How to improve the front exterior of our home?
Hello All,
We recently built a new construction home in a mature neighborhood in New Jersey.
We think that the front elevation looks a bit "plain" and "uninspiring". We intended to build a "traditional colonial". However, we feel that our home looks more like a "farm house". (of course, opinions might vary on this)
Here is a photo of the front of the house:
(there will be a 12" lantern hanging from a chain on the front entry portico)
We were thinking about installing high-quality western red cedar shingles in a black color and shutter tiebacks ("shutter dogs"), similar to the following "inspiration" photo:
Here is what our house might look like with shutters:
(note: shutters will be on all windows)
Here are the important measurements on our house:
Width of the windows: 34.5"
(which means that we would need a shutter that is approximately 17" wide in order to be "architecturally correct")
Distance between the windows: 29.5" (as measured from the outer edge of the casing of each window)
Width of the window casing: 3.5"
Distance between the window casing and the corner pilaster: 12" (as measured from the outer edge of the window casing)
Here's what it looks like:
And, in close up detail:
Key Consideration:
There is limited space between the outer edge of the window casing and the edge of the corner pilaster (12"). In order to maximize the space in which to install the shutter, we would need to mount the shutters near the inner edge of the window casing. Mounting the shutter toward the inner edge of the window casing means that we can use most of the 3.5" width of the casing and the 12" space between the outer edge of the casing and the pilaster -- total of approximately 15" -- and have about 1" of space between the outer edge of the shutter and the edge of the corner pilaster.
Here is an example of a shutter mounted toward the outer edge of the window casing (which looks better in my opinion):
And, here is an example of a shutter mounted toward the inner edge of the window casing (you don't see very much of the window casing):
Some people have said that there will not be enough room. Here is a home in our neighborhood with shutters that are nearly touching each other:
I would be fine if our house looked like this.
Questions:
1) Will the house "look good" with shutters?
2) If the answer to question #1 is "yes", then what are your thoughts on using a 14" wide shutter?
3) If the answer to question #1 is "no", then is there anything else we can do to improve the look of the front of the home?
And now for the poll:
Thanks in advance!!
Comments (13)
PRO4 years ago
4 years agoRelated Discussions
what can we do to improve the exterior of our house?
Comments (21)you'd have to do some samples, but you could do a darker charcoal that leans toward brown. I do like the lime wash look, but your home is more mcm so I'd do a solid color. I would totally go with the med century vibe of your home and run with it. Unless you think a neutral charcoal color (like in the pics) would work w/your roof. look at this one! it's similar to yours. (notice the porch post size) This is more of a deep charcoal brown like some of the following shades. I'm loving the stone pathway, the light, and the 3 colors they used here. and here is one w/lighter brown tones (with that natural cedar/redwood accents). I put your home in this picture so you can imagine how these colors would look w/your home. so these are darker charcoal tones that lean on the brown side. (And don't forget, in bright sunlight darker colors will look lighter. But don't be afraid to do some testing samples too!) Black Fox is another one, but any of these other 4 on this palette could work: very dark charcoal, almost black, with bluer undertones. If it's possible to do the slat wood around your front door, on the porch area, I think it would look great love your door, your pendant and your address plaque! I'd think about bringing in a larger, more modern post where your downspout is. just look at the painted brick (Romabio) and the porch post. this look is a farmhouse Ranch, not the mcm of your home. this one has a metal roof too. notice the porch post. maybe do something like this in either a darker wood or a white. you can DIY it w/a vinyl wrap Or, look at how they did these posts. Perfect for the look of your house. Get a cool door knob like they have on their door! and notice the charcoal color vertical slats. also an idea.(I like this porch post for your home) this is also Romabio, but I wanted you to see how they did the flower bed. you could easily do this under your windows. low maintenance and an easy/cheap DIY You could also use the brown or black mulch if you can't do the pebble rock but the black mulch or pebble rock looks really cool, especially against the slat wood! this is so cool looking With your large windows in front, this would look really cool...See MoreStuck with how to improve exterior of my home. Help!
Comments (16)Nice home. House has a bit of a modern vibe to it. Not really a fan of pink for any part of the exterior of a home -- but that's a personal preference. I'd definitely stain the pink stone a darker color. Is your roof gray? If so, a dark gray would be worth considering or pick the lightest color from within your red brick. (Not usually a fan of painting brick or stone, but in this case, I'd likely make an exception. ) You've clearly expended time/effort/energy/$ on your landscaping and it looks really good. From the angle of the pic you've included, your front yard and porch appear to be blocked off. from access via the driveway. If you want the entry to feel welcoming to guests, you m ight consider how you might draw attention to the entrance/path to access your porch from your driveway... if there is a path; if not, you might want to create a path -- or make an existing one a bit more obvious. You might consider adding a post with a solar light atop it beside that path. As your spruce tree grows, it may well provide more shade than many of the plants you have like/need. I like trees in my yard and the shade they can provide my home, especially during the hot summer, but adding one too close to the foundation has the potential for eventually giving you some trouble. Do keep that in mind if you're making any changes to the landscaping or even to the house itself, such as if you're considering covering a walkway by extending your front porch roof as a flat roof (4'-6' deep) over the walkway to the garage. You might consider a white portico (about 18" deep) above the garage door supported by brackets on each side of the garage door, wide enough so you could have the option of adding a hanging basket with flowers that bloom from each corner as the spruce provides more shade than flowering plants might like. A gate ( perhaps with a portico above it continuing from above the garage) could "hide" utility items on the right side of the garage -- the area doesn't look particularly bad as is but are just more obvious (by comparison) because the front yard landscaping looks so very good....See MoreHelp! How to improve tacky Tudor style exterior for side split home?
Comments (6)Well this is a very good example of why downspouts shouldn't be painted out as trim- they are not architectural elements and shouldn't be highlighted as such. The big problem here is that the façade (front) of the house was remodeled but the original brick and siding was left on the side, so you're seeing a mishmash and all of these elements would too much for me to think through, I have the same concerns you have so I'd keep looking for another house, you don't need to settle for something you don't like....See MoreHow can I improve our front exterior?
Comments (15)You have too many different surface colours and textures in your house, and their proportion to each other is not pleasing to the eye. In other words, it looks patchy. To make things worse, the brightest colour (brick) and lightest colour (white) draw the eye to the lower level, away from the front door. Homes look welcoming and somehow "right" when the eye is drawn to the front door area. Stain the brick. Romabio is the product that you want. It's a stain not a paint and has a good warranty. This will definitely not devalue your home as someone suggested above. While you're at it, stain the contrasting stones around your front door, and the too-light pavers. To draw the eye up, I also moved your hanging basket up to your front porch area. Keep the lower landscaping very simple. Tall grasses in front of the porch area will give you the streamlined look that will suit your MCM style....See MoreRelated Professionals
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4 years ago- 4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
Paint your front door in a fun high gloss color from Fine Paints of Europe. We used it in our last house and it is a great product. You do need a good painter to get the best results with the high gloss paint.
Fine Paints Of Europe · More Info
Front doors with high-gloss Fine Paints of Europe · More Info
Front Doors · More Info - 4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
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PRO4 years agoHi there,
You have a lovely home! I would agree with earlier commenters & suggest focusing on landscaping and the turning the front porch and walk into the wow moments rather than installing shutters.
An accent color on the front door, accent light overhead (I would suggest a larger size than you mentioned in your original post), and/or accent sconces if there is space, several planters flanking entry door and up the front steps, less structured flowers and plants in these planters than are currently in the landscape and softer flowers & plant species lining the other side of your existing entry walk would certainly help. I've attached a few inspiration images.
decoenthusiaste