Hello, just curious if someone could tell me what style my house is. Also, what if anything would you add to give it a little more character that wouldn't feel out of place with this style (shutters, etc.) I obviously don't have an eye for this so didn't want to put in a bunch of work or money and have it look pieced together. Sorry about the poor photo.
Thanks!
poop876
May 9, 18 8:09 pm
Which trailer are you referring to?
Non Sequitur
May 9, 18 8:28 pm
Style?
An abortion clinic in mormon country has more charm than this.
Miles Jaffe
May 9, 18 9:17 pm
Paint it pink.
No, really. HOT pink, bright magenta. The roof, too.
If you really want to be stylish, paint your car to match and get a suit in the same color. You will easily be the most stylish person within 100 miles.
It's your basic ranch house, complete with 45-degree-angled garage. A quiet classic. Don't mess it up; just paint it a nice color and call it a day.
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 11:59 am
Thanks, any color suggestions?
citizen
May 10, 18 12:14 pm
Yes. The color you like best.
OneLostArchitect
May 9, 18 10:39 pm
Stormy Daniels style.
Wilma Buttfit
May 9, 18 11:03 pm
Landscaping, my friend.
Wilma Buttfit
May 9, 18 11:04 pm
And ranch - which just means 1 story and elongated footprint.
Donna Sink
May 9, 18 11:47 pm
Paint it all one color. Install good landscaping. And don't take any advice from anyone who is giving it away for free.
Miles Jaffe
May 10, 18 9:52 am
In other words, don't paint it all one color or install good landscaping.
Donna Sink
May 10, 18 1:31 pm
That's exactly what I meant, Miles. Or was it?
randomised
May 10, 18 1:34 am
If it is your house and you have an internet connection surely you could go out and take some more/better pictures.
randomised
May 10, 18 4:09 am
To post them here obviously, because it seems (as is mostly the case with these kinds of requests) to be a realtor asking for blurbs to put in their marketing brochure. I can snap tons of pictures of my home and put them online in a jiffy, but if it is a far away longtime unsold property in your portfolio and you sit behind your desk at a real estate agency, different story.
Wilma Buttfit
May 10, 18 9:15 am
Realtors make a lot of money for all that hard work, yo!
Thayer-D
May 10, 18 5:42 am
What style do you want it to be?
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 11:56 am
It's in a high desert farming community. The house is on 15 acres, just natural vegetation (sage) except for a 1/4ac lavender field we just put in. I just got the place and felt the exterior needed some help. Any ideas?
Thayer-D
May 10, 18 1:13 pm
If it's hot and dry and you don't need more square footage, you could make the front porch a white stuccoed arcade, giving it a bit of mission style. Or as many said, paint it one color and bring out the mid century modern look with more glass and a funky porch redo, something do-woop maybe.
Volunteer
May 10, 18 7:49 am
The house is so plain it can be pretty much be whatever you want it to be in the hands of a good architect. The starter el cheapo route would be to paint it a lighter color (cream?) to blend in with the white trim. There is no cheap route for the landscaping, though. (I've seen 7-11 stores with less parking. What's with that?)
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 11:49 am
Tell me about it. Seems like the last owner was a prepper, so my best guess is that it's a muster point for the local militia. Thanks for the comment.
Non Sequitur
May 10, 18 12:09 pm
Local militia? Fuck you guys down south are messed up.
won and done williams
May 10, 18 9:13 am
It's actually quite perfect the way it is. You are a lucky man to own your own home under such an amazing blue sky.
JLC-1
May 10, 18 10:37 am
4 car garage, lots of space to park rv's. that's the style.
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 11:46 am
Nope, not a realtor. Just got the place and I've never really seen a house laid out like this so thought I'd ask the experts to see if they had any ideas.
Yes, landscaping has started. Mainly curious if it would benefit from any trim or shutters around the windows/door. Also, the big four car garage seems to dominate the house as you come up the drive so if you have any thoughts on that?
