Wannabe (and real!) designers... WWYD with this house?

[PeachyDoodle]

DH and I are considering buying and restoring a 1930's farmhouse (see pic in the link below). It needs A LOT of work, but I love the interior and can already envision what I'd like to do inside.

 

I'm having more trouble visualizing the exterior. If you were renovating this house, how would you spruce it up... or change it entirely? Landscaping? Adding other materials (like siding or stone) or elements (e.g., shutters)? Changing the structure? Painting?

 

We want it to feel authentic, but some modernization would be okay. We're in the dreaming stage for now, so budget is not an issue -- we can narrow down our options later.

 

http://p.rdcpix.com/v01/l73280945-m0xd-w640_h480_q80.jpg

 

 

[The Girls' Mom]

It is almost an exact replica of my granny's house!  I would just spruce it up, personally.  

 

[Aiden]

Ooh, it has beautiful bones! I LOVE the arches.

 

I'm not a particularly confident designer, but I'm thinking ...

 

Remove the big bush in the front, in front of the column, and replace with pretty lower shrubs or flowers in a bed along the front of the house.

 

Add a wood (or combo wood and wrought iron) railing to the porch and stairs.

 

Put stone on the stairs, and possibly on the porch. Add a lovely stone walkway to the road or driveway or wherever people would approach the house from.

 

Possibly enlarge a section of that walkway into a patio, maybe with a sitting wall and built-in firepit, though I generally prefer that in the back rather than the front.

 

Add shutters.

 

Add a swing!

 

Repaint/freshen up the trim.

 

Power wash the brick. No way would I paint it or put stone over it. It's lovely.

 

What a beautiful house! And what potential for it to be even more gorgeous!

[Annie G]

I'd probably just plant some flowers so there would be more color, and do something cute on the front porch to make it extra welcoming. 

[Catwoman]

That house is very attractive as it is, but I might add some shutters or something to add a lighter accent color to the dark brick exterior.

 

I have seen many brick homes painted in lighter colors to make them look more modern, but repainting is no fun and can be very expensive, so I don't think I would do that.

[PeachyDoodle]

I think I would have a hard time painting it, if for no other reason than it would be all but impossible to undo if it was ugly.

 

I have a love/hate relationship with the brick. I think the color is beautiful but there is so much of it! It feels to me like it needs something to break it up, but some landscaping might be enough to draw away from it. The yard is really lovely in the summer (obviously this picture was taken in the winter). There are tons of old trees (including a magnolia -- swoon! -- and a weeping cherry) and a dump truck load of mulch will work wonders. A home nearby that's similar to this one has adorable English cottage-style flowerbeds, which I would LOVE, but they probably would be too time-consuming for me to keep up right now.

 

The entrance off the side porch will actually become part of the master suite, so we plan to enclose that porch completely with a railing, get rid of the steps, and make it a walk-out sitting area from the master bedroom. So railings on the front porch to match would make sense. I'm leaning towards a white and wrought iron railings. I'd like to find something really cute to do with the open patio on the left of the front porch.

 

Not sure yet where the driveway will go, but we might do a circular drive in front. We'll have to replace all the windows and soffits; those will be redone in vinyl. I saw an older red brick house recently with robin's egg blue shutters and door, but I can't decide if that would work here.

 

Bouncing ideas always gets my creative juices flowing!

[JFSinIL]

Could the windows have a stronger stone or thicker wood framing?  They seem too ... tinny and modern for the old brick house.  And I agree, get rid of the shrubbery.  Maybe have room for some native perennial flowers in front, and lay a winding flagstone pathway.  And a porch railing, either wood to match what goes around the windows, or...??? it just looks bare. 

[Happy]

That's some serious cuteness going on there. I love those arches. And while I have no qualms about painting brick, I think yours is classic.

 

The house needs some landscaping. I'd take a large print of this to a good garden center (not a big box) and let some of the people there draw some ideas for you. IT needs to nestle into the landscape...then add a bit of color with perennials.

 

I personally love rustic shutters--in a dark color would be charming. Ditto for a stone walkway. I wonder if painting the trim a deeper color would be helpful.

 

 

[ErinE]

What are you looking for in the interior? I find homes with traditional exteriors and ultra-modern (or very old fashioned) interiors jarring. I prefer the interior of the home be complementary to the exterior.

 

Aiden had great suggestions. I would also recommend considering a bright color for the door. I think it would break up the all the red brick and make the front door pop.

 

Have you tried Houzz? I love the website for ideas and I easily spend hours browsing the photos.

