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soda7

Ideas to fix my boring house front?

Soda7
9 years ago

My house just went on the market and the agent's photos remind me that the house front is sad. Any ideas about things I could do on a very small budget to make it more interesting and inviting to house hunters?

When I bought the house a few years ago, I had ideas of improving the front but I got distracted by other projects. The house exterior is pale tan vinyl siding and multi-color brick. The window trim is white vinyl. The eight shutters are metal and they were factory painted brown, but on the second floor the shutter color has been lightened by the sun.

I'm considering removing the storm door because it is flimsy and its lines interfere with the lines of the primary door. The primary door is substantial, heavy metal. It's not my favorite style, but it's simple, and I can't afford to buy another door. The primary door was painted tan at the factory. I would consider painting the primary door if there is a color that does something better for the whole house front. I think if the door was painted a bright color, it would make the surrounding surfaces look more shabby, so my guess is that a subtle door color would be best.

If I do remove the storm door, I would have to paint the door frame (which is currently white metal) to look good with the color of the primary door.

The pavement on the step and walk is concrete. Pressure washing would not improve it much. It's concrete with lots of exposed aggregate. The brick around the raised garden bed is a little discolored but I don't know how to clean it on a tight budget. The current white trim around the windows is vinyl so the color can't be changed.

We're cleaning up the landscape and the plant areas so they will look better than in these photos.

I'll try to attach several photos here. I'd be thrilled to hear your comments and suggestions. Thanks

This post was edited by Soda7 on Fri, Oct 10, 14 at 20:32

Comments (39)

  • Kiwigem
    9 years ago

    Potted mums and pumpkins for this time of year. Adds lots of color and cheer with very little investment.

  • Soda7
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here's another photo. Thanks.

  • Soda7
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    another photo. thank you.

  • teacats
    9 years ago

    Excellent ideas about the front door (especially the idea to remove the storm door) -- except consider NOT re-painting the door itself BUT do paint the trim and current shutters (by the door and the windows) in fresh dark high-gloss brown paint ......

    Yes -- do add house numbers .....

    Add a new mail box ...... in dark brown gloss paint ....

    Add a larger new outdoor lantern in ORB by the door ....

    Trim bushes and add fresh mulch to gardens ....

    Add some white garden mums .....

    Add some solar pathway lights (for dusk or darker showings -- especially by the front step!) Maybe just those dark brown small lights (about $2 or so) at Target (the lights look like small sticks with solar light tops)

    Add a fresh door mat .....

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    Your ideas are good. I can't quite figure out what the lower shutters add except to block the prettier brick. Are they easy to remove? Maybe the lantern could be spray-painted to stand out more.

    I would focus on the landscaping to keep your house looking inviting if it's on the market through the winter. Dig out everything except the two dark green shrubs on the ends of the raised bed and add fresh, compact evergreen foundation plants under the windows. Many nurseries have shrubs discounted now, and it's the best time to plant in many climates.

  • neetsiepie
    9 years ago

    I agree about removing the storm door. Adding colored pots with bright fall flowers would help tremendously. And add a colorful rug. Also paint the light fixture rather than replacing it.

    Depending on your budget, I'd consider adding plantings along the walkway, and add the path lights as suggested. What part of the country are you located? Will you be expecting rain or snow in the next few months? That would dictate, to me, how much I'd spend on spiffing up the front yard with plants. But in any event, you need some color and nature!

  • tomatofreak
    9 years ago

    I agree with kiwigem: Add lots of potted mums and/or whatever else your nursery carries for your zone. Honestly, I think you're needlessly worried. Your house is quite pretty and whatever you do paint-wise may be just what the buyer does *not* like. I think most buyers see a house and imagine what they could do to make it their own. I don't like brown paint; can you imagine how many others also don't like brown paint? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just buy flowers! ;0

  • kswl2
    9 years ago

    Love your name.....very clever to use two of them!

  • awm03
    9 years ago

    Would you mind taking another picture of the house, only this time full frontal? It would be nice to have a straight-on photo to play with instead of one on an angle. Thanks.

