Working to Make This Old House More Modern Farmhouse
Good morning!
A couple years ago we bought a historic house in a great neighborhood. It has lots of character, but its honestly not the house we would have bought if the market wasn’t so hot. But it was in our school system, we liked the neighborhood, and the house seems to have good bones that we can make our own. Now we are finally ready to renovate (!) and I’d love to hear what you all think of the plan we’ve been putting together before we go to an architect to draw it up.
I’m not sure what style to call this house. Maybe colonial? In any case I have always wanted to live in a modern farmhouse, so we are going to bring in as many of those ideas as we can.
Exterior:
First off, the house is really dark and heavy looking right now, so it’s getting painted white of course. Windows will be black. We are still figuring out if we will paint the current windows black and get rid of the grates or do new windows. I really like the idea of farmhouse grids in the top half, so I am leaning toward new windows. I think we could even do steel windows in the sunroom to bring in the modern flair. There are also stained-glass windows over the front door. They are lovely but they don’t fit my vision so I plan to sell them (I really love history so we will be sure to sell off anything we don’t use).
The red tile roof is definitely not farmhouse, and it’s as old as the house so we will be doing a new black shingle roof. I can’t decide whether to paint the eaves (which have a fantastic exposed rafter detail black or white. Any thoughts?
Then there’s the entry. I think we can make the front door work painted black, but the everything going on around it is too ancient Greece for my taste. I’ve thought about painting it all white, but it won’t make it go away and I really want a front porch instead. I think the front porch could be off centered to cover the door and the two right windows and the old surround could be boxed in with white board and batten. I think cedar on the posts, a black metal roof, and stacked stone around the base would look great!
A quick mockup of what I'm thinking:
Inside:
I know they lived different lives back then, but this house has way too many walls for me. I can’t see and hear the rest of the family. I have the basic plan of our house below. I marked up the first floor plan from the sale listing. Do you think I could remove all of the walls highlighted in red? I guess we probably need some columns and an architect or builder can figure that out. I just think it would make the interior so open and inviting.
The stairs maybe we could get by with painting all white, but I’d love to hear what you all think. Maybe something more industrial or rustic? Black metal or rough timber? If I’m told I can’t get rid of the wall between the stair and the living room I’m covering it in ship lap.
This is my dream look:
There is such a mix of flooring styles throughout right now that we are thinking to do all new. Something like gray stain wide plank luxury vinyl to be easier maintenance. Walls we think in all white, we just have to pick the right one. We want to save some of the woodwork to honor the house’s history and paint it out to match the walls.
I think the living room fireplace is a great place to do something cool and interesting to make a statement. German smear brick? Floor to ceiling ship lap? Stacked stone? I think with a big chunky timber mantel either way.
Anyway that’s where we are headed right now. I am excited to see what you all think!
Comments (42)
jck910
3 years agoIsaac
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Farm-house sink Vs double bowl sink
Comments (11)Believe me, there are NO plumbing issues involved. What MAY be an issue is finding a hardware store--or other source--for the parts you need to do a changeover. The best thing you can do for yourself is get down and climb under your present sink, the neighbor's sink, your family member's sinks, and familiarize yourself with the plumbing that's under there !! While you're down there, check for leaks, and use a ruler/tape measure to get an idea of sizes. Bathroom sinks are usually 1 1/4" diameter thinwall pipe; the tub/shower and the kitchen sink are, or should be, 1 1/2". One thing to remember: the 1 1/2" thinwall pipe hooked directly to the bottom of your sink, and tied into the "S" or "P" traps under there, is NOT NOT NOT the same as the 1 1/2" drain piping; HOWEVER--there are adapters to mate the thinwall to the heavier piping. By the way, you ARE gonna go to the store and find out what a "P" or "S" trap is, aincha?? Dont be afraid to ask Q's, and do realize many of the guys you ask are about as ignorant as you are when it comes to plumbing....many--not all of 'em. THEN: when you find somebody who sounds like (s)he can help you do this project, and they put down on paper the parts you need, the best thing you can do is repeat the process--go find somebody else at another store who can do likewise, and then compare the parts recommended, &c. Maybe this soundz like plumbing 101--you're right, it is. Anything else spellz disaster in the making, not to mention the resultant feeling you bin ripped off and jerked around, and that you coulda done a better job yourself.... if only.... you'd taken to heart the suggestion of: kenn 1RmSchlHse millersport oHIo -- there's a time and place for spontaneity.......See MoreModern Farm House - Nicholas Lee Plan
