12 years ago

last modified: 12 years ago

Hi all, Can you design savvy folks out there know how best to renovate the exterior facade of our newly purchased 100 year old Craftsman style home, to turn it from a ‘bland cottage’ to a ‘contemporary Craftsman’?

We thought about changing the front facade sage green vinyl siding and replacing it with a combination of wood (with recessed wood panelling and trimwork), stucco, cedar shakes, and/or brick (or even brick veneer). However, we are unsure how best to proceed and what design would work best. We would love to put in more architectural details throughout to give it a more stately, grand look, but not sure what exactly that might entail.

We would also like suggestions on colour schemes as well.

We love a contemporary aesthetic (clean lines, use of metals, woods) but we also have been embracing more traditional styles too. We recognize that we should probably respect the style of our Craftsman home, but we do long for some contemporary elements in the exterior design.

Note that since we took the photos you see here, we've removed the long boxwood hedging along the side of our driveway. Also, the tree has been trimmed back.

We have a good idea of what we would like for the front landscape area (e.g. stone retaining walls, staggered center flagstone path leading to front sunroom door), but we need help with renovating the actual facade of the house.

Please help! Reference pictures / ideas would be great. Thanks in advance!

Featured Answer

PRO

Dytecture

12 years ago

Hi astroboy5, I would suggest changing the wide horizontal siding to narrower ones, adding some trims, and also consider adding some brick or stone work at the base of the front porch to give more substance to the facade.

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Comments (12)

jonnymac
12 years ago
is that the orginal siding? It looks like to me that somebody covered all the good parts of your house with vinyl siding
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PRO
JALIN Design, LLC
12 years ago
First before really throwing out any ideas, What's you're budget? What will the neighborhood support? And are you ok with the look of your new facade, to be eye catching and different from the rest of the block?
Tom A
12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
if it were me I would look to double the size of the current entrance -- the steps - double the current width. Enlarge the walk to match. This would make the entrance symetrical rather than offset. Then I would be thinking about some beefy columns - like 9" to 12" square and would build 1 at each corner and 1 on each side of the (new) wider entrance. Also check the local set-back requirements and see if you could build out toward the street at all which would allow you to cover the steps so that visitors could get out of the rain/elements before they enter the porch
Wil Ng
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I am really considering most of these suggestions such as putting new stonework at the base of the enclosed porch to give more substance, installing trimwork, widening the entrance, and putting in thicker columns.

Thanks Tom A for your great suggestions. I didn't think of completely doubling the size of the entrance. It would be great to double it so it is centered on the house, with a wider pathway to match.

Cost maybe an issue here though. I think we want to do the facade work AND the landscape work to no more than $10,000. But of course, we would want to spend much less if possible, without sacrificing quality.

I would think keeping the whole structure of the enclosed porch intact would be more cost effective. I wonder how easy it would be to make the entrance to the porch into a double door (as per Tom A's suggestion) while keeping the rest of the structure intact.

Also, I think one could install wood pieces over the existing columns to make them wider, without having to completely take them down. I'm not sure...I am not a carpenter!

Also, I want to completely remove the siding on the front of the house (we hate siding), but we are not sure what materials we should install instead. Wood? Stucco? Brick? Brick veneer? Cedar shakes? Combos of any of the above?

Any other suggestions are welcomed!
jonnymac
12 years ago
You might be surprised what is under that vinyl siding. There was a time in our country(a dark time) when we put vinyl over so many beautiful houses. I'd be willing to bet there are trim details and other siding that is more true to your house. I would put a bulk of the money in the house, and go super simple on the landscape.
The right side of the yard should be regraded so it slops away from the house and it matches the left side. I'd do a natural stone wall that matches the siding you choose. And a few flowering bushes and leave the rest grass. You can always add more later for little cost.
Wil Ng
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Jonnymac for your comment. It's funny how once upon a time we used to put siding over everything. I am hoping I'll find something pleasant underneath our siding, but I'm anticipating it might be a big mess underneath (rotten wood, or just plain lath.
Any other suggestions (kinds of materials, colours) for renovating our exterior is welcomed!
TanCalGal
12 years ago
Article on a non-traditional Craftsman renovation http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2011/11/craftsman-house-of-honey-south-pasadena.html
Wil Ng
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for all your suggestions. Any suggestions for colours? I'd like something with contrast and was thinking about painting the window frames in a dark grey, the added trim work on the facade a lighter cream, and a mid tone (in the green/grey family) for the rest. Not sure exactly what colours though... was thinking checking out the exterior Benjamin Moore colour palettes. Any suggestions?

What about other structural and architectural suggestions to make the facade more modern?
TanCalGal
12 years ago
Here's a similar house and very nice http://stephanieathome.blogspot.com/2011/05/were-oozing-curb-appeal.html
PRO
Arlene Awarda Architect
12 years ago
It would be great if you took grey shingles, (actual cement board siding, ones that look like shingles) they come in grey color, and install them on the base of the porch to grade.. These are permanent and don't need any painting! White trim around windows, as suggested. i agree with all the other suggestions. Square columns at entrance and at ends. Here is a craftsman style home i designed, as ideas, but yours would be grey or opaque, this one is natural colored. thanks!
lucindalane
12 years ago
I would definitely open up the porch.