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Landscape Design Exterior Design Dilemma

HELP UGLY HOUSE!!

last year

1970s Brady Bunch house complete with lava rock front face. Sooo trendy right? Please suggest some non-boring-siding options. Feel free to make fun of landscaping too. The previous owners apparently didn't like upkeep. I don't mind too much.

Featured Answer

Sigrid

last year

The house is long and low, which is pretty modern. Beige with white trim is doing it no favors. If you painted it a dark gray that matched the lava rock, with a cream trim, it would look cohesive and great.

Remember, today's trendy is tomorrow's dated.

The flagstone is higher quality than cement. What you need to make it look good is to crisp up the edges and keep the grass down. I'd put a flower bed between the walkway and the house.

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Comments (11)

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Sabrina Alfin Interiors
last year
I would remove the lava rock and continue the board and batten siding. Then paint it a nice color like a gray-blue with contrasting trim and door colors. Here are a few examples:

Contemporary New Build California Style Ranch Home · More Info

Cool Ranch - Glen Ellyn Reno · More Info

SE Denver Ranch Home | James Hardie Board & Batten · More Info

Once that's done, you can focus on the landscaping with foundation plantings and maybe a new driveway with pavers.
JP L
last year
Aside from paint (seriously anything but boring beige or grey!) and a new garage door, I wouldn't change a thing about your house.
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Rip that front porch and ramp off and replace it with a much larger porch, covered if you can afford it. You need to disguise the tall foundation with plantings. Most people where I live use some type of evergreen. The window sizes don't bother me at all. Bathroom windows ARE usually smaller. So what? I wouldn't paint the garage door a different color than the house. That would draw attention to it - like, "Hey, look at me! I'm a garage!" Attention should go to your front door instead. Could you post a picture of the fencing you are talking about? Cattle or hogwire fencing sound, well, like livestock fencing. Years ago, when our two boys were ages 6 and 2, we bought a home on a busy street corner. The back yard was completely enclosed with a well-constructed chain link fence. That fence was a selling point to us because of our kids. However, the day we moved in, both boys busily explored the back yard and we observed our oldest carefully teaching his little brother the easiest way to climb over the fence. *sigh* We can't recommend any plantings because you don't tell us where in the world you live. Edited to add: I forgot to say that I think this can be a cute little place. It looks well kept and tidy. It just needs some love.
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Consider adding at least one additional window to create symmetry -- or three more if that would be necessary for symmetry. If you cannot add actual windows, create faux windows to create symmetry. Removing the one window and adding evenly spaced skylights could create symmetry. You could create more than a blank wall using mostly vertical trim boards of the same finish as your decking -- even a faux deck if you wanted. Some landscaping to become the focus of attention would be worth considering.
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Do you know the name of the shrub that's between the windows? What is behind the brick raised bed with the hedge? I like the suggestion to remove those bushes. What you do next depends on what is on the other side, next to the house. If you have a porch the same elevation as the front entry then I would buy some easy care annuals each spring, such as pansies, petunias, french marigolds. Creeping thyme will help control weeds. If the other side is more lawn or wanna-be lawn, then I'd put something in there that will get about a foot taller than the planter bed. Maybe an ornamental grass. To replace the shrubs I'd put something that will trail over the edge such as creeping thyme, moneywort, trailing petunias. As for the space between the windows I think you've made a good start with the shrub or small tree you have. It needs friends, something that is a bit shorter, one on each side. Maybe nandina, or camelia, depending on your climate zone. Neither needs much care and rare pruning. There are some roses, particularly floribundas that need very little care. When I lived in Bakersfield, California and in the Sierra foothills I cut them back to about a foot high each winter and that was it. I didn't fertilize, spray, nothing. They grew and bloomed just fine. The yellow and peach colored ones were the toughest and most reliable. Floribundas are generally smallish, about 3'-4' tall and have many small rose blooms.
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Comments (25)
I love those ideas above, thank you all so much!! Those photos and the photoshop one especially give me such a great visual on how it could look! I love the white with black/dark charcoal window look, and of course the red door I’m partial to 😊 I took a look at those romabio products, would love to use them but haven’t found anywhere in Canada nearby that carries them! we were going to wait for spring before any pruning or removal, to see what is actually alive and what we have out front. A lot of pruning is definitely on the list. Our spring comes pretty late here, so we won’t be able to get started until may/June!
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Misha Rouse
Original Author
last year
Thanks all! The lava rock is a guaranteed gone. We like the federal blue color idea and hubby is military so anything in patriotic style is good especially for flowering perennials or something. Screenshot these from the realty site so they

aren't great quality. I am renovating the fieldstone walkway with concrete for sure.
beesneeds
last year
Keep in mind that currently the rock face does not need much maintainence- but the moment you put any paint on it, you can never return it to its original state, and it will always require maintainence to keep the paint looking good. It's trendy right now to paint over rock and brick, and while some people like it, a lot of people prefer rock in it's natural state because thy think painted stone or brick looks cruddy or tacky. Or makes the real stone look like fake styrofoam.

The upkeep on the house looks good, everything looks like it is in fine repair. I would just paint the house and trim for now- the monochrome is indeed boring as greige/beige often is. Pick a color that can complement the stone.

The flagstone path could use a goodly cleanup to make it neat again.

I would also suggest that if you have just gotten the house, and it sounds like you may have... settle into the house for a while first before you do anything major. There may be things growing or potential issues you aren't aware of yet in the yard. You might find you want to keep the flagstone- or find you want to do more reno than just replace the stone with concrete. And then you might want to have a plan in place for the remodeling so everything is more cohesive.
Misha Rouse
Original Author
last year
By renovating fieldstone I meant that I am releveling and using a concrete mortar between the stones. Right now it is a trip hazard. We did just move in and while there could be some hidden plantings, the landscaping was def not taken care of. I will likely replace the lava wall with the board & batten.
Fori
last year
The photos are too small to offer much but overall it looks to be a great house that will benefit from having color. I'd keep the lava rock.
er612
last year
Any chance you could post larger pics? I wouldn't rush to dismantle the rock wall.
er612
last year
Saw this and thought of your house:
Iron Grey HardiePanel Board and Batten · More Info
rpwoodard
last year
@er612, I like the photos of ranch houses that you posted.
User
last year
You see an ugly house, I see a cute mid century ranch that just needs a little help. In addition to removing the lava rock, also remove anything that gives it a 70's "country" feeling -- such as simplifying the porch columns, replacing the lamp out in the yard, etc.

I think the inspiration photos er612 are spot on.

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