 

I typed in red brick house and found:

 

Bright blue door against red brick:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/6691117/Richmond-1930s-refurbishment-contemporary-entry-london

 

Black shutters, taupe siding

http://www.houzz.com/photos/22652983/Siding-traditional-exterior-dc-metro

 

Black trim with metal railing:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/798897/Glencoe-IL-Private-Residence-Addition-traditional-exterior-chicago

 

White trim, metal railing, slate walkways:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/843748/Covered-Porch-Shillington-traditional-exterior-charlotte

[purplejackmama]

What a charming place to call home. I love it!

[PeachyDoodle]

What are you looking for in the interior? I find homes with traditional exteriors and ultra-modern (or very old fashioned) interiors jarring. I prefer the interior of the home be complementary to the exterior.

 

Aiden had great suggestions. I would also recommend considering a bright color for the door. I think it would break up the all the red brick and make the front door pop.

 

Have you tried Houzz? I love the website for ideas and I easily spend hours browsing the photos.

 

I typed in red brick house and found:

 

Bright blue door against red brick:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/6691117/Richmond-1930s-refurbishment-contemporary-entry-london

 

Black shutters, taupe siding

http://www.houzz.com/photos/22652983/Siding-traditional-exterior-dc-metro

 

Black trim with metal railing:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/798897/Glencoe-IL-Private-Residence-Addition-traditional-exterior-chicago

 

White trim, metal railing, slate walkways:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/843748/Covered-Porch-Shillington-traditional-exterior-charlotte

 

I definitely want the interior and exterior to jibe. For inside, I'm looking for updated, but still traditional. I'm hoping to refinish the original hardwoods throughout (there is some termite damage, but hoping to be able to repair instead of fully replace), probably in a darker stain. Similar dark color on the doors, with glass knobs from a great salvage place nearby. There are gorgeous French doors on the dining room that are original and will stay. I like muted shades of gray and gray-blue, with accents in yellow and/or red and bright white trim. There are a couple of truly horrific stone fireplaces that need to be whitewashed and toned down. Built-ins if I can talk my dad into it. I think a fresh robin's egg blue on the front door will pop against the brick when it's closed and mesh well with the gray inside when it's open.

 

We'll rip out the banister and perhaps replace it with a white and wrought iron railing. In the kitchen I like a dark floor (unfortunately the hardwoods have been torn out and replaced with a badly laid tile, so we'll have to do something else), dark granite or quartz countertops, and white cabinets with a gray or white subway tile backsplash. I'll give the kids some input into their rooms, but I'm thinking light blue/navy/cranberry for ds, and robin's egg blue and cherry red for dd.

 

I tend to gravitate towards white trim (inside and out) but I do like that taupe and black. The slate is really pretty too. My dad knows a guy who does stamped concrete, so we might be able to get that look without the expense. Part of me would like to enclose the porch columns in white to break up the brick, but the arches make that tricky. And I'm not sure it would be authentic to this house anyway. Great ideas, thanks!

[J-rap]

I have a terrible time visualizing what a house could be, but I just want to say that I think it's adorable!  I'd be plenty happy in a home that looked like that.  :)

 

[Bluegoat]

It's very cute.  I like the brick a lot - it doesn't look like it was just added as an afterthought which always looks bad.

 

I think the first thing I would do is start looking at old pictures of 1930's houses - perhaps particularly for some landscaping ideas. I'd check out what retro Renovation has.  I think the idea of the blue door and shutters would be lovely.  If you are not sure about shade I would try some samples.

 

My own take for landscaping would probably be a proper cottage garden, but that wouldn't necessarily be period.  I think it would work though.  And maybe go for pretty cottagy mid-century stuff inside - things like painted wicker chairs and fiesta-ware.

[LifeLovePassion]

Definitely a colorful English cottage garden and swing.

[Ausmumof3]

I don't think I'd change the house much as it's gorgeous. Just freshen what is there. I probably put a garden and path along the front with some flowers and shrubs. It is quite cute.

[PeachyDoodle]

It's very cute.  I like the brick a lot - it doesn't look like it was just added as an afterthought which always looks bad.

 

I think the first thing I would do is start looking at old pictures of 1930's houses - perhaps particularly for some landscaping ideas. I'd check out what retro Renovation has.  I think the idea of the blue door and shutters would be lovely.  If you are not sure about shade I would try some samples.

