Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
marnopolis_gw

Front Entry Dilemma

marnopolis
10 years ago

We had a trellis built to add some curb appeal to our 90's style house and I think it's too high! We had it installed as low as possible without having to move the outdoor lights down.

I'd love opinions on how to fix the problem. It looks like the trellis should go just a a foot or so above the door, but is it worth moving the lights down?

We're about to have some wood rot fixed and the house painted and I want to get this right!

Thanks!

Comments (16)

  • marnopolis
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here's a picture.

  • annzgw
    10 years ago

    I agree that it's too high but my personal opinion is it doesn't add much to the style of your home. To increase curb appeal I would suggest bringing in a landscape designer.

    If you want to keep the arbor, I would lower it, then have the supports redesigned so the lights could be mounted on top of the wood. Moving the electrical on a brick home won't be easy.

    If you don't get much feedback here, post over on the Home Decor forum. There's lots of discussion on home exterior over there.........

    Here is a link that might be useful: HD

  • erinsean
    10 years ago

    Definitely move it down and put a light in the top of the trellis....hard to move the lights in brick.

  • marnopolis
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Great idea about posting on the Home Decor forum! Got lots of ideas, including getting a new front door, staining it to match the trellis and shutters and making the frame a little taller. I'll include a pic of the full house so you can see the whole thing together.

    I wish there was a nice way to install the lights on the wood of the trellis but it's not coming to me...

  • marnopolis
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    This is a side view of the trellis.

    Thank you!

  • Pines Everywhere
    10 years ago

    Ohhh boy. That Trellis is so beautiful but it definitely should be lower. The structure should have been designed with inside mounts so it could attach to the inset versus the face of your archway (avoiding the lights altogether).

    If you leave it where it is ... paint that paneled section the same color as your structure and hang (with very short hooks) plants that drape downward versus climbers.

    Alternatively, you could move the Structure Down and bore holes in the supporting braces and hang much smaller lights on the Structure itself. Basically, have the Trellis where the lights are now and have the lights (smaller) protrude off the Trellis Structure itself.

    Love the Structure though!

  • dcnchuck
    10 years ago

    If you move the trellis down and remove the existing lights, you can wire from the grounded box to place lighting at the top of the trellis. Some small flood lights mounted to the top of the trellis can act as accent lighting and still give adequate lighting at the front porch.

  • marnopolis
    7 years ago

    If you'd like an update on what we did with the trellis, click here to see a little blog I created to show the house update progression:
    Cottage Mod

    THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your input!

  • cpartist
    7 years ago

    Much better and while I normally am not a huge fan of painted brick, in this case it really helped tie the house together. Well done.

  • marnopolis
    7 years ago

    Thank you, cpartist!

  • worthy
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Not a fan of painted brick at all. It becomes another maintenance item for the life of the home. However, covering a common spec brick is another matter. Very consistent and understated re-styling! Thanks for updating.

  • Pines Everywhere
    7 years ago

    Holy cow what a makeover -- I was expecting an update on just the trellis structure. Beautifully done. I liked the original brick but your makeover is stunning. Love the trellis lower and dark doors/shutters. Amazing. Thanks for the blog link too -- interesting to see the progression. Enjoy your "new" home. LOL.

  • marnopolis
    7 years ago

    Thank you, worthy and Pines Everywhere!

  • kudzu9
    7 years ago

    Looks great...much better. How much trouble was it to repair the brick where it was previously mounted?

  • marnopolis
    7 years ago

    Thank you, kudzu9! It was very easy to fill the two holes on each side with masonry filler and after painting they were undetectable.

  • kudzu9
    7 years ago

    That was my main concern when I saw how substantial the structure was. Glad that it was so easy to fix.