Design help needed to improve curb appeal of L-shaped ranch
briggswhitacre
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
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Need help on curb appeal for California Ranch
Comments (15)Why stain your driveway? It's common for us CA folks to see a huge swath of concrete with our houses. It tells us there's extra parking for parties, if nothing else. What appeals to our local markets is very different than what sells in other states. I do think the hedge would look better shorter, as it shows in your "old" picture. I'm not in love with the house color myself, it seems more an Arts & Craft color than MCM. Nonetheless, it is new and not worth doing over. As a gardener who appreciates low-water landscaping - and since Southern CA folks use our water, LOL - I would never suggest lawn ANYWHERE. The hedge adds a big swath of green that is obviously low maintenance/low water, almost as valuable as a mature tree. No flower box. Plant along the house on both sides of the door, instead. Easier to keep alive and tons more impact. A colorful assortment of mini-shrubs for both bloom color and foliage interest (the latter a lot more important than flowers which will fade in a month's time). Some dark reddish-brown and silver-grey mini-shrubs mixed with flowers will give impact, complement the house color, and draw the eye to the front door to look welcoming. Be generous with the number of plants. We are talking mostly quart-size container plants, maybe a couple of 1-gallon mini-shrubs for instant impact. You want a quick sale, so there isn't time to grow the plants. It should look 'filled in' as soon as you pat down the last trowelful of soil. Some inexpensive edging will keep the dirt off the concrete to make it easier to keep things tidy. The windows are small, proportion-wise. Keep the plantings at 2' high max. Balance is "the name of the game" for a house of your design (not symmetry, which is matchy-matchy)....See MoreI need some ideas to improve curb appeal - x-post kind of
Comments (47)Lovin what is happening with the thick posts. Adding a railing is also a very doable option. I particularly love how the posts thicken up at the bottom. Very grounding! And that's the thing with foundation planting - it really grounds the house. (I have to figure that out at my own house now that my house has new siding, doors, windows.) It's really fine that you don't know how to do that. GW has some great forums with folks who would be more than glad to help you figure out some low maintenance, substantial scrubs/plantings for around the foundation. You can also just look around your neighborhood/town at what people have done. Pay attention to their choice in shrubs and make sure you are seeing mature plants so you can figure out placement. It makes a TON of difference. And, for the second time in 5 minutes, I'm with pfmastin. I still really prefer the current paint color and brick. I like it light. It's really just such a good, fresh look! That being said, I know you were disappointed from the beginning with it and taste is taste. Would you consider just going with a creme with an undertone that takes you from the yellow if that is what is bothering you? Be careful with tans and beiges, or you can end up with a bandaid/pinky tone. IMHO, neutral and earthy, grayed out tones are good for the bones of a house. Punches of color can be added in porch furniture, front doors, plantings, pots, shutters, etc......See MoreNeed help adding curb appeal on a 1960's ranch
Comments (14)I think that some of the suggestions wouldn't be an improvement and suggest that you think about whether those changes will enhance the home's appearance and period details. The dark stripes of the shutters add interest to the facade from a distance and I don't think I would change them unless you are going to add similar wide dark trim. The glass brick are appropriate to the architecture and were common in that time period, so unless you want that to be a window that you can look out, don't change them. Similarly, the wrought iron porch supports are typical to the time period, so unless they really bother you keep them. On the other hand, I don't like the jalousie windows and consider them to be more common on beach houses and back porches, not on windows to the main house, so I would switch them out. The low wall doesn't bother me since it is so low, but if you don't like it, I don't think removing it would be an issue as long as doing so won't damage the porch or house. I think replacing the door with one more in keeping with the house's architecture would be nice, and painting it something that contrasts with the masonry while still coordinated with the house would look good, so rich deep brown or black, or a shade like the brightest brown in the masonry, or even some shade of orange. The main issue to get an appealing entry is the plantings and walkway, both of which are currently narrow and cramped feeling. So I would move the walkway to a minimum of 5' from the garage so that you have room for a row of small shrubs underplanted with groundcover and a few bright flowers near the drive and where the walk turns toward the house. The walk should be at least 5' wide so visitors don't have to approach single file, and 6' would be better. You have a lot of different masonry surfaces going on already, so I would choose concrete to match the porch surface. I like the simple squared off shape of the walk and how it relates to the building, so I wouldn't change the shape or add curves. The current plantings seem rather random with regard to the architecture, so placement when you add plants will be important. Don't put plants that want to grow tall in front of windows, and center plantings with regard to architectural details instead of the current placement of being half in front of windows and masonry details. You don't say where you are in zone 6, and soil pH, texture, and moisture are different in Cleveland vs. New England vs. Oklahoma, so at this point it is difficult to make specific plant suggestions. You will want some evergreens for the backbone of the garden to provide year round interest. If your soil is acid and has reasonable drainage, look st some of the smaller and more densely growing members of the Heath family such as smaller Pieris or mountain laurel/Kalmia, heath/Erica, Heather/Calluna, or some of the smaller Rhododendrons. The Rhododendrons and Kalmia will tolerate a good amount of shade but the heaths and heathers like full sun. Other evergreens to consider with varying tolerance for shade include: Yew/Taxis which is your current plant, but has other shapes and sizes available and has the advantage of being very shade tolerant Junipers range from groundcovers to large trees and different cultivars have varying foliage colors, but like a good amount of sun Chamaecyparis has quite a range of foliage color and texture as well as plant size, depending on species and cultivar. Doesn't like all day shade, but tolerates a range of pH....See MoreHow would you fix the curb appeal of this old l-shaped ranch house?
Comments (31)I would research (by visiting) rentals in the area and seeing their condition vs rental price. Your biggest challenge will be to improve within the income possibilities of the market in your area. Cash flow will also be a consideration. So assess the area, see what upgrades would be needed to get the “income” to minimize your outflow of cash. Consider state taxes and other costs to make sure once you lease it you make some profit over outflow of cash. Older homes cost especially when routine maintenance has been done over a long period of years. Consider selling in this hot market to bank equity now for your future. Just really think things through and analyze all the pros and cons. As to drought resistant plants, ice plants near houses in this location are great and a big perimeter of them will help protect the home from forest fires. They are filled with water. Once you remove that tree, plant one that won’t get into your sewer lines or mess up your foundation. Check with local college extension office and get tips from them. Most have lists of suggested plants and trees. Aloe plants are good too. A garden and small bistro table and chairs converting driveway area to patio would be inexpensive way to boost curb appeal. I would paint exterior an off white with black trim. Black pots creating front patio and entry. If you replace roof, go with black or dark gray. You can add outdoor rug for color too. Then get driveway repaired. I put an acrylic awning over small garage door. You could do a black and white stripe fabric style awning too. I added two large modern exterior fixtures. Then aloe plants in black pots along with drought resistant plants on strip to right of driveway. A lighter exterior color would modernize your curb appeal a lot. Black trim and either a cedar front door or semi gloss black door. SW Tricorn black with SW Pure White or Alabaster for body of house. Carry that color palette inside home for continuity....See Morephassink
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