 

My own take for landscaping would probably be a proper cottage garden, but that wouldn't necessarily be period.  I think it would work though.  And maybe go for pretty cottagy mid-century stuff inside - things like painted wicker chairs and fiesta-ware.

Great ideas! I haven't heard of Retro Renovation before but it looks promising. Thanks!

[trulycrabby]

What a lovely house! You should buy it! :)

[elegantlion]

We painted brick in one of our homes, it actually turned out nice. In your case, however, I would not paint that brick. I would liven up with some colorful flowers and potted plants. You could add curtains to the side porch in a nice color or neutral to add some softness to the texture. 

[Rachel]

Have you ever been on the Houzz forums? There are tons of pictures and you can post pictures for ideas over there too.

 

Such a cute house!

[PeachyDoodle]

I agree.

Cute house!

Something like this would be cute with black shutters and a brick wall with a gate and the hedges. 

 

Ooh! I love the little brick fence and white picket gate! Wonder if we could beef up the molding around the door like this as well?

 

Cottage garden would be my dream... I just don't know if we'd have time to take care of it at this point. Anybody know how to get that look in a low-maintenance way? Or maybe there's less work involved than I think?

 

Believe me when I say the interior is strip-it-to-the-studs awful. But the layout is wonderful, and we have a way to handle the financing, and it just might be my dream home in the end. DH is going back over there with my dad and his this afternoon to look again. It's a risk, and I'm terrified, but excited too!

 

[Closeacademy]

I'd leave the structure alone, pain the trim an interesting color and then add some potted plants and things to sit on or tables to make it more inviting.

[Katy]

The first thing I would do is rent or buy a power washer and get the bricks clean.  They can really collect mud and grime over the years and it will make the whole place feel better kept.

 

The biggest & most expensive change I would make is a larger front door.  You'd have to cut into the brick, and depending on the entryway, perhaps lose an entry closet.  I would go for something on the high end, perhaps with side lights, to set the tone for the whole house and brighten up the entry.  I would personally hire that out to someone licensed because it involves a load bearing wall and cutting brick.  I'd probably choose something either 6 paneled with side lights OR with a glass cutout (but instead of clear or stained glass a design of colorless privacy glass).

 

The second most expensive thing I'd do would be to slate tile the porches.  You can do that yourself.  It's worth it to rent the more expensive water saw for cutting stone.  Home Depot often has inexpensive indoor/outdoor slate tiles for less than $1/sq ft.  I would sort them by color, and do an accent border one tile in from the edges with a different shade.  This detail would make the entire place feel like a higher-end small home.

 

I would give the trim a fresh coat of white (it looks a little dirty in a few places), paint the new front door and some new shutters with a high gloss black enamel.  If the windows need updating I would put in high efficiency ones with thin mullions, and perhaps paint those black too (advantage being it's updated and feels sophisticated while drawing your eye past the panes to outside, disadvantage being it can make a room interior feel a little darker, so it would depend on the house).

 

I would choose new but traditional furniture (cedar or teak rocking chairs and a porch swing painted white, perhaps an iron cafe or settee set. ), put a porch swing on the side porch at least, and probably on the front too. 

 

I think the most current trim color right now is black, and I would go with a neutral black, white, and gray color scheme with colorful accent pieces that you could update seasonally (Americana from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Fall/Harvest until the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas for December or simple blue & white winter scheme until March; pastels for spring.

 

I would paint the porch ceilings pale sky blue, and put real bead board up if they're plain or painted plywood.  Sky blue is not only traditional and relaxing, it repels wasps.  On that side porch I'd hang some white sheers on a rod facing the front of the house at least - just a touch of fabric blowing in the breeze, giving a tiny bit of privacy.

 

Landscaping- is that bush a lilac? It might need cut out, or it may just need a good trim.  What's the climate?  Are any of the neighbors big gardeners?  The reason I ask is that I did a huge elaborate cottage garden once and had a few problems.  For one thing, they require a lot of weeding.  They attract lots of birds and therefore, weed seeds.  For two, many of the plants considered traditional to a garden like that are poisonous, which is a no-go with kids and pets. Not just foxgloves, but many of those spiky type flowers are bad.  I might go overgrown formal English instead - Lilacs and butterfly bushes on the edges to soften, but mostly roses (this doesn't have to be complicated, you need to contact your state's agricultural extension service and see which varieties grow like weeds in your area, care for them the first season, and then they should be established).  Because the porches are fairly low I might put climbing roses on the ground in front of the house- not to climb the house, but as a low ground cover.  You might have to stake the vines the first season, but they should fill in very fast.

