Home exterior spruce up

L

ldogg53

500+ Posts
so I'm buying an older home built in 1960... I'm completely remodelling the interior and adding on to the back of the house as well..

what I need is to get ideas on how to make the exterior a little more modern and attractive.... this house is basically a typical ranch style home from that era... low roofs, small front porch... and it is a light brick right now...

anyone know of websites or places where I can find before/after pics? I checked the HGTV website and there are some there, but that site is a mess to navigate.. does anyone here do landscape design and/or just have a good eye for how to make some changes?

I know we are replacing the front door and sidelights... and probably also replacing the windows, but I'm looking to make a more substantial change than just that... i want people to drive by my house in this old neighborhood and take notice..

thoughts?
 
BOO...
here you go...
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we've got a decent budget for remodeling and such.. so any ideas are welcome..
 
My opinion...trim the trees and paint the house. Find someone who really knows color. Our house was butt ugly white with brown brick, and an architect told us exactly which colors to use on the siding and trim. It was a truly amazing transformation.
 
Not a bad-looking house at all. A few things come to mind looking at your pics:

- As mentioned before, trim back the trees and the bush to the left of the front door - and a fresh coat of paint to the exterior will also do wonders.
- I would pull up the grass right around that large tree next to the driveway (awesome tree, btw) and plant some nice ground cover in a bed around the tree, using the driveway/front walk as borders on two sides and a low metal divider in a semicircle to fill out the other two sides.
- Try a new tile on the front porch - perhaps something like the ones shown here. It will really spruce up the porch appearance.
- More modern porchlight fixture - an easy upgrade that will also make a difference.
- New front door/side windows combo. Perhaps something like this that would fit in with your existing features.
- Well-chosen and strategically-planted seasonal flowers in the front beds are also a cheap way to maximize visual impact.
- Finally, some inexpensive low-wattage exterior spot lighting would look really nice at night, particularly on either side of the large window in front between the garage and porch. This is what we use and it works very well for this purpose.
 
I agree on changing the pavers/tile on the front porch. If it were me, I'd add stackstone bases to your columns, and run a handrail between them. A new coat of paint, new front door/sidelight unit, and some new landscaping, and you've got a winner.
 
Actually, I like that door sidelight combination but you know where my tastes range. You can always get a full light door with glass to match the side lights... that will provide more interior light and help with privacy.

BTW - what neighborhood? I can't remember where y'all live.

If you want to try a different route, check outThe Link - you can find the magazine and get some cool ideas.
 
If it was mine, I would get rid of the shutters on the window and the Colonial(front window/porch posts) touches. The casement/trim around the front window is too ornate, and for me it detracts from the clean lines.
 
ok... thanks for the suggestions so far guys... I think many of you are thinking the same things I am... here is what I had planned on doing:

1. remove the colonial window treatment
2. replace front door and sidelights (thinking more along the lines of what TXHookem suggested - reeded glass full glass door?)
3. taking out the small tree to the right of the driveway
4. replacing concrete walkway from driveway with flagstone/slate
5. making a walkway from front to sidewalk out of slate/flagstone
6. replacing those ugly red tiles with slate/flagstone

now.. here's what I'm not too sure of...
1. colors... this peachy colored brick is throwing me for a loop... my wife and I are arguing about color incessantly.
2. shutters... not sure if we should have them or not.. if we do we'll replace the ones on that bedroom and put some where that colonial trim is... I personally would not put up shutters and just have nice windows with a thick trim put up.. keep it clean.. a bit more modern... again.. arguments with the wife!
3. columns.... I'd like to make them square.. not sure how to do so... do I just buy some good lumber and box in the present columns? then I've still got that color/stain issue.. argh...
4. landscaping... I suck at it... my wife isn't much better... me thinks I might hire a landscape company when I am done with the interior remodel...

anything else I'm missing?
 
oh yeah... I'm also planning on putting in recessed lighting in a few spots along the soffits so as to light up the side of the house at night... and that bush/tree next to the door is getting the axe.. literally...

as for garage doors, I've got a buddy that works at a garage door company.. so I'll look through what they have to see if there is anything nicer I can put in that fits with the look of the house..

oh.. and for those asking, the house is in Timbergrove Manor just north of I-10 and west of TC Jester inside the loop in Houston... I went by it on Saturday and 3 houses down was a sooner with an OU flag out, but thank goodness the house next to him was flying a Horn flag!
 
Your biggest problem is your front door as it is not inviting. I don't think going to a glass door is going to do this either as it is still going to be recessed. Normally a designer (based on hours ofHGTV watching) would probably come in and paint the door some shade of red. You definitely need to redo the front door, and the sidelights as they are very dated. but I would make sure I could have a strong color involved like a red to draw the eye to the entry point.

I agree on removing the colonial trim but I might wait on that as other changes may be able to mute it and you VERY WELL may be creating a bigger problem than you realize. If the trim is original you may have one of two problems 1) the brick that has been covered for 30+ years will be a different shade, or 2) the trim may cover a gap in the brick around the window. Just a big warning, go slow and careful here. You can probably look closely at the edge or pry up a bit and see if the brick is ther or the same tint.