Comments (20)Thank you all for your feedback. It is striking in its simplicity and yet consistent geometry. The site location works for the home as do the overall dimensions. Currently the existing house faces West on a gentle slope out looking over acreage and pasture and out towards the Coast Range in Oregon's Eola Hills and backed by old growth White Oak, including a very large one that anchors the existing location in the circle drive directly South of the home. This limits what we can do footprint wise. This plan is slightly narrower that the existing home and slightly longer, but very close on both sides. We would probably make it 28 wide to minimize backfill and yes, the house would have a basement, simply because we already have one and this would be slotting into the same space. Parking is currently under the house in the basement and would continue to be so. This is simply due to constraints with the site setting. The questions around whether a great room space with shared kitchen/dining/living vs more closed off space is a valid one and I'm not sure there is a right answer there. Clearly that has been the trend in modern housing, although I'm not sure if it is the right one. I know for us, we would in fact modify the floor plan. Instead of the large vaulted space in the great room, we were thinking of making the second story complete without the loft. That gives us more square footage, storage space, and room for kids and would keep heating and cooling costs in check. We like the double masters just because we have aging parents and aren't sure if one is going to end up with us. Plus, it allows us to gracefully age in place. We would do away with the giant sliders that roll back into the walls. While we love them, they aren't practical for our acreage. Instead we would use a double set of French doors on each side. Se like the idea of porches on both sides to provide symmetry and more importantly to shade provide shade to the main floor and to provide outside space to enjoy the views. Is porch space on slab really that expensive? Are we sure the windows are steel or alumnum framed? Perhaps they are darkly colored vinyl or painted fiberglass? As for the kitchen, I would definitely change the layout and location of appliances. Anyway, thanks for the feedback and food for thought everyone. Any other input, we would love to hear it!...See MoreHow to i transform this entry into more of a modern farmhouse style?
Comments (28)I'm actually a fan of benches by the front door. But I live in The Great White North and feel like it's polite to provide a spot for guests to sit and remove snow- or mud-covered boots. I probably would NOT put a bunch of cubbies or otherwise provide a "drop zone" for the kids to dump everything at the front door. That is ideally kept to the "back hall" or "mud room" if you have one. Because if you give them a horizontal surface, they will use it and you'll spend the next umpteen years yelling at them to get their backpacks/etc out of the entryway. As to the other, I've been in lots of farm houses. (Farm country, and all) None of them look like that. Especially with that cast iron railing. All of it is much nearer "Rustic Italian" or something similar. Don't feel like you have to limit that to "Tuscan Gold" paint, espresso cabinets, and travertine floors. Most of that trend was WAY overdone. So - no grapes, no roosters, etc. Go look for images and you see lots of what you have here - white walls, exposed beams and brick, etc. There is a lot to work with there - but it probably can't be shoe-horned into "HGTV Modern Farmhouse." And you really don't want to do that. It's a trend that will be passing off pretty soon, I suspect. Remain faithful to the style and bones of the house and you'll always have a timeless classic....See MoreMake modern farmhouse less trendy?
Comments (31)For whatever reason, I've never been a fan of the steeply pitched roofs often seen on this kind of design. Every so often, people need to go up there, and I have just always preferred that it doesn't seem death-defying to do so. I guess that's just me. I have always liked white houses, whether they have black windows or white windows. But, they are seeming to become rather common. I would also like to see a tone-on-tone soft gray-green house like @stiley posted. Or paint the house a creamy color and keep the windows white. Sometimes it's rewarding to do something others aren't doing. But if you like white with black windows, I do think it's a classic color combo. Dated? That color combo on that style of home maybe... but I don't think black windows are necessarily trendy....See More
Jilly
3 years ago
Louise Smith
3 years agozone4painter
3 years ago
tartanmeup
3 years agoJilly
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agoI agree this is not now or ever will be a farmhouse , yes you can do anything for a price but honestly this home I bet sits in an area where many homes are similar. To paint brick IMO instantly devalues a home and this one for sure. I am all for living how you want to on the inside and have often done an interior very different from the exterior but I think the bones need to be kept in most cases . I had a 1905 1 1/2 storey house in Calgary I loved how thexterior fit the lot and the neighborhood but I did the interior much more contemporary but kept the bones and even replaced some of the trim . I loved that house it worked for us and sold very fast when we retired .So mAybe just work on the inside but not destroy the whole house. Get a good interior designer who understands respecting the home and still gets a liveable space for you.This was our little home
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