I'd call it an arched A-frame house, and I think it's great. I'll come back to have a think about what you might do, being called elsewhere.

The style to me draws from a Quonset hut used in military and farm buildings because of the ease in modular construction. Assuming you would prefer to enjoy the beautiful lake setting rather then take on a complete renovation so I would focus on a few simple things like enclosing the under side of the porch for storage, rocking chairs to relax on the porch for your weekends at the lake and fragrant landscaping to greet you when you come up the stairs. Enjoy!

Embrace the style! Rina's workup is exactly the right direction to go in--paint and landscaping. New landscaping will soften the lines of the house and connect the house to the setting. Remove the shutters, which look a bit silly. Paint the trim the same color as the roof, assuming you paint it. Add a couple colorful Adirondack chairs--green or cobalt and a cool light--like these only bigger.

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If you want advice on the interior, start a new thread with some photos.

PS: This popped up when I Googled: Quonset Hut Pinterest. If you keep the metal roof, you could just paint the façade and trim in modernist colors. The thing to avoid is "prettifying" it. One Quonset hut shown in that search has French doors, etc. Just say no. The house is great! Love it for what it is.

Some people like their homes to melt into the trees, like this painted green one does. Some like sky and water blues. I think you need contrast to show off the rounded A frame. I would like to see it without the shutters, blue with sharp white trim. You need contrast to show of the round A frame. Skirting below the deck and wire cable for the deck sides to keep a clear view of the water while sitting. Four gooseneck lights in a galvanized metal finish, a pair flanking the patio door and one on the outside of each lower window. Re-stain to freshen up the deck.

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by the way, quonset huts got named that, as they were 'invented' in Quonset Point, RI, at the naval air station there. it's a native american place name. not too far from our summer house.

Interesting thread...

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I love the gray and white colors of your home. The only update I can think of, would be to change out the heavy brown deck rails to a lighter looking, more modern, metallic railing, such as a cable rail or metal grate type rail.

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I think adding as much glass to the one wall would be a plus.

Wow, thanks for the great suggestions. I love the term Arched A Frame, that sounds much better than Quonset Hut. I've been told in the past that as it comes to a point at the top, it's very specifically not a Quonset Home, as that is specially a construction type that is a simple half circle structure. But I long ago got tired of saying "It's not a Quonset Hut!" and we often refer to it as the Quonset House (even though it's not!).

I love the suggestion and pics of enclosing under the deck, that will be fairly easy and inexpensive and looks great, it's on the list.

Also the love the suggestion of stainless cable railing to open it up.

i'm stuck with the off white roof as it's in good shape and will last probably another 20- 30 years and sheds the snow very well.

I love the blue color suggestions as it would easily work with the almost white roof..

The gooseneck lights is an awesome idea if we re-side, the wiring would be difficult if not as the interior is cedar tongue and groove.

And of course I love the idea of more windows, we have long grey winters, it would be fantastic but for budget constraints. What about making the lower windows go much closer to the bottom (more glass but using the same header framing) and adding a window between the upper 2 windows???

Thanks everyone!!!!!

Sadly on the landscaping ideas, we are in a game preserve which as resulted in an over-population of semi tame dear that eat absolutely anything with a leaf, even species that deer are not supposed to eat. So any leafy plants need to be behind an ugly deer fence.

We live in BC and that style of building is called a "Gothic Arch" around here. Based on an "A-frame" style but pudgier to add more interior space.

Fitzanthony, I was musing a while back on whether you could take those bottom floor windows down much further. More modern, more interior light. Okay, let's see. Forgive me, I have only a moment, so I've just tried to expand the ones on the left. For me, it works.

I agree, not quite a Quonset hut -- though I do like some of those I've researched.

Fiddle dee dee on not being able to redo the roof. Sigh.

I wonder if you installed a horizontal trim board on the outside to run the wiring behind in a 'channel' for more lighting? Ask an electrician? Beefing up the existing trim wouldn't hurt either.

That is so cool Rina, what program do you use for your changes on the picture? I really like the bigger windows. Do you have any thoughts on the upper windows? My thought was to keep the framing on the two existing upper windows, but put a big window in between them, with the existing two having a grid and the middle one being one large pane, sort of like a main window with side windows. Would it be too much? The inside front is open floor to ceiling.

I'm not sure what you are envisaging as the "grid" on the side windows, but I do think you are on to something ... oh yes. I had assumed of course that the top two windows faced into separate rooms. Not sure if you want the three 'upstairs' windows to touch?

I don't use anything fancy -- an old version of Microsoft Paint. It does the job for most things, though not as efficiently as the more sophisticated software would.

Funny that you bring up power washing the roof, we did that last summer, it looks much better.

Thanks Rina, that is so cool, looks much more like a cherry vacation type home with all that glass.

hey, GothQuon could start a whole new architectural movement!

GothQuon it is!

GothQuon is perfect.

i've never felt so brilliant in my life. i should put it on my cv.

Indeed you should.

Having spent my formative college years in a quonset hut--actually half a quonset hut--that had been WWII barracks, I can guarantee that his is no quonset hut. ;-)

I might just match the window casings to the rail to give it a bit more of the cabin feel.

I'm sorry, but still see 'eyes' in the top windows [I'm goofy visually, etc....] -

is there no way to add another line / horizontal feature across top of bottom windows.... idk!!

Or a material that adds a leaf green - to outside of all lowers....

or a green on the entire front? Would prevent brown eyes from popping out [at me only?]

Everdebz, it's waiting for you out there in the forest ...... he he he.

I have always thought it looked like eyes, we darkened the shutters to help, but that goes back to my earlier question, how about a big window between the eye windows, so its like a big window with side windows, as well as the larger lower windows that Rina has added. Rina did a rendition of it earlier, I kind of like it. What about shingles up in the point?

Groveraxle, can you add a window filling in between the eyes?

Assuming extra window works fine inside, yes?

how about corrugated metal [eyelashes]?!!

Me - I like the bottom with a 'focal' picture-type window, that varies in size from the others.

I agree, I like the look of the bigger window.

I should've shown this version, too:

3 equal windows, (still touching) in the top would look more modern.

Thanks so much, the larger one in the center is much preferable from a cost standpoint, leaving the framing from the two existing windows and framing in the new center one.

You could modernize your out door railings by upgrading to stainless steel or glass, check out these projects. Either one of these railings opens up the outside of your home as well as any views that you may get from your porch/deck.

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