You should watch "Curb Appeal" on HGTV like it's some sort of religion. You will see many street view makeovers, and get some good and not so good ideas.

The other thing is to change the "flatness" of the frontal view. Since you have already decided you are interested in changing to some sort of rock based entry I would run a walkway in front of the tree to the front door. Rip out the small tree blocking the front door view, and make the entry walkway curvy (more than one curve).

I would probably rip out the cement right angle walkway between the driveway and your front door and replace it with a stepping stone walkway through a new flower bed.

Drive around the area and look at houses, ESPECIALLY if there are similar houses to yours or simply houses built by the same builder. I will bet you dimes to dollars that you and your wife will see the same house with different landscaping and one will appeal VASTLY more than the other. I will also bet you dimes to dollars that the houses you find most appealing have cruves in the beds/walkways that draw you towards the front door and soften the "flatness of the house>"

You make a curved walkway in front of the tree and you will draw the eye MUCH more to the front door. Right now your entryway is hidden by the shrub, and recessed with NOTHING to draw the eye to the space.

20 episodes of "Curb appeal" will give you some good ideas..... and more importantly one's you might wish to avoid.
 
Is there an extra brick laying around? Take it into the paint store and try it against the color samples. Once you pick your colors, buy a couple of cans and try the colors out on the side of the house.

My wife and I disagree about most things. Hiring a designer to make those kind of decisions is the main reason we have made it through our renovation without a divorce.
 
Pathway in front of the large tree that moves the eye towards the front door. I would make the entire area from the walkway to the house a large flower bed.

The other problem you have is the most prominent feature is presently the Colonial windo space that justs forward past the rest of the front of the house. Plantings of difering heights and colors will help mute this feature.

Trust me on the curved walkway, with some low lighting perhaps built into the edges for night time focus as well.

Another show that you should start watching with your wife is "landscapers Challange." You get to see three different concepts for the same makeover and it helps with ideas and again stuff you DON'T want to do which is maybe even more important. MISTAKES SUCK!
 
ldogg53: I completely agree with your changes. The bric-a-brac must go, and you should emphasize the house's modern touches. Fluted glass might be good for the sidelights, but also look into sandblasted (expensive) or fritted glass. The shutters should go, unless you were to make them real shutters (like actually usefull), where you could have one that creates a canopy for more shade, which I don't think you need.

One thing that I could add that could tie into the idea of making a welcoming front entrance is actually gearing that paved porch/patio area to be actually used. Nice pavers, a railing to lean on which would give you the excuse of getting rid of that faux doric column. Some nicely constructed outdoor furniture is a thought (unless you're paranoid of theft or vagrancy). Perhaps some landscaping lights to lead up to the porch/entry. Don't close in the porch, use it to engage the yard and create a transition between the indoor and outdoor spaces.

The website is cool TXH.
 
BOO...
you mention putting in a railing on the porch... but then you also mention not closing off the porch... that is a bit confusing...
also.. I don't think those columns are faux... I do believe they support the weight of the roof where it sticks out there..
 
The first thing I notice about your house is that the garage door stands out too much. It is big and un-interesting. The white paint make it contrast with the rest of the house and draws too much attention to it.

Try to pain it in a more muted color, maybe match it to your trim color. Even if you decide to replace the door with a new one that is more interesting features such as windows consider its color change.

You may also want to consider putting a stone border at the base of the big tree and filling it in with some plants.
 
I would be interested in some before and after shots.

I also think you should paint the brick if you hate it. I really like the look of brick painted gray with off-white trim and black shutters. If I ever had to paint a ranch house brick, this is what I would do.

Also, if you are going to be digging up the yard and putting in a path around the tree, you should consider NOT using the low voltage lighting and putting in some commercial grade HIGH voltage lighting to light up that big tree. I'm not sure the plastic home depot low voltage stuff is going to cut it on a tree that big. Nothing makes your house look cheaper than cheap lighting and cheap fixtures.

Another cool option would be to put the lighting up IN THE TREE. Soft lighting coming down a big tree like this creates a great night-time effect on your entire yard.
 
LE...

good idea with the lighting in the tree.... I'll have to put in a call to a buddy in LA.. he is a manager at a company that does high end landscape lighting... they literally handle accounts like Disney and large office buildings etc... he should be able to send me some good lighting at their cost...
 
Since you are talkign about a relatively major renovation I would invest in a remodel software package. there is one that looks fantastic at COSTCO for about $60 or $70 bucks. Muck nicer to try all sorts of options that way before spending a dollar on actual changes.

the ONE THING YOU DON"T WANT TO DO is spend money and find out after the fact "it doesn't look like we thought"...
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horn4....

what does the remodel software do? as far as the interior goes we've already got those things drawn out and planned... we're not moving any walls necessarily.. but making some of the doorways wider.. putting in some arches to the walkways... otherwise it is standard stuff like gutting the hallway bath and redoing it completely, same for the kitchen.. also getting hardwoods refinished and/or installed where needed... I might raise the cieling in the den if it is in the budget.. .
 
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