is a mansard roof. Either embrace it or find another home. It will never be a cottage how you're hoping but it's a cute home.

I don’t hate the mansard roof and maybe the term cottage was not the right word. I was trying to convey that I want it to look more homey and cute instead of so brown and blah. A lot of the mansards in the area are commercial buildings and apartments that look dreary and dated. Hope they helps. I agree no point in buying a mansard is you hate it!

ACM - thanks for the rendering. I tried to “paint” it using the Sherwin-Williams app but it was working well. I agree greenery is overwhelming it makes it hard to see that there are 3 windows on top not 2.

I think if you highlighted the upper windows in a dark color it would look nice. Could you add window boxes? I could see if it were white with a black roof it could look farmhouse/ barn. The flat roof on the garage looks out of place. Maybe do something with the pitch on it?

It can be cute. The gray roof, a little paint, and some fresh landscaping, and you'll love it!

Do you like the interior and floor plan? We bought a house that was more than perfect inside, but outside was not that great. In the end, functionality is the key. We updated the landscaping, and slowly working on the outdooroutdoors and its it's much better than before. I aam happy I did not let the outside look deter me from a house that works so well for us.

ACM - Thanks! I hadn't considered keeping the brown, but it looks nice in your rendering with the charcoal roof. My initial thought was to paint it all white or cream and add a fun colored roof.

Rekha- I do like the interior and the floor plan. That is why I want to make the outside a tad cuter (less brown) but I don't want to spend a small fortune turning it into something it is not. I also got afraid that people tend to really dislike mansards and that it would hurt resale (way down the road)-- just things I want to be aware of before I put in an offer.

I like the house. Its very nice. I like mansard roofs though. Makes the house a bit more unique. I do like the gray roof much better than the brown, and painting the cedar the same color as the roof (also garage door), would make a lot of difference. I dont see anything about it reminding me that it looks like a mushroom. LOL Your landscaping does need to be trimmed back and cleaned up. It will definitely help your curb appeal. If you like the house, then buy it and get busy with the roof and the paint and landscape. It will end up beautiful.

Claudine - The garage roof is not flat, it is pitched. Just hard to tell from the photos. Window boxes are a good idea, I just don't know much about what it takes to add them. I will have to check that out! Thank you!

acm- Thanks! I think I am just getting cold feet since we like our current house, just a bit small and this house needs interior and exterior sprucing up and I just want to make sure it will be cute when I am done. Don't want to spend the time, money and energy to find out I put lipstick on a pig. lol.

Cat_ky- I do not like all mansards but this one I like. It has some charm/uniqueness and that I want in a home. Thanks!

I think it's a well-done mansard-style house, and the landscaping helps soften the appearance nicely. However, the garage is jarring and dominates the facade. It looks like an afterthought and is badly integrated with the main structure. For that reason alone I'd pass on the house.

Thankfully Kudzu9 the garage does not bother me. I guess maybe in Chicagoland I have seen far worse garages that I do not have high expectations for a two-car attached garage to blend seamlessly. Thanks for the comments!

Something is off with the dormers, the trim over the windows on the dormers. That can be improved but I'm fresh out of ideas on what to do.

The other thing is that I think the garage would look better with 2 overhead doors instead of the one large one. Wouldn't be all that difficult to change to two doors but it would compromise the interior space somewhat. I probably wouldn't change it because it would mean (quite a few) dollars spent on just aesthetics and not be a functional improvement.

A new roof with architectural shingles (more texture) would improve the house immensely. A mediumish dark charcoal shingle would look great.

First, my usual disclaimer -- I'm not a designer, just a not-all-that-fussy-about-looks homeowner.

You're not going to make this into a cottage, nor do I think you can make it cute. Its basic style just doesn't fall into either category.

I'm not a fan of a dark roof for practical reasons -- it increases heat load in the summer (raising your air conditioning costs and/or indoor temperatures), and the roof level heat shortens the life of the roof. In this case, however, it makes the house look MUCH better. So in your place, I'd break my own rule.

I think that the problem with the dormers is that they aren't dormers, they're just windows. That's what you get with mansard. I don't see any way to change it either. .

The garage is hideous. It looks tacked on, and might well be. It wrecks the line of the house.

Ideally you'd somehow move it into the back yard (move or demo and rebuild). You could also extend the mansard roof over the existing garage. But any way you go with it, it's going to be expensive, and you won't get the cost back when you sell.

I think if I were in your place, I'd pass on this one.

Okay hreres one that looks cottagey IMO yours is more attractive but gives you the idea.

Patricia- yes! I have seen that one before and I do like the look! Although for sure expensive wood shingles with miss growing on are not exactly in the exterior budget. I was just going for a cuter vibe more akin to cottage—it seems not all mansards have the same vibe—-the multilevel looks more formal, some more gothic maybe.