Home exterior design recommendations?

10 years ago

Hi all,
Thanks for taking the time to read this message. My wife and i just bought a lovely 1919 frame bungalow outside of Chicago. As you can see in the attached picture, the house has white vinyl siding and a front porch which has grey synthetic flooring and a front also covered with siding. Originally we wanted to take the siding off the front of the porch and change it to vertical rungs, but after meeting with a contractor that isn't as simple (or cheap) as we were expecting.

Anyways, we are considering painting the siding to a different color than white. We think the white looks good, but not GREAT. The problem is, we're having a hard time deciding if changing the color would make it look great, or just look out of place with the home. I was hoping you all could give me your opinions. I would really really appreciate it! Unless you all have another suggestion, we were considering either a green color (http://www.familyhomeplans.com/plan_details.cfm?PlanNumber=91885#image-slideshow) , or a blue color (http://www.vintageseattle.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/533_20th_02.jpg). We were thinking we could keep the trim around the windows white, and it would provide nice contrast to the color. We would also replace the lattice under the porch - any suggestions besides simply putting new lattice in?

Also, we have heard that when painting white siding to a darker color, you can have issues when the siding undergoes temperature changes (due to changes in absorbance from the paint color). We have also heard there is special paint to address this issue - has anyone heard whether this adequately addresses the issue?

THANK YOU so much for your advice and I hope you all have a wonderful holidays!

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Comments (6)

GreenDesigns
10 years ago
The biggest cosmetic change to the home's appearance would be to have a porch railing done instead of the mini wall with siding. You're a homeowner now. Learn to DIY. Constructing a porch railing is well within the skill set of even a novice DIYer. You just need to buy some tools and practice some with them.

I'm not an advocate of painting vinyl. It's good money after bad and creates maintenance where none was necessary. If you want to change the color of the house, then reside it. I'd suggest a soft yellow. Hardi would be better looking than more vinyl.
nightowlrn
10 years ago
Here is a bungalow remodel -- has the front porch railing GD spoke of.

Here is a link that might be useful: bungalow remodel
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blaster1492
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the advice so far. I agree about DIYing, and that a change in the porch would be great. However, there are a few issues with making changes, so if you remodeling-minded folks have some suggests I would appreciate it so much. I apologize for describing this in probably a sub-par way, but hopefully you can understand what I'm about to say...

The big problem we see with taking down the porch wall and replacing it with railing is that the porch wall has a depth to it (maybe, say 6-8 inches). When we take out the wall, there will be an area that will not have the trex flooring on it. Now, for the front wall that is not a huge issue because it is probably the right depth to simply add another row of trex. That is no problem IF we can find trex that matches the one we have now (which I'm not sure we could). But when the SIDE WALLS come down, there will be 6-8 inches of EACH row missing trex. If I simply cut that length of trex and put it down in the spot where the wall was, there will be an awkward "seam" of new short trex pieces. Of course I could rip out all of the flooring and start over which would alleviate this problem, but the flooring is only a few years old and I assume that would be expensive.

Any thoughts on how I could do this and make it look good? Am I missing a simple solution? (I don't have much of any reno experience!) Thanks!
renovator8
10 years ago
It is a common trend lately to trim a deck perimeter with a different color of composite decking that is parallel to the deck's perimeter on all sides. The railing could be of the same color but I would use a high end model from Azek instead of Trex or a wood kit from Woodway Products.

If you DIY make sure the railing meets the building code requirement for resistance to horizontal forces at the top. Railings (actually guards) typically span between vertical posts that transfer the lateral forces to the deck framing or a foundation. It appears you will need one or more short posts between the existing full height posts. When designing these elements it is important to follow the manufacturer's instructions because PVC based composites are not as strong in bending as wood.

I would also suggest that the most prominent design element on the front of your house is not a place to try to save money. And don't ignore the design of the posts and the perimeter roof beam that they support. To advise you on that I would need to see the rest of the house and the adjacent houses.
leenamark
10 years ago
If you have any confusion regarding the design of porch around the home you got in possession, you can visit a home improvement contractor that would suggest you with best porc required for your home style. You can also contact budget Fence & patio for your requirement
Sms
10 years ago
Saw this recently on Houzz. Not sure where you could get floor to ceiling windows like this or if your grade is too low. Privacy would be another concern along with cost. Not likely a DIY project.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/shotgun-style-traditional-exterior-new-orleans-phvw-vp~4380186-Style-traditional-exterior-new-orleans

Here is a link that might be useful: [Porch link[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/shotgun-style-traditional-exterior-new-orleans-phvw-vp~4380186)

This post was edited by zeitgast on Sun, Dec 29, 13 at 11:39