How to add more curb appeal to our new construction?
First-time homeowners here with a new construction home just past the drywall stage.
Looking for advice on how to add curb appeal/coziness to the exterior of our home :)
The siding color is platinum gray and the shutters are Wedgewood blue (the far L window will have the same shutters). The front door will be painted Wedgewood blue to match the shutters.
The garage door will be a stamped white door with black lanterns on either side. The front "porch" will also have a black lantern and there will be two white support columns on either side of the porch.
There will eventually be sod in the front/side yard and a small winding concrete walking path from the driveway to the front door.
There will be pine straw and a few bushes of some sort along the exterior garage wall leading up to the front porch, which we plan to change soon after moving in. Thinking of replacing the pine straw with rocks but not sure how well that would work...
Any and all advice is appreciated. Thank you!
Comments (21)
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Help needed with curb appeal for our new house
Comments (9)My first thought on reading your question was that you'd precluded the one thing I immediately thought of, which was to remove the camellia near the door. It unfortunately does not appear to be the dying plant you have your eye on. So I had to think about this one a bit. This forum is a little different from Home Dec, and some of the differences cause us to move a little slower! Obviously the front of your house had the same effect on me as on Rhodium. I've included a link to a question recently posted here with similar problems although the house style is very different. You may be able to appreciate the effect of a blocking plant and a dark door if you see something similar on someone else's house. You may still decide not to change it, of course! The palm by the driveway gives a little character in what seems to be a cookie cutter neighbourhood, so more power to you for keeping it. Given that you don't have much time, the prime part of the look you're after - manicured - may be best achievable just by pruning those boxwoods. But for the colour objective, you either have the wrong plants in, or not enough plants. To add plants you pretty much have to add beds, which means adding work. You see again how your parameters have somewhat precluded helping you get what you want :-) So I'm going to go around your parameters to make suggestions, and let you sort out which ones you do want to flex on if any. I would take out the camellia and put your decorative pot under your house number, not in the doorway. I would also paint the front door a brighter colour. Then I'd use the area next to the front door for your colour bed; it's small, but I think you'd enjoy it coming and going. Prune the boxwoods as well as the bushes to the left which are getting a bit shapeless, and maybe replace those grassy things in front of them with annuals or perennials that you like. Light coloured hostas would work in my zone and provide longer term interest than plants that have only flower interest. If you really want more planting beds, I would add them out further in the yard, something like an island bed out toward the left corner. KarinL Here is a link that might be useful: wanting a welcoming entry...See MoreHow to add curb appeal to a Florida Cookie Cutter Home
Comments (5)I might consider upgrading the garage door to something more decorative with windows and maybe a pair of large handles in the center, and doing something with the driveway (stain or stamping if the neighbors do it) and/or hardscape curves (pavers?) between the driveway and the door. Then I would try to think of something to put below the windows: extra trim or window boxes? I don't know. The whole left side of the pic feels blank. I know this all sounds expensive. Keep thinking about it and researching it and eventually you'll come up with some ideas that may be more cost effective. You may want to hire a designer before you invest too much. You could also line the driveway with plants and flowers. Think about ways to introduce curves. Paths and plants and paint. Can you put a flower bed around the mailbox? I love to see flowers around a mailbox. A paver seating area in front of the windows? Would you use that? It might be nice surrounded by shrubs. So many directions you could go in. Take your time....See MoreNeed help, what is the architecture style and how to add curb appeal?
Comments (25)I like the shutters. Id get a new door either black or a bright color with matching colored large pots or urns with TOPIARIES flanking the entry. Also, add a small hedge "Minimalist Landscaping. On par with stripped-down details in Colonial homes, landscapes lack conspicuous ornamentation. Many rely on geometric combinations of shrubs and trees as a restrained softscape accent." Source: https://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/exteriors/curb-appeal/colonial-style-home-ideas/...See MoreHelp Choosing Shingle Color & Ideas to Add Curb Appeal to Our House?
Comments (4)Hmmm...neither of those shingle colors look right to me. It could just be my screen, but the top one looks like it could have a little blue undertone, and the bottom one looks a bit red. Is the brick mortar more gray...or more gray than it looks on my screen? If so, I'd stick with gray for the roof as long as it has no blue. Gray roofs with brick are usually nice. Agree there's not much room for properly sized shutters. You could beef up the window trim instead. BTW, the roof color in your third photo looks good. Maybe stick with something close to that....See More
PRORL Relocation LLC
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RL Relocation LLC
last yearCan you not have white posts? I would do stained and a wood look or wood garage door.
goldbugsantafe thanked RL Relocation LLC 
goldbugsantafe
last yeargoldbugsantafe
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Jennifer Hogan
last yearI think if most of the street facing area of my home was garage I would make the most of it by doing something creative with the driveway and getting a great garage door.
I love some of the paver/grass combination driveways and the grass paver driveways.
With your property I can see a modern geometric design like this last photo paired with a modern garage door
or something more fun like the large stone and grass driveway with a less modern wood look garage door
goldbugsantafe thanked Jennifer Hoganres2architect
last yearlast modified: last yearRemove the cheezy louvered attic vent.
What will the portico columns look like? You only need one and I suggest it be substantial, round and tapered. It will essentially be the only notable architectural feature (other than the garage door) and may determine whether the house is a Colonial Revival or a Minimal Traditional style so popular with builder-developers.
I hope that's not the final color of the front door.
goldbugsantafe thanked res2architect
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
last yearSince you have a house attached to a garage, you'll want to make the garage doors as interesting as possible.
Sabrina Alfin Interiors