  • awm03
    9 years ago

    Maybe a brick red door would look good, a red with a lot of brown in it:

  • Kiwigem
    9 years ago

    If you remove the storm door (it does look prettier) keep it if it is in good shape so you can tell a potential buyer that you've got one. That dark red is pretty, awm03!

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    9 years ago

    A light shaping for the shrubs, not cutting them into cubes or anything but just evening them out a bit, will help and cost just a little bit of your time. Make sure the mailbox isn't dusty, keep everything swept, weed, no cobwebs anywhere, yes a brand new doormat--they are not super expensive. Make sure the door bell button is clean. Clean, clean, clean--it doesn't cost much but your time, and people notice that and it gives the impression the house has been cared for.

    That door color is really pretty, awm03.

  • Soda7
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here's a photo that shows the house straight on. As awm03 was hinting at with the request for a full front photo, when you look at the whole house front, the balances of colors and forms are different than when looking at only an isolated section.
    I'm not sure what the answer is, but to me, the house at present seems out of balance in terms of the impact and weight of the colors and the forms.

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    Remove the silly bottom shutters, remove the four scraggly shrubs to show off the pretty brick, add neat, uniform landscaping by way of evergreen shrubs below both windows to fill the void and connect the house to the ground. Keeps you in budget and makes the front looked cared for.

  • awm03
    9 years ago

    I love your cute house! Nice proportions, just the right size. We are helping our son & DIL shop for their first home, and we'd be thrilled if we found a house like yours. No such luck yet.

    I would thin out the tree on the left, trim the lower branches if you can do so without ruining the shape. The tree on the right should definitely be elevated and thinned out. That would open up the property, let in some air and light too.

    Here's a dark muted red door, with side shutters removed to expose the pretty brick. Added a window box with greenery, and some common shrubs available at any nursery or big box store with a nursery (the yellow green is spirea -- easy care and pretty blossoms in spring). Looks pretty colorful to me!

  • k9arlene
    9 years ago

    I'd remove the screen door and shutters flanking it and paint all of the siding on the lower level of the house the same color as the second story shutters.

  • vpierce
    9 years ago

    I'd add window boxes to the two upper windows.

  • awm03
    9 years ago

    It doesn't look bad if you remove all the shutters. That would solve the issues of whether to paint them & what color would work with all the elements.

  • jterrilynn
    9 years ago

    The only way I can see to get the more balance you seek is to paint the house a shade of the brick, add an awning over the window to the right and also add a window box that would level it to the window on the left. Another tree with height on right front would help. Also, some pots on each side of the door would help create more of a focal to that area.

    This post was edited by jterrilynn on Mon, Oct 13, 14 at 16:50

  • lazydaisynot
    9 years ago

    Since your house is on the market I wouldn't do any extensive changes. I would remove the screen door, paint the front door, install a house number plaque next to the door, get a couple of large planters and put an evergreen shrub in each flanking the door, use pumpkins or seasonal items to brighten up the planter displays, and plant a few evergreen shrubs in the space beneath the window on the left.

    Leave the current plantings, just augment them. They add fullness.

    You can make a house number plaque pretty cheaply using a purchased wood oval or other shape, spray paint, and metal house numbers.

    If you start removing shutters you may find that the area behind them has aged differently from adjacent materials or isn't neatly finished, which could entail a lot of work to remedy. Reinstalling shutters can be tricky in this event, as they can fall apart during removal (current problem on my friend's house!)

  • tomatofreak
    9 years ago

    lazydaisynot is so right about the shutters. I can't tell you how many houses I've seen where shutters have been removed only to have their shape outline remain and an leave an off-color rectangle.

  • jterrilynn
    9 years ago

    I almost never suggest painting brick. However, although the house is nice there are more than a few balance issues so I would paint it all a same color (including brick) and leave the shutters. Shorten the shutters on the left bottom window. You could just paint the siding a shade to match the brick but the choices there would leave you with a full darker house. I always like to pretend IâÂÂm selling to a hip 30 something. Most in that range do not do brown or dark houses (at least in my neck of the woods).