 

You can amend the soil with sand around the front path and put a lavender border on either side of the front path if the yard is sunny.

 

I would put some sort of accent tree on either side of the main entrance to the porch - is that right in front of the front door?  Maybe topiaries, or some sort of spiral evergreen tree (NOT BOXWOODS!  Those of us who think they smell like cat pee when it gets hot will thank you!).  You'll need to trim those at least once a year to keep the shape but they are a nice accent.

 

If this is the North side of the house I would fill in with hostas, ferns and low growing hydrangeas, and put bleeding hearts at the corners of the house to soften.

 

I would put a big elaborate planter on the column currently with a planter and change out the contents seasonally- annuals in the summer, evergreens in the winter.

[rjand6more]

Something simple.  I would add wrought iron spindles and maybe a white handrail to the front porch.  A fun and vibrant front door color would set it off.

 

Really, it's such a cute house!  We renovated a 1890"s Craftsman.  We are ready to sell(after 16 years) and move on to the next project.

[PeachyDoodle]

The first thing I would do is rent or buy a power washer and get the bricks clean.  They can really collect mud and grime over the years and it will make the whole place feel better kept.

 

The biggest & most expensive change I would make is a larger front door.  You'd have to cut into the brick, and depending on the entryway, perhaps lose an entry closet.  I would go for something on the high end, perhaps with side lights, to set the tone for the whole house and brighten up the entry.  I would personally hire that out to someone licensed because it involves a load bearing wall and cutting brick.  I'd probably choose something either 6 paneled with side lights OR with a glass cutout (but instead of clear or stained glass a design of colorless privacy glass).

 

The second most expensive thing I'd do would be to slate tile the porches.  You can do that yourself.  It's worth it to rent the more expensive water saw for cutting stone.  Home Depot often has inexpensive indoor/outdoor slate tiles for less than $1/sq ft.  I would sort them by color, and do an accent border one tile in from the edges with a different shade.  This detail would make the entire place feel like a higher-end small home.

 

I would give the trim a fresh coat of white (it looks a little dirty in a few places), paint the new front door and some new shutters with a high gloss black enamel.  If the windows need updating I would put in high efficiency ones with thin mullions, and perhaps paint those black too (advantage being it's updated and feels sophisticated while drawing your eye past the panes to outside, disadvantage being it can make a room interior feel a little darker, so it would depend on the house).

 

I would choose new but traditional furniture (cedar or teak rocking chairs and a porch swing painted white, perhaps an iron cafe or settee set. ), put a porch swing on the side porch at least, and probably on the front too. 

 

I think the most current trim color right now is black, and I would go with a neutral black, white, and gray color scheme with colorful accent pieces that you could update seasonally (Americana from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Fall/Harvest until the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas for December or simple blue & white winter scheme until March; pastels for spring.

 

I would paint the porch ceilings pale sky blue, and put real bead board up if they're plain or painted plywood.  Sky blue is not only traditional and relaxing, it repels wasps.  On that side porch I'd hang some white sheers on a rod facing the front of the house at least - just a touch of fabric blowing in the breeze, giving a tiny bit of privacy.

 

Landscaping- is that bush a lilac? It might need cut out, or it may just need a good trim.  What's the climate?  Are any of the neighbors big gardeners?  The reason I ask is that I did a huge elaborate cottage garden once and had a few problems.  For one thing, they require a lot of weeding.  They attract lots of birds and therefore, weed seeds.  For two, many of the plants considered traditional to a garden like that are poisonous, which is a no-go with kids and pets. Not just foxgloves, but many of those spiky type flowers are bad.  I might go overgrown formal English instead - Lilacs and butterfly bushes on the edges to soften, but mostly roses (this doesn't have to be complicated, you need to contact your state's agricultural extension service and see which varieties grow like weeds in your area, care for them the first season, and then they should be established).  Because the porches are fairly low I might put climbing roses on the ground in front of the house- not to climb the house, but as a low ground cover.  You might have to stake the vines the first season, but they should fill in very fast.

 

You can amend the soil with sand around the front path and put a lavender border on either side of the front path if the yard is sunny.

 

I would put some sort of accent tree on either side of the main entrance to the porch - is that right in front of the front door?  Maybe topiaries, or some sort of spiral evergreen tree (NOT BOXWOODS!  Those of us who think they smell like cat pee when it gets hot will thank you!).  You'll need to trim those at least once a year to keep the shape but they are a nice accent.

