Help me with my asymmetrical garrison colonial!

last month

We recently replaced the windows and singing of our 1970’s era Garrison Colonial. I love our renovations inside the home that reflect our cottage coastal farmhouse vibe but the outside just seems to fall flat. Any ideas for small fixes as well as large would be greatly appreciated.

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Comments (12)

la_la Girl
last month
I think a professional landscaping plan would go a very long way - you could also consider widening the stoop so the entry is more gracious but it depends on your budget
joycedjay
last month
It falls flat because it is, well, flat. I think it needs a covered front porch. And then some good landscaping.
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kandrewspa
last month
I like the siding color. Did you get a new front door? While a front porch probably would be a nice addition, I'm not sure how you do that on a garrison colonial. So if you can't undertake adding a porch, experiment with different front door colors. Maybe someone will come along and photoshop some options for you. I'm thinking about green or yellow. But the wrong green would be worse than the white, which isn't terrible, just uninspiring. If you have a sample of the siding you can take to the paint store, just be openminded to start and see whether anything appeals to you. If the door isn't new and it's time to replace it, a medium to dark colored natural wood is another option.

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Sigrid
last month
I'd work on landscaping. You've got a Garrison colonial, not a coastal farmhouse cottage. Your yard looks like a typical suburban yard, not coastal. You can add a cottage-style garden in front. But otherwise, just love your house as is.
Victoria Pommer
Original Author
last month
I guess a better way of saying it that the house feels cold to me from the exterior, but is warm and cozy inside. Is there a way to get that feeling outside too? The landscaping is lacking so that is something I can look into getting help with. Any ideas for cozying up a boring colonial?
Victoria Pommer
Original Author
last month
And we definitely want to add a porch but the exterior is asymmetrical so we weren’t sure how to do it. Just don’t worry that it will be off center or make it centered and not worry that the door will be off center under the porch?
RedRyder
last month
Professional landscaping can perform miracles. Think about extending the “front”of the house to the lawn with a seating area/ patio. Using a grey slate (and consider a slightly darker gray roof next time) can offset the plain style of your house.

Personally, I think your house is lovely. It’s an interesting blue. The new windows definitely make the facade look fresh. Sometimes when you live in a house you can’t see it with fresh eyes, as others can.
ptreckel
last month
Very pretty! Embrace the asymmetry by continuing it with the landscaping. Nothing symmetrical! Use the space at the “wider” side between the garage and the front door to plan a small seating area, as RedRyder says. Curve your sidewalk out and around. For balance, consider a small fenced area to the right side with a specimen tree to balance out the corner. In other words, don’t focus on the issue as a problem…rather, it is an opportunity NOT to have to make things all symmetrical! Doug Digs could mock something up for you that would show you what we are thinking…!
lisedv
last month
last modified: last month
Improving the landscaping will give your house curb appeal. I can't see a walkway (front nor towards the side) so I would install a nice stone or pavers to blend with the colours of the house. A pergola at the front door would also give the house some detail on an enlarge porch. Large pots with flowers and larger black sconces at the front doo

Note: just below einportiandor mentioned the brick chimney which I hadn't noticed. Yes a brick walkway would be very attractive!
einportlandor
last month
Your home is very attractive. A large landing at the bottom of the steps and a wide pathway to the street would say "welcome".

The first thing I noticed is your brick chimney -- incororating more brick into the landscape would add a homey feel (I love the look of brick). You could use it on the stairs, landing and pathway, either on it's own or combined with another material (e.g. concrete). Brick makes a nice and inexpensive edging for planting beds too.
ptreckel
last month
Some wonderful suggestions. But…many homes don’t have a reason to put a sidewalk to the street. There is no sidewalk there, or the street is a highway. Nevertheless…a wide, sidewalk of brick or brick trimmed cement, or flagstone in a blue slate would be gorgeous…to wherever you friends would enter your property. Lovely.
Victoria Pommer
Original Author
last month
Yes it very hard to see but we have a long gravel walkway going right in front of the bushes all the way to the garage. A nice wide landing/patio area is a great idea! I love the pergola too!