facelift for ranch in city surrounded by classic older homes
Ranch built on a city lot in 1950 on a street of older circa 1920 homes. We are looking for facelift and landscape ideas. We are capable of doing extensive landscape, paint and architectural millwork ( trim, shutters, fences, railings etc ) but not so good at ideas. Roof will need replacement and we are hoping for ideas that might work without changing windows, raising roof, adding porches etc. Looking to get rid of grass. Yard gets full morning sun and is in Zone 5 Upstate NY. Thanks for any ideas.
white house to right
pink house to left
Comments (16)
PROPatricia Colwell Consulting
last yearlast modified: last yearvalupstate thanked Patricia Colwell ConsultingRelated Discussions
Adding a second story onto a ranch house & beautifying....
Comments (12)Thanks so much. How much do you think a second-story project would cost (there are so many variables, I know, but sq footage about 900 and including a bathroom)? We have thought of paying a contractor to do the 'heavy duty' stuff that we simply CANNOT do, but we *can* do all the finishing work ourselves (or most of it): drywall, painting, trim, flooring, all bathroom fixture installation, etc. And we'd probably pay to get an architect to draft the plans first, then work on saving for 5-10 years so we could pay mostly or all cash. Such a fun thing to be able to plan! For now, too, any advice on how to make a 'modern' house have more vintage charm would be great. I think when we replace the carpeting (ugh) with hardwoods, I'll also install higher baseboards--mine are pretty short. And I'm thinking of handscraped hardwoods or wide planked, perhaps! Thanks so much. As an aside, I'm happy to report that we went to see the 1912 farmhouse we were obsessed with for 3 days and it's a definite NO---a gorgeous, beautiful house with so much potential,and the most beautiful views I have ever, ever seen from a residence, but *too* much potential for us at this point in our lives. I have always lived in older houses (except for the one we're in now) and I walked out of there, turned to my husband and said "run away NOW!" :-) One day perhaps we'll find the right older home for us, but that one needed an extraordinary amount of rehabilitation! I hope and pray the right buyer finds it--it could be fantastic!...See MoreHow did you city get its name?
Comments (57)As you all know, a lot of the upper midwest is f-l-a-t. (My DM, a native of Rhode Island, claimed that she used to drive up and over RR crossings, just for the variety.) I grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois. The "Park" part is common in many place names. The "Ridge" celebrates the infinitesimal bit of altitude above sea level that exists in the center of town. This name replaced the much less 'cultured' name of Bricktown. (An abundance of clay soil led to the founding of brick works.) Our little town and the one next to it had its own telephone company for ages. I remember an early phone directory that extolled the virtues of Park Ridge, inviting Chicagoalns to move there, "Out of the Smoke Zone -- Into the Ozone". (Well, what did they know?)...See MoreLayout Help with 1960s Ranch Kitchen
Comments (43)regarding W/D in the home gym.... If you do that, then you have forever relegated that room to a laundry room. It becomes a very large laundry that is used as a gym. IMHO, I don't think a very large laundry will be a selling point. I would rather have a multipurpose room that can used for many different things. If you keep the home gym as a multipurpose generic room, then it can be used as a guest bedroom, kids playroom etc etc as your life changes. However, if you are willing to give up the bedroom, it solves the issue of your powder room where the guest is not walking through the laundry area. In general, it is nice to be able to direct the guests to the powder room which is NOT a personal bathroom. If you direct the guests to the hall bath, that is in the private area. My guess is that you want a useful/nicer powder room for the guests to use. When you remodel, you think you solved one problem, you notice another problem! I would work the floor plan more so that you have a really nice inviting 1/2 bath with better doors in that hallway. You are already doing an enormous amount of work. This will not add that much to the work. At this point, it is just your time.......See More1940s ranch, exterior help needed
Comments (22)Good news about the wood siding. Your white house is classic.Lowering the contrast of the accents could be just enough of a change to help you see your house with new eyes. Both the asphalt shingles and your concrete sidewalk appear to have a greenish-gray undertone, so I would also encourage you to look at a gray like BM HC-168 Chelsea Gray for your shutters. The front door is a great place to have a little fun and with your very neutral background, pretty much any colour you choose will work. Go with your favorite bright colour for the front door and repeat the colour with planters or plantings....See Morevalupstate
last yearvalupstate
last yearkandrewspa
last yearIMO a medium gray roof is the best for flexibility. When you're replacing the roof is a great time to add a front porch. The picture below is the closest I could find to what I was thinking of, but I don't like the window in the peak or the windows without muntins. They look blank. Though I can't see your windows very well, I assume they're double-hung. Also, the peak on this one is just odd. You should have a flatter one that is better integrated with your roofline. But I think the porch should be across about 1/3 of the front of your house. You should really have an architect draw it so a builder knows exactly what you want.
The Larkspur Plan #715 · More Infovalupstate thanked kandrewspa
misecretary
last yearMy guess would be that the builder of your house either ran out of $$ or mis-calculated when he didn't finish bringing in dirt and excavating the yard. The basement windows are very high off the ground which strongly suggests there was an intent. I would contact landscaping company with an idea to terrace the front yard or even ask if there is anyway at least part of the yard could be elevated. Never hurts to ask a question. Using this Houzz picture as an example of what can be done. Search for Sloped Front Yard Terraced Ideas on Houzz to find ideas to build upon. Good luck!
Ransome Avenue, Oakland CA · More Infovalupstate thanked misecretary
PRORL Relocation LLC
last yearIm wondering if this doesn't call for and expanded front porch to make it more "intentional" while also allowing you to eliminate some lawn and give a good place for a bit of hedge landscape.
Im might add some more cottagey type windows and a yellow door, widen the steps and the walk way, plant some ornamental trees, and then add drought tolerant plants for your zone.
https://www.plantmegreen.com/collections/zone-5
valupstate thanked RL Relocation LLCer612
last yearlast modified: last yearRL Relocation LLC - Love the expanded porch! If that isn't an option, painting the house and staining the existing porch/steps will make a huge difference.
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Modern Bungalow · More Infovalupstate thanked er612
Jennifer Hogan
last yearI just have to share. I live in a valley and some homes in our area have been raised to protect them from flood. (Yes, after they were built). I thought that I might find a visualization that would help the OP - still looking, but came across this one and had to share.
valupstate thanked Jennifer HoganJennifer Hogan
last yearCouldn't find exactly what I was thinking, but basically I would want to create a layer, maybe 2 between the street level and the height of the front door.
the first two are back yard decks, third is the only front of house picture.
valupstate thanked Jennifer Hogan
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
last yearlast modified: last yearThat front entrance needs to be completely reworked. There is no protection from the rain so it needs some type of overhang canopy. The entrance is very plain.
A solution like this could make your home look vintage and updated at the same time. The powder blue color seems wrong for the block. I'd face the foundation with stone veneer to add another texture to the home.A front entrance that has that many stairs should either have a landing or at the very least be wider.
valupstate thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
PROvalupstate thanked Celery. Visualization, Rendering imagesvalupstate
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