Ugliest house on the street

9 years ago

Hate my veranda it's only big enough for two. Would love to tear it off and have a ground level patio with lots of seating. Don't want to reside the house so likely have to keep the veranda. What can be done to make this ugly house not so ugly.
Note: we are in a flood zone and had water to the second step two years ago.

Featured Answer

decoenthusiaste

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

The spindles are too high and too close together, the lattice underneath must go and the apron panel above it is not helping either. Since it is too narrow for seating many people anyway, I'd remove the railing and beef up the posts, close the steps so they look installed and not temporary.

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Comments (35)

sunnysideforever
Original Author
9 years ago
@decoenthusiaste I love your idea of beefing up the posts. I can't remove the railing though as the deck is 4' off the floor and it would not meet code.
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Interior Affairs -- Vickie Daeley
9 years ago
This home has so much potential! Be excited an how this will turn out! I would love to have it and I would have a great time doing this home!
sunnysideforever
Original Author
9 years ago
Ground not floor.
annawic
9 years ago
I think you should paint all the green trim white and then paint the door...maybe red or green...I think your veranda (down in the south we say porch) is charming. Also some.plants.in front would look nice.
sunnysideforever
Original Author
9 years ago
@annawic we have winter 8 months of the year hear. Lots of white snow. It will be green garden in front through July and August. Painting the door is a great idea!
jck910
9 years ago
I also think your house has potential. How about replacing the bow window with windows flat so that you are able to seat more people? Research the style of house for the appropriate window style and change the second floor windows also. I think double hung windows might work. Change the front door also. Paint the green trim the color of the siding because as much as I love white trim I don't think it would look good with the cream colored siding. Replace the stairs with closed ones (open looks terrible) and bring the angle out more so they are not so steep. Replace lattice with straight boards (don't know what it's called) because lattice just looks cheap and like you are trying to hide stuff. Some nice bushes and a door color you love would go a long way to showing the house's personality
pam h
9 years ago
I really like your house! I agree that more substantial posts would look nicer. Depending on your location, stone of brick steps and apron would immediately make the house feel more upscale and beautiful. On the spindles, I think they should be more substantial, but I be careful about eliminating any. 9 years ago, my now 12 year old was able to squeeze through ours and nearly had a nasty fall. Her grandmother had a carpenter there the next day- adding spindles.
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Design Construction Consulting
9 years ago
I agree the bow window is taking up too much real estate a few double hungs would fix that (don't use casements costly and they swing out) the supports could definately be beefed up. I am sure you can't expand the porch it is too close to the street. Good luck cute house.
n247080
9 years ago
Oh my, I disagree! You have a wonderful home! To make the front look more inviting, I agree, you need to have fewer spindles, larger support posts and a garden of roses wafting their scent up to persons on the porch! space for 2 is just fine. My guess is you have a back yard for when you want more folks to gather together! Why do you need to have a crowd on the front porch?
flopsycat1
9 years ago
Can you remove every other spindle and still meet code?
sandradclark
9 years ago
First off have your front stairs redone so they will have risers. Beef up the veranda posts by having them wrapped in cedar with wider boards (don't try to remove them ). Does the code in your area require such high railings? They are nicely spaced, but look very high. Do you have double paned windows? $ might be better spent there if you do not. Your treads & porch floor should be painted with floor paint & darker & your risers can be white or lighter. I'm sure your house is not the ugliest on the block. Just give it some more love.
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Barnlight Originals™
9 years ago
Try adding some fun barn lighting to your front porch! Take a look at all of the options we offer: https://www.barnlightoriginals.com/
apple_pie_order
9 years ago
It's a nice house. Do you have the budget to repaint in the spring? Lots of good ideas above. In the meantime, I'd suggest buying a new spring wreath with silk flowers for the front door and the door you use to enter if not the front door. Getting the jump on spring is just fine in February.
railrider
9 years ago
I am with the beef up the posts and proper stairs crowd but would add some nice chunky newel posts at he bottom of the steps also. and maybe a color on the front door so your attention is drawn right up the steps. You might try to camoflauge the lattice side with some evergreens. I had them in Wisconsin an they hid a multitude of sins. It would go along way to cleaning the excess of texture up on that side with the spindles and the apron and the lattice...
sunnysideforever
Original Author
9 years ago
Would getting rid of half the porch look funny?
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Steven W. Kirchoff
9 years ago
I think you have a very cute home with a lot of potential.
Please do not remove the covered front porch. It makes the house. It just needs a little tweeking.