    Edited to add...did we scare soda off?

    This post was edited by jterrilynn on Tue, Oct 14, 14 at 8:20

  • mdln
    9 years ago

    I do not think the house front is sad, maybe a bit plain - but not sad. Plain is not bad. Better something plain - that I can decorate to my tastes, than something bold that I don't like.

    Remove storm door, remove brown shutters (or paint them white like the window trim), get a nice new & larger porch light (many choices, not expensive), maybe paint mailbox to match door, add some colorful plants. A neighbor sandblasted their brick house, it really lightened up the color and made it more uniform in color. Not sure I would do that, but it is an option.

  • nosoccermom
    9 years ago

    Wow, I'm surprised by some of the suggestions. This house is to be sold and thus needs to appeal to many people's tastes, and all at a small budget.
    So,don't paint the brick, don't paint anything other than the frame around the door. Leave the shutters. Don't plant trees and add God knows what.
    Basically, what teacats said. Only I would get colorful mums, lots of them.
    You could try pressure washing the brick, or try some bleach or oven cleaner foam.
    Your house looks nice.

  • awm03
    9 years ago

    It's worth a try to remove a shutter to see if there is fading or discoloration underneath. Maybe there is, maybe not. Could be the vinyl is newer than the shutters & hasn't had time to fade. The shutters are metal and in bad condition. If they can be removed, it would save you the trouble of painting them.

    I don't think the house is unbalanced. The visually weight-y part (the brick) grounds the house, the lighter elements are on top, all as they should be. The window & door placement has a nice symmetry. The lines & planes of the house are nicely proportioned.

    The issues are the blah tan siding, the patchy landscaping, the worn shutters, and the light gray roof that doesn't work with the tan vinyl. The landscaping & the shutters are an easy fix. Painting vinyl siding is expensive & can be problematic -- definitely not an easy fix. Looks like the roof is near the end of its life span, but you probably don't want to sink money into that either.

    Just clean, clean, clean the house both inside and out, add some of the colorful seasonal suggestions, maybe paint the door a cheery color, and lightly landscape. Anything else, and you are doing (& paying for) someone else's decorating that they would probably prefer to do themselves.

    We have been looking at houses recently. I'm surprised that they look like something from HGTV until you open a kitchen drawer or cabinet -- GROSSSS!! The garages & basements haven't been swept out in 20 years, and the gutters are filled with leaves & downspouts leak or discharge straight to the foundation. A home with curb appeal & showy decor can't disguise lack of maintenance. Surely we aren't the only buyers who look past the decorating and start making a mental tally of how much it would cost to fix up the guts of the place? Curb appeal has its limits.

  • jterrilynn
    9 years ago

    I think it depends on the market in a particular neighborhood (this we don't know). In some sought after neighborhoods spending a bit can fetch a higher price and faster sale.

  • awm03
    9 years ago

    If there are many competing homes on the market in your price range, and you don't have the luxury of neighborhood cachet/top schools, then yes, curb appeal & attractive decor can help. But so does cleanliness & having the workings in ship shape.

    If neighborhoods are sought after, there are enough buyers just interested to get a foot in the door. They'll buy a lesser house just to get in the neighborhood. That's our issue now: buying into a school district. We're looking for an affordable home in half-way decent condition. We don't care if it's painted day glo orange.

  • jterrilynn
    9 years ago

    Yes awm, that was me a few months ago; I bought the house that needed a lot of work just to get in an area I wanted at an affordable rate. The house I sold thoughâ¦I had to stage and add a lot of curb appeal. We did most all the work ourselves and it really paid out in the end by about $22,000 or more and helped sell it faster.

  • awm03
    9 years ago

    I'm sure the curb appeal helped your sale, but you have to know your comps too. $22,000 extra for an upgraded home would buy you an over-improved home in some areas. Really, why buy a 377K home when the neighborhood's going for 355K? It worked in your market, but that doesn't mean it will work for all markets.

