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robinst_gw

What do you think of our remodel? PICS

robinst
13 years ago

I haven't posted anything in a while but I thought I should post a picture since we are almost done. What do you think? What do you think about the landscaping so far? We still have a lot do! The huge cedar on the right of the house has also been cut down and will be replaced with a blue spruce. I also think I may add white shutters to the front two windows on the left of the house. Thoughts? Ideas?

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I plan to connect the three blue spruce in the front with one bed of mulch and add two purple sand cherry for some color.

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I only have a thumbnail picture of the before, but you can see how far we have come!

Comments (11)

  • chisue
    13 years ago

    The shutters would be a nice touch. The facade looks nice and fresh.

    Are those TREES you have planted so near the house -- near the windows you want shuttered? Think how they will spread when they are full grown! I'd move them back and plant bayberry or yews that you can keep *under* the windows.

  • wi-sailorgirl
    13 years ago

    Looking great! I particularly like the path by the door. Very nice. I think combining the trees in the yard with an island bed (or the appearance of one with mulch) is a really good idea.

    Changing the roof line on those two dormers makes a huge difference!

  • robinst
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the comments. I forgot to ask... do you think the door should stay white or be painted. I am thinking I will leave it white, but would love to hear your feedback.

    I should have added some more details about the front bed. I plan on planting some more shubs and perennials in the front garden and adding a stone/slate border. The trees that are there are:

    - accent or dwarf blue spruce - it is almost full grown, so it shouldn't be a problem.
    - weeping douglas fir - the nursery said it would double in height and stay relatively narrow. They also suggested we remove the top branch and make it more weepy, which means it would not reach the white part of the gable.
    - purple fountain beech - this one is a tree and one I was questioning. I planted it off to the side at the corner of the house, figuring it would grow tall. There should be just enough room for the width, but I figured I could prune the width if it gets too full. I have seen these trees planted in the front of other houses and thought they looked nice.


  • krycek1984
    13 years ago

    Beautiful transformation and beautiful home!!!!!!!

    What made you choose blue spruce?

  • wi-sailorgirl
    13 years ago

    I think you should paint the front door, but that's coming from a person with a bright blue door and a love of crazy colored front doors.

    I think it could add a little sizzle, although the white looks fine as well. Red/burgundy would look nice but to me those colors have become so expected they've lost their zing. How about teal?

  • farmgirl_2010
    13 years ago

    I agree with wi-sailorgirl. Paint the front door an eye catching colour. Other than that...beautiful reno!!!

  • peterdonald
    13 years ago

    Entire house is looks great. I feel that if you change color on white places then it will grate appearance.

  • robinst
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the comments! It is nice to hear some different opinions.

    krycek1984 - I picked blue spruce because I really like them and think they look nice against the reddish brown brick.

    Peterdonald - Do you think we should paint some of the white areas? The door or other spots too? Thanks.

  • ilmbg
    13 years ago

    It looks much nicer! Depending on which direction the front of your house is facing- as the trees mature they will give much needed summer shade. A good thing.
    I aggree about color on the door. As a 'color phobic' who has just gotten more bold the past few years- the just right color will be the perfect finishing touch!

  • susanelewis
    13 years ago

    I would leave the white trim and paint the door a claret red. Cool colors IMHO would not coordinate well with the warmth of the home, especially with the beautiful stone.

    Don't do shutters. The style of the home with the casements is more contemporary and shutters would look odd to me. Proper landscaping will make the need for shutters unnecessary. I would highly suggest you get a professional to landscape your home or at minimum pay him/her to draw up a nice plan. You've done such a great job I would hate to see it cheapened by an amateur job.

    Lastly, what is your roof? Do you know the brand and style?

  • robinst
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Here are some of the ideas I have tried out in paint.

    My original thought of adding white shaker style shutters. I can appreciate the thought about shutters with casement windows. I had originally thought it would be nice to have more white on that side of the house to balance out with the garage.

    I read somewhere that you shouldn't have a white garage. It draws too much attention to something you want to blend it with rest of the house. With that in mind I tried adding more beige to the garage and shutters.

    Now for the red door, I tried a few colors. I found the really bright reds did not work but the darker reds were not too bad.

    With trim painted red:

    With white trim:

    I am starting to think that perhaps I should not make any changes, but I would love some more opinions!

    Thanks!

    BTW - I purchased the roof from Home Hardware - it was black but I have forgotten the brand. I did search for quite a while because I think some black roofs can look a little blue in certain lights.