-Tthe railing looks high. If more than 36" lower it.
-The spacing of the spindles are dictaded by code (4" o.c.) replace with turned spindels for a more traditional look.
-Put risers on the steps, don't leave them open.
-The 4x4 columns holding up the porch roof needs beefing up.

I could go on but I'm spending too much of your money.
Have fun with it.
paulinteriors
9 years ago
Paint the spindles to match the railings
Fix the stairs so they have risers
Add trim to the upper windows so they are two sets of two
Add similar trim below the railings on the porch where there is just siding
Landscaping!
psimko
9 years ago
I love your house - it's not ugly at all! Maybe all you need is a bit of shrubbery. Low cost with a huge impact. ;)
extremedani
9 years ago
Lots off good suggestions! Fresh paint does wonders. An easy trick to make the street view more cohesive is to is to use lined window tratments having all the lining match or have all the blinds match.
kathyjohnstonkathy
9 years ago
Am I a bit crazy? I'm getting a Victorian vibe looking at this house! I'm thinking add a third paint color on the trim (a purple or maroonish) and maybe on the top tier put some scalloped siding. The spindles could be painted in two colors to warm it up. I may be all wrong but in just feeling Victorian! Don't boo-hiss me!
L J
9 years ago
You could also widen or reposition the steps. What if you centered the steps on the window? If you have the space you could do graduated widths. Say one step down onto a deeper platform then step down to an even deeper and so forth.
hollyav
9 years ago
Get rid of the green and go either black or white on the trim and door. Risers on the steps, lower the railing.
hollyav
9 years ago
Similar window coverings on all windows, change and relocate the mailbox, tighten up your string of lights, put the wreath on the door, not the railing.
sue_vasco
9 years ago
I lived in a flood zone myself for many years and understand the need for the lattice and no risers on the stairs. Look and see if you can find square pattern lattice instead of the triangular pattern. Use that for the risers as well. You need to check building code requirements in your area for height of railing and spacing of spindles. Beef up your columns & change the second floor windows to dual pane double-hung. Taking out that bow window could end up costing a fortune depending on how it relates to the structure of the rest of the house. Window treatments should match in all windows (shutters maybe?). If it were my house, I would go with a three color paint job. I would paint it medium gray with lavender under tones all the way down to and including the lattice. The main trim - white. For punch, the secondary trim - a medium lavender. Front door - a two shades darker lavender. It's your house, have fun with it. For plantings, check with your local nursery to find plants adaptive to your area for year round color and summer pop. A few nice chairs and table (they don't have to be large, just comfortable) and maybe a few hanging plants for the porch. As I said, have fun with it. Can't wait to see what you decide on. Good luck!!!
Sandy
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have a couple of less expensive suggestions. Change out and paint or stain the lattice. There are a lot of options for this other than the traditional you have now. I would put some inexpensive, small flowering shrubs in front of the lattice. If the water comes back, you wouldn't be out a ton of money. I would change the bright green trim paint to something a little dustier or earthier. My expensive fix is to change out the upstairs windows to something more traditional and in keeping with the style of your bay window and the rest of your house. This probably would require not just new windows, but also new siding as you will probably change the size and shape of each. I have seen others on this feed suggest the porch spindles are too tall and too close together. My bet is that they are not original and they are closer and taller due to modern building code. Not much you can do about that. Beefier porch posts will balance that out a little.
sunnysideforever
Original Author
9 years ago
So we had a Chinook so I painted the door. It's a start.
tabelle70
9 years ago
Looks better already!
PRO
Rob's renovations
9 years ago
New railings and stairs,close the stairs in for more finished look
PRO
Rob's renovations
9 years ago
Replacement windows and wrap the trim around windows
A&R bought a ranch
9 years ago
The red front door makes such a difference. The house already feels more inviting. Things I noticed that would help and could be done over time.
- changing out the front porch light
- removing the siding directly below the porch and adding a cream colored square style lattice all the way up. Framing out the lattice so it looks like custom built panels.
- closed tread steps with an open area behind them.
- extending the length of the steps for a more southern style charm
- adding planter boxes off the railing with colorful flowers.
makaloco
9 years ago
Wow, I think it's a great house with a lot of character. The red door looks good. I wouldn't do more than add shrubbery and backing for the steps.
brickln
9 years ago
If you remove the porch,the roof above it shouldn't extend beyond the doorway. The only two things I would change are the stairs (do the finish work) and the trim (paint it a lighter color than the siding). The railings are high, but I assume it's a coding issue. You could cut them a bit shorter and run a second horizontal railing, above the deck or beneath the one you currently have.
sunnysideforever
Original Author
8 years ago
So this is what we accomplished.

Hail took the garden out but it will come back next year.
1beth58
8 years ago
Great improvement!