    Not saying you shouldn't try to make your home look up to date and attractive, but you have to know what you're competing against and have some idea of return on investment.

    We looked at a home this week that was beautiful: Gorgeous grasscloth, oak flooring, chic light fixtures, reno'ed baths, freshly painted kitchen with expensive hardware, lovely paint colors & some nice architectural features. But we were suspicious of the water stains all over the garage ceiling, the cracked chimney, the filth & mustiness inside the cabinets & closets, the ancient electrical system, the cracked gutters, and the general shabbiness of the back yard. We didn't think the home had been maintained well & might have a drainage issue, so we walked. Those home owners are not getting back their $22K worth of decorating from us, at least.

  • jterrilynn
    9 years ago

    Yes exactly! We are really all just guessing as we do not know the op's market. We looked at a lot of homes and it is truly amazing how some people put homes up for sale without doing any maintenance. I can't tell you how many people lied about the roof being fine while we were staring at all the nasty water stains all over the ceilings.

    This post was edited by jterrilynn on Mon, Oct 13, 14 at 12:03

  • jterrilynn
    9 years ago

    Whatever happened to soda? Did we scare him/her off?

  • lazydaisynot
    9 years ago

    OP mentioned a tight budget and discussed tidying up the landscaping and perhaps painting a door.

    Many suggested changes are extensive and expensive. Many comments about the house were quite critical and, IMO, not particularly helpful given the OP's stated constraints.

    I think it's a perfectly nice house and it's worth doing the tasks the OP considered to brighten up the entry and encourage buyers to take a look.

  • jterrilynn
    9 years ago

    Oh you mean the usual stuff found on decorating or online forums!

  • mdln
    9 years ago

    sometimes you come looking for a band-aid and you get a heart transplant instead. :-)

  • nosoccermom
    9 years ago

    Or you're looking for a haircut and a new lipstick color and get a list of full-body cosmetic surgery, with some extensive family therapy thrown in gratis.

  • jterrilynn
    9 years ago

    Very true! It happened to me before but it was actually very helpful in that I looked at something I was used to in a different way. ItâÂÂs not about whoâÂÂs right or wrong but is about seeing things differently or in a new light or maybe realizing that changing one knob will do nothing.

  • Soda7
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Wowza! I love reading everyone's posts. Thank so much. I was away for several days because of house showings. Each showing requires a lot of prep work (long story, but pets are involved too). BTW, mortgage rates just dropped in the last few days, so more people started house shopping right now.

    What a great bunch of ideas and insights here. I love the posts with sharp analyses too. The photos people posted here look great too.

    As some people mentioned, my budget is really small. For now, here's a quick update and one question:

    So far, I've pruned the shrubs to better proportions. I pulled out a groundcover that was raggedy this time of year. Things look a little better. Will be considering doing more.

    Question. This subject is beyond my grasp and I'm confused: After I remove the storm door, I think the choice of paint color for the door framing could affect the visual proportions of the house. For example, if the framing was the same color as the door, the door might look bigger. If the framing were a different color than the door color, the door might look smaller. I don't know if this is true. But if true, what would be the desirable color choice considering the house proportions and other colors present?

    Another factor that might influence color choice: I just noticed that the primary door is recessed about five inches behind the front edge of the door framing. Also the framing itself is not the front most surface of the house. That is, the front edge of framing is behind a layer of brick, and on top of the brick are the shutters. ( Earlier I was thinking about a framing color as if the framing were just a shallow picture frame on the front surface of the house). I might be confusing myself with these thoughts...

    Ideas and comments appreciated. Thanks again.

  • phiwwy
    9 years ago

    I agree - remove the storm door. I would change the sconce beside the door to a black, to match your mailbox. Then add a nice black mat (like those found at Lowe's). Potted mums, mulch and I think you're done! Is your inside staged well?
    Good luck!

  • graywings123
    9 years ago

    With the brick and the shutters and the door so close together, I would not want to bring in yet another color, so I would paint the framing the same color as the door in this case.