 

If this is the North side of the house I would fill in with hostas, ferns and low growing hydrangeas, and put bleeding hearts at the corners of the house to soften.

 

I would put a big elaborate planter on the column currently with a planter and change out the contents seasonally- annuals in the summer, evergreens in the winter.

 

LOVE these ideas -- thank you! Would you like to come design my garden??? :w00t:

 

Really like the idea of painting the porch ceilings; I believe they are bead board but will have to look again the next time I'm over there. Bead board would have been my choice anyway, but I wouldn't have thought of painting it blue. Slate tile was mentioned upthread as well, and that idea is growing on me big time. I'm even thinking of using it inside in the kitchen and mudroom.

 

I am not sure what the big bush is. Not a lilac, I don't think. It's either a crepe myrtle or some kind of green bushy non-blooming tree-type thing (lol -- is that helpful?); either way, it will probably go. The house faces E/NE. It is relatively sunny in the front, with huge shade trees on the sides (elm, oak, walnut, magnolia). I think we will cut down the big evergreen that's visible on the left side of the picture, as it's so close to the house, so that side will get more sun. Climate is temperate (central NC). We're very rural, so no close neighbors (well, except for the goats), but most of the landscaping around here is fairly simple/low maintenance.

 

It's actually a corner lot, and the side porch (which will become a sitting area off the master bedroom) faces the busier road. Sheers out there will be a lovely touch.

 

There are some boxwoods on the property that I'm hoping to relocate... but maybe not too close to the house! Do you have any ideas for what kind of planter you would put on the short column?

[SproutMamaK]

I would add a flower bed at ground level all along the front (except for in front of any stairs, obviously, lol). I'd also add some exterior casing around the windows; they're a little thin for the time period and could use some beefing up, Something like this. Just google exterior window casing and a lot will come up.

 

If you're looking at dreaming and the more extreme end of work, I would look at moving the door a little to the right so it's centered in the arch. It could just be the pic angle that makes it look off-centre, though.

I second (third?) the idea of adding a porch swing, probably hanging from the arch at the far right end of the porch.

[Katy]

LOVE these ideas -- thank you! Would you like to come design my garden??? :w00t:

 

Really like the idea of painting the porch ceilings; I believe they are bead board but will have to look again the next time I'm over there. Bead board would have been my choice anyway, but I wouldn't have thought of painting it blue. Slate tile was mentioned upthread as well, and that idea is growing on me big time. I'm even thinking of using it inside in the kitchen and mudroom.

 

I am not sure what the big bush is. Not a lilac, I don't think. It's either a crepe myrtle or some kind of green bushy non-blooming tree-type thing (lol -- is that helpful?); either way, it will probably go. The house faces E/NE. It is relatively sunny in the front, with huge shade trees on the sides (elm, oak, walnut, magnolia). I think we will cut down the big evergreen that's visible on the left side of the picture, as it's so close to the house, so that side will get more sun. Climate is temperate (central NC). We're very rural, so no close neighbors (well, except for the goats), but most of the landscaping around here is fairly simple/low maintenance.

 

It's actually a corner lot, and the side porch (which will become a sitting area off the master bedroom) faces the busier road. Sheers out there will be a lovely touch.

 

There are some boxwoods on the property that I'm hoping to relocate... but maybe not too close to the house! Do you have any ideas for what kind of planter you would put on the short column?

 

Aww, how sweet.  So glad you liked my ideas.  Planters are the sort of thing I think you know when you see.  You can find really striking ones for $30-50.   I'd probably opt for a square planter that would fit the top of the column.  There are instructions for how to make formal planters with an X on each side on the blogosphere, in theory you could make 4 and have them each be in a seasonal accent color for about the same price as buying one. You could also make a hypertufa container (looks like stone, but lighter and made from peat moss and cement). Google hypertufa and hypertufa trough to see what I mean.  There would be a fair amount of geometry in either project if you customized it to fit exactly over the top of the column.  It would make a fun family homeschool project.  If you shopped around you might find an urn that would look even better (beyond my desire to DIY, though I think they sell molds for that sort of concrete project on ebay.

 

Definitely move a crepe myrtle away from the house.  For one thing, they attract honeybees and yellowjackets, who get into wars with each other and then sting anyone who has the nerve to come near them when they're angry.  For another, they get to be way too tall to have that close to a house.

 

Since you're somewhat South and that side of the house will be in shade most of the day, Azaleas might make a good choice if you can't find a variety of rose that does well in a spot like that.  There are varieties that stay no higher than 18" and also rebloom several times.