Thanks for the comments. The sh*t-talking ones were pretty lame, except the "which trailer" -that was good.
Chris
Non Sequitur
May 10, 18 11:49 am
Fire would be an improvement.
senjohnblutarsky
May 10, 18 11:54 am
Looks pretty ranchy to me. Three bedrooms, 1 free standing bath, one bath attached to the master all on one end; living room, kitchen, dining on the other? Center hallway. It's a fine house. Paint it however you want. You can't really do much to harm it. You could add some real shutters for window shading and an aesthetic change. Fake
shutters are the devil. Don't you dare use them.
senjohnblutarsky
May 10, 18 11:55 am
I would not continue the trend of painting the foundation walls the same color as the house. (I wouldn't have painted them to start with)
randomised
May 10, 18 1:41 pm
"Nope, not a realtor."
:)
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 12:13 pm
Thanks. Yes, that's the layout. The house came painted this way but curious why you wouldn't paint the foundation to match? The look of raw concrete block doesn't sound that appealing.
randomised
May 10, 18 1:48 pm
I personally love the look of raw concrete blocks.
Wood Guy
May 10, 18 12:15 pm
I did this with a similar ranch. Clear red cedar siding, anodized aluminum windows and garage door. For less cost just paint it all black. Don't use shutters.
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 12:28 pm
Beautiful. My place does need siding but it will be a bit before it's in the budget so it's paint for now. Thanks
JLC-1
May 10, 18 1:24 pm
Yes to the black (or really dark gray-blue) for a cheap improvement. Paint the roof edge and trim a tone lighter.
randomised
May 10, 18 1:42 pm
Vantablack?
JonathanLivingston
May 10, 18 2:18 pm
Painting it all dark was my first thought too, Second thought, clad the columns in wood, build the front porch with a nice warm clear stained cedar. Replace the garage doors with something that has translucent glass panels, more modern. Rework the driveway, give yourself a round about and plant a large tree in the center to help block the garage visually and give the house something to grasp with the off axis garage.
Non Sequitur
May 10, 18 2:26 pm
No snow to plow I assume.
Wood Guy
May 10, 18 2:31 pm
Non, on my project or the OP's? Mine is in Maine but we needed to buy permeable lot coverage for a new pool. They have the driveway cleared with a snowblower. The courtyard has heat cables.
JonathanLivingston
May 10, 18 2:32 pm
Oh desert, yeah you could achieve the same thing going white. WHITE ON WHITE. Think modern farm house style meets midcentury ranch.
Non Sequitur
May 10, 18 2:36 pm
Wood-Guy, thanks for the clarification. Yeah, I was referring to your example. That's dedication to maintain that nice drive lane in winter.
Wood Guy
May 10, 18 2:40 pm
They really wanted the pool, and it's a tight coastal lot. They did not go into it uninformed. There may or may not have been talk about likely paving it someday in the future, once inspections were done. I just drove by recently and it's still there after 4+ years and in surprisingly good shape.
JonathanLivingston
May 10, 18 2:51 pm
Could you do radiant heating under those permeable pavers? melt the two tracks? just curious, we did this a lot for homes in Colorado not sure how that would work with actually planting it.
Wood Guy
May 10, 18 3:09 pm
Jonathan, I'm sure that could work, especially if there was a layer of foam below, and as I recall it was discussed but this was already an expensive renovation and toward the end they started putting the brakes on some extravagances. I'm honestly surprised they haven't paved over the permeable pavers yet.
Volunteer
May 10, 18 12:39 pm
Well it doesn't have 14 gables so you are ahead of the McMansion crowd and it has a porch for visitors to ring your doorbell and not get soaked so you are ahead of about half the modernists. The place seems to have a Spanish Colonial vibe. Some architects can blend that style with modern elements to make an attractive house. The xeriscape landscaping should be attractive and minimum cost. Hide the foundation with plants.
