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Dilemas de diseño
wilsuns

Lost in the 60's

wilsuns
hace 11 años
We are purchasing this home. We would like ideas on simple ways to update the exterior. Any ideas on also addressing the landscape would also be helpful. Thanks!
Respuesta destacada
  • juniperjo
    hace 11 años
    Oh please don't do anything major to it! It's perfectly lovely just the way it is!!! Future buyers (and possibly your neighbors) will thank you if you don't undo its vintage 60s charm. You could certainly lose the iron work (replace with appropriately-sized square wooden posts) and paint the shutters a different color, but the best thing you can do for your lovely 60s ranch house is to embrace its roots. Please go to this website: www.retrorenovation.com and you will find all kinds of resources to help you retain the charm of your new house, as well as a community of people to support your endeavors. Consider a Crestview door: www.crestviewdoors.com (and no, I am not affiliated with this company in any way, shape, or form)!

    I do love the rock garden Sweet Caroline Garden Design posted... you could certainly tear out say, half of the current shrubs (the wildly overgrown ones), and replace with lavender, grasses, rocks, etc., to update the landscaping.

    Do NOT paint the brick unless it's in bad shape, or you enjoy converting a maintenance-free material into something you need to paint every 10-15 years.

    Comentarios (24)

    • ponitayl
      hace 11 años
      Paint the brick white or tan and the trim a calm contrasting color. Box the hedges (maybe take some out that smothering the aesthetics of the house) for a more contemporary style. Add some color with plants. Hedge the walkway to the porch with lavender.
    • PRO
      Engrav's Decorating
      hace 11 años
      The light pole is a distraction and I would remove it. There are too many bushes and the high ones obliterate your home. I would also remove the metal lattice on the front and if you need it for support replace it with solid pillars. I love the brick with the white shutters. Landscaping would be number one on my list.
    • PRO
      Carolyn Choi
      hace 11 años
      Don't paint the brick ! Paint all the white trim a blue grey, remove lacy posts and replace with thick square ones, get rid of the "green bubblegum " shrubs and lawn and plant an awesome rock garden filled with low-growing evergreens, ornamental grasses, perennials and annuals. Add a small blooming tree on both sides . Below is a doodle of my ideas and I'll post a picture of the colors.
    • PRO
      Carolyn Choi
      hace 11 años
      Here is the blue-gray color that looks good with red brick. Your roof should be a darker color too - either deep gray or blue-gray as well .
      Front Entrances · Más información
    • PRO
      Carolyn Choi
      hace 11 años
      Just one beautiful example of a rock garden :
      Novato Mediterranean Front Hillside Garden · Más información
    • juniperjo
      hace 11 años
      I'd also keep the roof -- it's environmentally sustainable (pale grey reflects heat!). You can repaint the shutters (I like the blue-grey Sweet Caroline proposed, to temper the red of the brick) without replacing the roof imho.
    • wilsuns
      Autor original
      hace 11 años
      Sweet Caroline, you have convinced me to leave the brick as it is. I think every one has the right idea that we should concentrate on the landscape and remove some of those bushes.

      Wife and I love the idea of columns. I've seen the round ones in Home Depot, but where would one find square columns?
    • mmers
      hace 11 años
      Engrav's suggested removing the light pole. To me, it looks like something that would be a city (or town) responsibility so you might not be able to touch it.
    • juniperjo
      hace 11 años
      @mmers, I had that same thought; the light pole is definitely on city property.

      @wilsuns, you might not be able to buy square columns ready made, but any good carpenter should be able to build them for you. Would not be a terribly expensive item to build, either (no complicated cuts or joints).
    • juniperjo
      hace 11 años
      Have studied your front view a bit, and I think you definitely want to start by clearing away the shrubs near the walkway to the front doors. Right now it is like a fortress of shrubberies :)

      If you simply removed the very tall shrubs, and then all of the shrubs within 2 feet of either side of the front doors, you could make the entrance feel much more welcoming. You could plant a pair of arborvitae flanking the front walkway next to the porch, or dwarf flowering shrubs (like dwarf oakleaf hydrangea -- beautiful!). What part of the country are you in? (In other words, what is the climate?)

