Hi all, we have a 1920's Dutch Colonial that we are getting ready to repaint. The paint has massively failed and we are stripping it to the wood and getting the shingles re-done with Hardie siding. While I love the idea of traditional white with green/black shutters, against the gray skies of the Pacific NW, that color doesn't look warm (one of those things where it looks better in a magazine than in real life). Would appreciate ANY comments or opinions on exterior house colors. We are thinking of a brown-gray type color with black shutters--but am slightly yawning at the idea. I just think we are scared to be too original. Pic of the house can be found at (note that the front arbor is now gone, as is the wisteria, due to carpenter ants): www.thewisteriahouse.blogspot.com THANKS IN ADVANCE for any thoughts. :)

I think grey would look fantastic, much better than the brown. (Though I am rarely a fan of brown roofs, so I may be biased here.) I know there is a huge variety in roofing options these days. You might find something a little nicer than asphalt shingles or even just nice asphalt shingles. I know there are some replica slate products and other more architecturally interesting roofing options to look into. With the prominent roof line on your home, it might be worth the extra money. I also strongly support the idea of getting rid of every other round bush. I am generally not a fan of blob shaped bushes, so again I may be biased. The farthest right area of the last picture has more distance between the blobs and thus has some lovely structure. If you can do something similar around the rest of the garden, I think that would be a fantastic improvement. Overall your house is really cute with some interesting architecture. It also looks like a wonderful neighborhood with those large trees in back. I can't wait to see what you do with the home and hope you'll share pictures with your changes.

Your ideas are perfect and will definitely add curb appeal. Dark blue grey with a white trim will look smart and a few more details like the foundation slats suggested above is a great consideration depending on the landscaping. Here are some inspiration pics. I hope this helps. #1 Note the white railing, white stair and white round columns. Also a simple straight awning along the porch and matching awnings on the second floor give this sweet curb appeal. Looks like boxwood along the foundation. #2 Note the heavier white railing and tapered square columns. You may want to consider doing a heavier trim around the windows and door. #3 Cute idea with a curved trim around porch and shutters on the second floor windows only. #4 Note the very interesting decoration at the peak of the house and with a paint color change! #5 Again note this interesting decoration at the peak. It doesn't have to be a window at the peak, it can be a louvre oval painted the same as the trim. This shows how nice a heavy trim around the windows and doors look. Don't forget the most important focus is your front door. It should be important and welcoming. I love all the moulding around the front door. #6 Again heavy white trim, square tapered columns, white stair. Love the hydrangeas! #7 Beautiful inspiration #8 Note the double round columns. I tried to find a better pic, but if you can imagine, the top part of the peak is scalloped shingles.

We are starting on a similar project for our Dutch colonial, but have to wait for the city to approve a special exception for distance to the lot line. Our existing structure is a one story side porch with a concrete floor and foundation, but our architect's plan assumes we will remove the entire existing structure and pour new footings for a two story addition. Although you have an existing basement you will still have to verify it is sufficient to support a two story structure. It sounds like a simple question, but city engineers want you to prove everything. You may have to pay someone to excavate and verify the existing footings before they approve your adding another story. They will also want to know how the design will properly transfer the extra weight through the existing structure and to the basement footings and beams. If they are okay with all that, and you meet all the setback, FAR and height rules, the addition should not be that complicated. All of this gets much easier if you have a good architect who understands the rules and how to communicate with the city. My experience with the code and permit office is that they are generally friendly, but must always calculate everything, even if it seems to be a no-brainer. It gets a little more complicated if your property is old enough to have gone through a couple of zoning ordinance cycles. Even if you have existing construction that met all zoning rules when built, it may no longer be allowed under new rules, and they do not have to grandfather anything. Bruce