skip to main content

Landscape Design Design Dilemma Exterior

Need help sprucing up the front of my house

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Hi

I recently purchased this little beauty. Needs updating though. I live in New England and this house is about 500 feet from the water. One note is that it has vinyl siding and just left of the realtor sign I'm thinking of putting a one car brick/block parking spot. The current driveway is only a single wide. So I'm going for a cottage feel. I'm going to clean the roof so it doesn't have the dark streaks because it's not that old and yes the ramp is coming off. I'm looking for ideas of colors, plants, shrubs or anything else you think would be aesthetically pleasing.

Thank you!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

houssaon
4 years ago
Take off all of the shutters. Paint the trim on the portico white. Install larger posts and lights.

Get a new front door.
Friend Residence Churchill Place · More Info

The SEASIDE Cottage at THE COTTAGES at Ocean Isle Beach, NC · More Info

I would also enlarge the back patio so it comes around to the other slider. I would paint it a light gray.

I am wondering why you want a parking space so far from the drive way? Why not add a J turn off the front of the drive or widen it in the back?
pcapozza thanked houssaon
katinparadise
4 years ago
I agree that the house would look better without shutters. When you remove the ramp, widen the stairs so they're the full width of the area between the posts. Beef up the posts to 6x6 and paint it all white. Add pretty hanging baskets on each post. Pick a pretty blue color for the front door and paint it, along with the screen door the same color. Definitely add larger lights that face down. A pretty lantern style would work well. Paint the downspouts yellow to match the house. I wouldn't add a parking pad-it will look to heavy and ruin the symmetry the house has. I love Cape Cod houses-I lived in one for 26 years. Congratulations on your new house!
pcapozza thanked katinparadise
Related Discussions
Please help spruce up our front elevation.
Q
Comments (16)
Just some random thoughts for you. In your first pic, there is way too much roof and it is overwhelming the house. The 2nd pic looks so much better with the lower roof. Is there anyway to compromise and put the 2 car garage to the front and the one car garage on the side? I can relate as we chose to do just that. Mainly because having the garage in the front shortens the driveway which is great for winter and it makes the front door used by guests as they know where to go. Most houses with side garage doors do end up with guests entering the garage...many houses around here don't even bother putting a sidewalk to the front door. The exception is where there is a circular drive that people can park in and then they use the front door. But the risk with that is that people leave cars there and it ends up looking like a car ad. We made a prominent gable and stoned it and then bumped out the entry porch even more to make sure the front door was outstanding and then blended the garage in with the rest of the style of the house with the dark doors receding. The 3rd garage we were able to build under the house and hid it with a garage door that looks like french doors. (we've since painted the french porte garage door out to match the rest of the trim....)
...See More
Front of house spruce up
Q
Comments (6)
Just came across your project. Not much space under roof. Had a crazy idea for you.Tie in some of the lost garden area. This means rip up all the sod in the semi circle. Make a smaller semicircle attached to the cement of the porch, using such things as paver blocks set in small pebbles.Bring out your chairs with a thrifter table conversation height.Like a red wagon planted with annuals. Now landscape between entry walk and new patio. Maybe. Box woods,azaelia. paint the posts a light color,plant a clematis on the post furthest from new patio to balance. Paint shutters and front door a new color that is not dark brown...too much brown due to roof mass. Go to paint store ,get many colors on one strip to get ideas or use their idea books..collect from HD,L,SW, Pratt&Lambert. Hope this helps.
...See More
Front of house needs sprucing up!
Q
Comments (7)
Make sure the planting space separating steps from drive is planted solid with some low form of plant. Colorful would be OK if it is durable. But green would be fine, too ... so long as it is tidy looking. The picture is not good so very hard to tell but I suspect the lawn in the raised portion of yard (around the tree) is not looking good. Work on transforming it into a lawn of green velvet. If it's not grass, make sure that whatever groundcover it is is solid and dense. If it's the case that is grass and it has died where it is in shade from the tree, then you need to separate the shaded portion into a groundcover bed while you improve maintenance on the grass. The bed should be nicely shaped to coordinate with the surroundings. (You'd need to submit a base plan if you want help on that conversion here.) The porch area does not look inviting. But it's too far away for us to see and to make specific suggestions. Generally though, get rid of the obscuring shrubs. Widen the approach walk. Add some color near the steps. Plant low plants as foundation plants in front of the porch. Slightly higher plants could be used at the base of porch posts. Swap out the uppermost panel of the garage door for one with a bank of windows across it.
...See More
flat front needs sprucing up
Q
Comments (4)
Your home is great, it just needs a little something to bring out it's charm. When you get a chance, I would change the front door to almost anything else without an oval window. That oval window in the door is for a Victorian house - and yet they are seen everywhere (inappropriately). I like this color front door. This one happens to be a dutch door but you don't have to do that if you don't want to have one. A regular 4 or 6 panel door will work. I like this color with the white house. Paint the trim around your windows white too, rather than red. Get your cottage look from the new landscaping you put in:) I'm sure some of the awesome posters from the landscape forum will see this and be able to help you with a landscape plan that works for you. No shutters. Your windows won't work with shutters and your home looks much better without them. Check out this brief article https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/ If you don't like yellow, you could go with blue or black or red or really any color that you do like. Have fun choosing your color!
...See More
einportlandor
4 years ago
I'd go with a new front door (vintage cottage style) if it's in the budget. Be sure to consider the color of the roof when choosing paint colors.
pcapozza thanked einportlandor
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
4 years ago
pcapozza thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
keith Dcil
4 years ago
To start remove the shutters. Then paint front door, storm door, porch railings and columns white & remove the wheelchair ramp if not needed. After that landscape -many local nurseries will come to your house and put together a landscape plan for you that you can implement over time. Think about a new siding color, I envision a light grey. Also, I would not want two separate driveways- just widen the existing driveway so you can park two cars side by side in front of house.

