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Remodeling Design Dilemma Exterior

Any ideas on ways to update the front and side elevation of this house

2 years ago

Side views need to look attractive as well. We like the new rear view but need some further ideas for the front and side views. Front can't be extended forward any further than the edge of the roof plane. Does anyone have any ideas on ways to make this house pop more??

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Comments (6)

PRO
RL Relocation LLC
2 years ago
Curious can you put a patio? Can you rip out all that blacktop and get some landscape?
midpitts15
Original Author
2 years ago
I wish they could but it is the only parking space available. Perhaps it could be an option, but we need parking for 5 vehicles. Once we get the house right we will look into the landscaping. Thanks for the idea.
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Yes, well that is why we are trying to give the front the look of 1 1/2 stories while not putting living space in the attic. There is a full, walkout basement of which 2/3 to 3/4's will have windows due to the slope of the lot. From the rear, it is a 2 story house. This is typical of many homes in the area we are building (Greenville, SC), particularly in the Cliffs. This is a home for our retirement, so we want to have all of the everyday living space on the main floor. I wish we could have kept the footprint smaller by going up for some of the living space, but we're just being realistic about living on one level as we age. And, we don't need 2600 sf on the main level, plus a 2nd story, plus another 2600 sf in the basement. That amount of square footage would not be justified for resale. The basement will have my sewing/crafts room and, eventually, bedrooms & a rec room for when we have grandkids. It had been suggested to us that we leave room for an elevator so we can get down there if we have trouble with the stairs. My contention is that if I have trouble with the stairs, I will have just as much trouble standing at a table to cut out a pattern so I won't be using the sewing room much, anyway. OTOH, if we hit granite when they go to dig the foundation like our next door neighbor did, then we will end up with a two story house to accommodate our future expansion plans. I think this plan will be flexible enough with the gambrel and the Dutch gables for the main roof if we need to go to a backup plan. We know that this will not be an authentic Shingle Style house & we've accepted that. We just didn't want another brick sided traditional or faux French or Craftsmen-esque or "Mountain" style which is so popular Upstate. We decided to take our inspiration from the Shingle Style and be as true as we can to the aesthetic.
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At what part of the house are we looking? Back, front, side? Do you have another photo that shows the entire house and not just a portion? A view from the street that includes the front door would be good. Are both structures in the photo the same house? The part with shutters looks as though it's another house, or was built before the part on the left. What kind of look are you going for? I rather like the simple all green garden. With the structure on the left's high foundation, planting along the foundation is a good idea. The shrubbery helps to settle the building into the landscape and make it look less tall.
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The tree is pretty, but it is blocking the entrance.Trim up the lower branches and see how that looks before you take it out completely. Or take out one trunk. Except it may have to come out anyway, if it will grow too big to be that close to the house. (aside- the problem with trees too close to the house is that their roots shrink and swell with the rainfall. This means the soil near the foundation may shift, and that's bad.) It's hard to see under the tree, but it looks like the front door has no accent. The roof above is straight, and it's recessed. So make the twin brick pillars on either side of the entry more eye-catching. Maybe paint just those? Or cover them with tile or some spot of color.If there's no security reason to keep them tall, then waist high would be more welcoming. What color? Hmm, a chocolate brown like the garage door would be a safe choice, but I would love to see it in a plum. Not that I would be that adventurous on my own house, mind you! How much plum is in the brick color? Maybe burgundy, although that always seems to fade to dusty rose. Or a dusty shade of orange, depends on the brick. I would also trim back the hedge under the windows so that it stops short of the walk, and maybe put a half barrel there with bright annuals. And maybe a second one between the windows. You might even make that section of walk wider by adding six inches of gravel along both side of the walk.
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On my screen, your house looks distinctly red-brown - that reddish stain many people use for deck stain. With the red-brown body, I just can't envision blue "going". I'd do a khaki door - with brown trim and seasonal wreaths, it will really pull people in. Squint and pretend this isn't a formal Georgian entrance lol See how the khaki stands out against the dark brick?
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PRO
RL Relocation LLC
2 years ago
another option, what about doing interlocking brick rather than blacktop or stamped concrete? then you can use planters to add some looks?
WestCoast Hopeful
2 years ago
I think adding planters is a good idea but I wouldn’t do much more. The house looks fine and clearly the view beyond it is the draw! Add planters by door and under windows and on balconies and call it a day
fissfiss
2 years ago
The only reason to change the front of the house would be to create more inside square footage or add the utility of the garage. It’s just fine, not ugly at all. Something big and fun in that space over the front door? And definitely some big planters under the windows on the parking pad.
3onthetree
2 years ago
Stay with me here for my mind's process. What I see from the drawings, if I am reading them correctly, is on the back side of house, you are capturing the left balcony, and completely tearing off the roof, and adding a new one at a lesser slope to meet the front existing wall. The existing right balcony will remain, and that railing will be extended across the new wall on the left to create a faux railing (there is no balcony shown in side view). The roof will be extended over this faux railing (with no balcony) and detailed with brackets. More brackets are installed under this faux railing (with no balcony), so these are only applied in 2D.

Why the introduction of the overhanging roof and brackets on the back when the design language does not contain it on the sides or the front? So if you were to "apply" some sort of similar design on the sides, it would likewise be in 2D. That would appear "faux," and not contribute to positive aesthetics. Likewise, why are you continuing the existing roof's rake eaves onto the sides, when that language does not fit the clerestory design?

If I am reading the drawing wrong, or they are incorrect, then my verbage is moot, but the end reasoning is the same. The aesthetics should derive from the plan/roof/massing, and anything else would seem "faux." As it exists now, the sides are cohesive with the overall design language.

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