exterior design - curb appeal help for a blah ranch house
To me this house has zero curb appeal...it's short and squat and all of the white is jarring. Any suggestions on affordable ways to spruce it up?
Factors:
-My budget is tight and creativity is nil. I know painting the white sections would make a huge improvement, but don't know what color to use.
-The roof has a few years left, so it stays for now.
-I am in the 'don't paint brick' camp...only the wood and vinyl areas will be painted.
-We will be getting new gutters installed.
-I'm open to changing out the two long windows so they match the shorter ones.
-I'm willing to chop down any of the landscaping.
Any suggestions?
ETA: a few more pics. The brick is is more of a orange-y brownish terra cotta, closeup included.
Comments (12)
kandrewspa
last yearThis is far from the least attractive house I have ever seen on this forum. :-) Your brick is great - it's very versatile, so if you want to change the white parts you could use a medium gray or even sage green or slate blue. If you use gray I would stick with the black shutters. If you use blue or green I would change the shutters to a darker version of the color. I don't love gray as a rule but I like it on exteriors.
As for the landscaping, we aren't going to be able to give you specific advice without knowing where you are climate-wise. The best thing to do is engage a landscape designer from a garden center near you (advice from a big box store is worth what you pay for it - nothing). If cost is an issue you can always implement their sugggestions over time and do the work yourself using their plants. For me, the essence of good landscape design is a variety of heights and colors in plantings (but not too much or else it looks disjointed). For cost reasons you can use smaller plants that will grow into perfection in a couple years. The stubby little bush? in your front yard should be put out of its misery.
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Need curb appeal help for a 60's ranch style house.
Comments (9)Could you add a couple of photos that show a bit more to the property lines left and right so we can see everything currently in the front yard? I would make the garage doors and all the trim around them the same color. You don’t want to be drawing attention in that area. The area around the front door I would make brighter with color and good lighting. The shrub in the lawn looks a bit unkempt and isn’t placed with any apparent logic relating it to anything else in the yard, so I would likely move or remove it. I would want something a couple of feet tall and rounded in the bed of purple groundcover as well as in a pot between the porch and garage.. The walkway and steps look pinched, so widen the steps and make the walkway wider. Change the placement of the walkway a bit to swing out a bit further from the house if you want to place a plant in the ground rather than a pot between the garage and the porch....See MoreHelp: Exterior/Curb Appeal color for a Red Brick House
Comments (4)Google "shutter colors for red brick house" and you'll see a lot of nice suggestions. I like the ones that show pale grey-blues or pale bluish-greens. I do think that red brick actually leans toward terra cotta, and red doors kind of clash with the brick. I could see the pale blues on both your shutters and door. I think I'd remove the shutters on the main window because being so close to the door, there actually might be too much color....See MoreHelp need ideas for curb appeal for my modern midcentury ranch
Comments (15)I would change the siding to horizontal (to echo the lines of your house - I think vertical just would not look right except a small area around the front door to set it off) When you re-side, look at adding a little bit wider framing around the door and windows. You will want to paint the trim, downspouts, gutters all the same color - black would look good, white will work also. Pick a bold color for your front door (storm door too) although black is good there also. For sure, take out all those shrubs. It looks like you could keep the stone walls, but perhaps add a smooth top, like large cement look pavers. Or if it is even possible, once all the other changes are made and then you don't think the stone looks right, add a cement paver facing to the front of the wall. Low growing, ground cover juniper or similar evergreens would look good behind the wall. What am I seeing at foundation level on the house? Are those windows?...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 More- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last yearWaht style are you going for ? IMO very MCM ranch style house so maybe think MCM style landscaping. This is one of my faves for inspiration if that style is something you like . IMO a new front door and garage door would aslo enhance that style . This is not a colonial or trditional home so IMO none of those ideas above will be appropriate . The dark gray in this pic would work for the areas you need to paint. Note the style of the front door and garage .
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lisedv
last yearlast modified: last yearIt's a nice house but everything so dark. Here's what I suggest...
Paint the windows black with a white trim around. All white trim on the house with a white front door and shutters. Repaint the siding under the large window on the left if it needs to be freshend up, all white should be the same. For the garage, I would paint the siding a dark grey (goes with your grey roof), black garage door and white trim. Replace your sconces (front door and garage door) with large black ones.
If necessary, clean-up your front porch and walway, can't see what it's made of in the picture. Improve the landscaping with simple easy maintenance small shrubs or white perennials.
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Jennifer Hogan
last yearI would do a creamier white / light creamy beige on the siding and a blue green for the doors and shutters and expand the beds up to the walkway.
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apple_pie_order
last yearTry softer white (vanilla ice cream) paint with French blue shutters.
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Denise Marchand
last yearI knew there is a way to update your beautiful home. Consider spending your limited resources on the front entrance and garage door.
FIRST SUGGESTION:
1) Paint the front door, garage surround and window framing (the trim everywhere) a spruce green. (or med brownish green) See the first & second pic.
2) Paint the shutters a butter sand.
3) And now the fun stuff: Add a wood arbor over the front door to focus on a welcoming entrance. Add the same color wood garage door and short arbor as shown in the pic.
Continue the same at the back.
SECOND SUGGESTION:
1) Paint the front door, garage surround and window framing (the trim everywhere) a blue grey. See the last pic.
2) Paint the shutters a pale grey.
3) And now the fun stuff: Add a wood arbor over the front door to focus on a welcoming entrance. Add the same color wood garage door and short arbor as shown in the pic.
Continue the same at the back. (see pic)
IMHO I like the first suggestion because it's fresh and new and be a showstopper on your street.
The second suggestion is more traditional and sophisticated.
After that, we can concentrate on the plantings and landscaping.
Hope this helps and please comment on what you think!
Suggestion #1 Note the colors: Butter sand for the shutters and brownish green for the garage surround and trim
Note the colors: Spruce green, butter sand and arbor. This obviously is a back area but can be adapted to a front entrance.
Note Garage door and arbor
Suggestion #2: Note colors: Blue grey and pale grey and black window frames and garage trim around wood door
- PRO
lisedv
last yearI liked Denise Marchand's suggestion for the arbor at the entrance and matching colour wood garage door so I applied it to my design...
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