      Also -- I'm not sure, but I think you would want your columns to be approximately 6" square Too large and they will throw off the proportions of your house; it would be good to photoshop a drawing of your front elevation with columns to scale to judge the size. (Feel free to post that here -- I would do it if I could but my Photoshop skills are nonexistent, unfortunately.)
    • Keitha
      hace 11 años
      The shrubbery and ironwork are definitely dating your house as juniperjoe said. Square columns are my suggestion and you want a column size that's "Just Right"... Not too large but not too small. I suggest "10 columns.
    • PRO
      Thom Torvend
      hace 11 años
      The shutters should go. True shutters would be sized to completely cover the windows. That is if they were really doing what shutters were meant to do. Shutters have become mere decoration on a lot of homes. There are better ways to give a house character.
    • juniperjo
      hace 11 años
      @Keitha, you might be right that 6" columns would be too slender, but I think 10" will be too big for that house. Maybe 8"? I would definitely do a sketch before selecting the size.
    • PRO
      Thom Torvend
      hace 11 años
      From the photo it is hard to see the detail. I would be true to the quality of the brick. Clean it up . The roof looks like it is white composition which if you are in a hot summer climate makes sense as it will reflect much of the heat. Aesthetically , what to do ? If the roof is on it's last leg, consider a new roof material. Maybe a standing seam ? Low maintenance , longevity . A dark color or copper(expensive) would play well against the brick. Landscaping is too much the same. A bunch of round shrubs! There is no foreground . Perhaps rethink it using plants which are indigenous to your area. Create some color accents with different color coming out throughout the year. Accentuate the roof fascia. It is a strong horizontal line which can help define the horizontal nature of the facade. Make the roof feel more sheltering by defining this edge.
    • PRO
      Thom Torvend
      hace 11 años
      Continuing , all the shrubs are cramed up against the house . The entry seems poorly defined. Bring some planting forward and edit some existing shrubs near the house. Landscape lighting could really help define the walkway to the front door. Up light shrubs and add some small columnare trees . They will Balance the horizontality of the house.
    • wilsuns
      Autor original
      hace 11 años
      Thom, yes the roof is a light grey and looks to be in very good condition (inspection comes soon and we will know for sure then)

      The light pole in the front of the house does belong to the city and when all are lit, makes the whole neighborhood look charming.

      We dont really care for the plain, white double entry doors and are toying with the idea of replacing then with a single door and sidelights. Not sure if we a going to go the MCM style or something simple, but classic yet.

      We definitely agree with your ideas that there needs to be a reduction of shrubbery and an introduction of different plants of some sort that offer color and variety.

      Appreciate your ideas!!!
    • PRO
      Triangle Brick Company
      hace 11 años
      As a brick manufacturer, we love the look of natural brick and its durability. However, if you do decide to paint the brick, please be prepared for increased maintenance. According to The Brick Industry Association, “Most paint authorities agree that, once painted, exterior masonry will require repainting every three to five years.”
    • Keitha
      hace 11 años
      Wilsuns, I hate "skimpy" and that's a common mistake that people make sometimes...so, I would just caution you about that when you pick your column size. To me, you need columns that are at least the width of the iron posts that are currently there.
    • juniperjo
      hace 11 años
      @Keitha, I *completely* agree that skimpy columns would look terrible. I have a similar-size "rambler" ranch house, and I just measured the columns on my front porch (which ARE skimpy, and which I am planning to replace... some day) and they are 4" square. Waaaay too small!

      I think 10" square might be too big, but I think you're right, something as wide as the current iron columns (excluding the width of the "scroll") is probably just about right.

      My point is that a too-big column will look every bit as weird, bad, and awkward as a too-skimpy column.
    • Keitha
      hace 11 años
      Juniperjo, I agree.
    • blisscottage06
      hace 11 años
      It's hard to tell what the shrubs are on my monitor, but I would guess that many of them are yews. If this is the case, they can be rejuvenated by cutting them to the ground - unlike most evergreens, they will survive this drastic pruning. So before you just rip everything out and start over, consider what can be salvaged and reused in a new planting scheme which will definitely improve the looks of the house, and make it more interesting and up-to-date. If you are not knowledgable about planting, it would be worthwhile, in my opinion, to bring in an experienced landscaper who can help you assess what you have that can be saved. This could perhaps provide a backdrop to some new, flowering shrubs that will get away from the static gum-drop shrub look you have now!
    • PRO
      Carolyn Choi
      hace 11 años
      In my experience cutting yews to the ground is not a good idea -you will have stubs for a very long time as yews are very slow growing. The reason I would rip everything out is that many of them are too close to the foundation, too large for the space they're in- requiring constant pruning, detract from the home's architectural style and are not attractive even as a background shrubs. It's often better to start with a clean slate.
    • rouxb
      hace 11 años
      Take out the green popcorn balls. I don't think there is any planting scheme that is going to make them work. Too many, too close, too much of the same thing.

      Sometimes I just don't understand the whole "update" concept. Five times out of ten it seems to just be a way of turning something into something that it isn't, or turning it into the same thing everyone else has. I am happy you are keeping the brick as is and embracing your new home for what it is and working with it. New columns, paint, plantings.
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