Desperate for curb appeal help

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Hi! I just purchased an old home. The inside is nice and has been redone but the outside needs work. does anyone have any suggestions on what to do or any ideas on who to hire for ideas? I am not creative/ design savvy at all.

Featured Answer

Sigrid

3 years ago

You need landscaping, you don't need a portico. Long and low is the style of your house. It's nice. When you disrupt it with a tacked on addition, you often get a mess. I'd add some short shrubs in front.

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Comments (12)

Morgan Davies
3 years ago
We also have a slightly older home (1990) and are in the process of adding new exterior front and patio doors. Nothing too modern but replacing the dated glass ones do add a reasonable inexpensive improvement
Elaine Doremus Resumes Written
3 years ago
Pictures? Floor plan? Measurements? Who to hire - ask trusted neighbors, friends, family, accountant for referrals. What is the style of the home? If you don't know, please put in top search box different styles, one at a time. Examples include colonial, federal, mid century modern, craftsman, ranch, historian, etc. https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00t46VaES9MzOvqrJb96iwrty31bA%3A1612187861054&source=hp&ei=1QgYYJp72Le1Bo3AurgN&q=what+are+different+styles+of+homes&oq=what+are+different+styles+of+ho&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB46BAgjECc6BAgAEEM6CggAELEDEIMBEEM6BQgAEJECOggIABCxAxCDAToHCAAQFBCHAjoLCC4QsQMQxwEQowI6CggAEMkDEBQQhwI6BQgAEJIDOgUIABDJAzoFCAAQsQNQ_wZYg0ZgmFloAXAAeACAAWaIAZ4UkgEEMzEuMZgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXo&sclient=psy-ab
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I like the idea of the porch, but not that particular design. Part of the problem is the driveway goes right up to the house....makes it look too sterile and commercial. More green space with bigger shrubs in front of the house would help a lot. Maybe some hydrangeas? Window boxes would help a lot. The color is at once too dark and too light. If the logs were bigger and darker the log cabin look could work, if it were much lighter colored it would be cheerier. Also, the house and garage almost but don't quite match. Maybe paint it a redwood color, with a less neutral colored garage door? I recognize the instinct is to hide the garage door, but the garage door is too big to hide, and the attempt makes it look like a commercial building. A garage door with some trim or windows would make it look less commercial...perhaps red or green.
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It has been a few months, but we finally made a little progress. We ripped out the front bushes on both sides (haven't gotten to the giant holly trees behind the wall on the left yet) and tore down the ugly wall on the right side of pictures so at least they aren't covering the windows that are closer to the street anymore. It is hard to tell from a picture but we also leveled out the yard a little on the right side so there isn't quite as much of a hump in the middle of that side of the yard. The small wall just above the sidewalk is going to be removed in the next few days and replaced with the bricks you can sort of see we have started building up along the sidewalk up to the door. We are also looking to replace the windows on the right side of the house for now, with a combination of casement and picture windows that match. Because of the roofline there, I would like to remove the look of the horizontal bar across the middle of the. I think that might help visually open that space??? Thoughts? We get full 100 degree plus sun for several months of the year so I have some low growing drought resistant shrubs in mind for that area once we get to that point. I would love to paint the brick (I know some people hate painted brick lol) or mortar wash it in some way and put in a medium brown trim and windows, but I don't think it is in budget at this time. What do you guys think of the progress so far? Any more thoughts/recommendations would be much appreciated. :)
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I can't really tell what is going on with that larger second story window, but if you have the budget, I would change it out to match the style of all the other windows. Agree with ditching the too-small-to-be-attractive shutters, but I would beef up the trim around the windows in their place. Paint the downspouts to blend in with the siding. I think a porch across at least the original living space side would be nice, if you don't mind having the windows shaded (I would miss sun coming in my front windows). Because of the poor quality photo, I can't tell what that is in between the overgrown shrub and the front door. In any case those shrubs need to be replaced with a mix of evergreens, perennials, flowering shrubs that won't grow above the windowsills (unless you can keep up with pruning) - probably you can get help with a plan at a local nursery.
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Sigrid
3 years ago
You should post a picture. On Houzz, I've seen everything from lovely houses that the owner has found some imaginary flaw with to really awkward, unattractive architecture. What help you need depends on what your issue is. You probably want to find someone local. If you want structural changes, the contractor can go inside and eyeball your structure for adequate support. If you want paint, understanding the climate and what's already on the house matters. Ditto landscaping.
HU-33713008
Original Author
3 years ago
Sorry everyone, I have attached the pictures 3 different times but it won't work for some reason, I will keep trying.
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Post one picture at a time, one per new comment. Wait till the picture fully loads itself (not gray toned) before submitting.

and don’t forget to give us an approximate location because that has a tremendous effect on what will grow in your yard. For example, I live in north central Missouri.
HU-33713008
Original Author
3 years ago

South Alabama. Am willing to change the door or shutters and things of that nature as well.
HU-33713008
Original Author
3 years ago
amuzyczka
3 years ago
The last picture you posted was great! Shutters don't belong on those windows :( I think you should look into having a portico put over your front door to break up the roofline. You also should consider removing the hedge on the left that blocks the window and trim back the one partially blocking the front door. Fresh landscaping would help a lot.
K Laurence
3 years ago
I would hire a landscape designer to draw up a plan ... that would be the biggest improvement from what I can see. It can always be done in stages .... depending upon your budget. Also, I would think about removing those fan-like add ons on the garage doors. I was able to just pop mine out , not sure about yours.
K Laurence
3 years ago
Agree with Sigrid. The lines of y house are great, don’t muck it up.
emmarene9
3 years ago

You can start with removing the shutters and removing the window grids, if possible.

I'd remove the shrubs on the right side. If you want to keep the shrubs on the left side they must be pruned to below the windows.

Does the house face north?

Desperate for curb appeal help

Sigrid

Comments (12)

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