Related Stories

DECORATING GUIDES How to Spruce Up Your Neutrals for Spring

By Lara Sargent

We love our neutrals, but with spring in the air, they might just need a little lift

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING How to Spruce Up Your Patio for Summertime Fun

By Olander Garden Design

Get your outdoor space ready for summer with 6 simple and budget-friendly ideas

BATHROOM COLOR 8 Ways to Spruce Up an Older Bathroom (Without Remodeling)

By Liz Miller Interiors

Mint tiles got you feeling blue? Don’t demolish — distract the eye by updating small details

SELLING YOUR HOUSE 5 Savvy Fixes to Help Your Home Sell

By Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist

Get the maximum return on your spruce-up dollars by putting your money in the areas buyers care most about

DIY PROJECTS Spruce Up the House With 50 Clever DIY Ideas

By Lily Gahagan

How to make a modern chandelier, glam dresser, chalkboard table and more

7 Tips to Spruce Up Your Decor Like a Real Recessionista

SELLING YOUR HOUSE Help for Selling Your Home Faster — and Maybe for More

By Laura Gaskill

Prep your home properly before you put it on the market. Learn what tasks are worth the money and the best pros for the jobs

SELLING YOUR HOUSE 10 Low-Cost Tweaks to Help Your Home Sell

By Lurdes Abruscato

Put these inexpensive but invaluable fixes on your to-do list before you put your home on the market

SELLING YOUR HOUSE 10 Tricks to Help Your Bathroom Sell Your House

By Mink Home Staging

As with the kitchen, the bathroom is always a high priority for home buyers. Here’s how to showcase your bathroom so it looks its best

EXTERIORS Help! What Color Should I Paint My House Exterior?

By Jennifer Ott Design

Real homeowners get real help in choosing paint palettes. Bonus: 3 tips for everyone on picking exterior colors

Sponsored

Peabody Landscape Group

8 Reviews

Franklin County's Reliable Landscape Design & Contracting

More Discussions

Have you removed all grass from your front yard & replaced with plants

79

Suggestions for designing this corner

15

Need Front yard Ideas sideways facing yard

14

Advice and Imagination

4

Landscape help please

4