Wilma Buttfit
May 10, 18 1:01 pm
Agreed. My yard is all xeriscaped but lush with succulents, no gravel. And painting the house a lighter color will help reduce solar heat gain. Pop some skylights in it if the interior is dark. Now we are being helpful.
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 1:17 pm
Thanks, we're in a drought area so xeriscaping seems perfect. As far as adding modern elements, I found this on This Old House. Seems like a similar style and gable and eyebrow adds some interest, what do you think? I have to redo the roof anyway this summer so might be a good time to do it.
JLC-1
May 10, 18 1:25 pm
Yeah, No, don't ever put MORE lipstick on a monkey.
Wood Guy
May 10, 18 1:33 pm
A ranch is a ranch, and a colonial is a colonial. When you mix the two you like this you get a mess. There are a few improvements here compared to the "before" version but the columns and eyebrow dormer are gag-worthy. You should consider hiring an architect or professional designer.
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 1:41 pm
Fair enough, can you point me to any examples of "painting it all black". I did a search but didn't come up with much that were a similar style home. And do you mean "all" as in doors and trim? Thanks.
randomised
May 10, 18 1:49 pm
If you redo the roof, do it with solar panels.
JLC-1
May 10, 18 1:51 pm
Not ALL black.
Wood Guy
May 10, 18 1:52 pm
Chris, this site is really meant for architects and designers to talk amongst ourselves. If you don't want to hire professional help--getting paid to help with questions like this is how we make our livings--you should check out homeowner-friendly sites like houzz.com or pinterest. Or try searching google images with various related search terms. Good luck with your project.
Miles Jaffe
May 10, 18 2:06 pm
Painting a desert house black is not a great idea.
Non Sequitur
May 10, 18 2:07 pm
It's dark grey, so it's fine.
Wood Guy
May 10, 18 2:15 pm
I had missed the fact that it's in the desert. Hot pink it is, then. (Though the SRI of hot pink is probably on the low side, and high desert isn't always hot...)
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 2:19 pm
Thanks, I tried some of the "homeowner friendly" sites but didn'
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 2:38 pm
Thanks, I tried some of the "homeowner friendly" sites but didn't get anything intelligent (that's where I got the referral on the before/after above). I've learned more here in a day than a week on google, Thanks guys!
ChrisNV
May 10, 18 1:17 pm
The before.
Donna Sink
May 10, 18 1:36 pm
You guys, I'm shocked. This conversation has been unbelievably civil, neutral, even helpful? WTF, are we losing our bourbon-fueled acerbic edge and gloomy outlook about giving away free work? Is everyone so flush with clients right now that we're happily handing out advice like we haven't spent tens of thousands of dollars on education and over three decades in the discipline honing our skills?!?
(^read the above being mindful of my former comment about free advice on the internet. Am I serious? Or is that my alter ego talking? Or is this?)
Non Sequitur
May 10, 18 1:59 pm
I don't know... JLC's lipstick on a monkey kinda takes the prize here.
Miles Jaffe
May 10, 18 2:11 pm
There was something refreshingly honest about the OP's post. No hidden agendas, no obvious end runs around someone he had already hired, no Fivver or craigslist, etc. I think it's such a relief to see that everyone here (well, almost everyone) is just happy to engage.
He seems to realize that he's walked into a clubby bar and isn't taking it too seriously. Kudos to him, and a nice change for us.
Donna Sink
May 10, 18 3:29 pm
You're right Miles. He seems chill. And no indignantly admonishing anyone for comments like "it looks like an abortion clinic" which IMO went a little far.
Non Sequitur
May 10, 18 4:10 pm
I'll admit fault to that one Donna... there is anti-abortion rally throughout downtown here all day today and it's a pretty big deal dumb deal all week.
Donna Sink
May 10, 18 4:36 pm
LOL I didn't even notice that was you, NonSeq! But yes, anti-abortion rallies can make one cranky. Very, very cranky.
Non Sequitur
May 10, 18 5:20 pm
They empty the schools and run their parade of ignorance right down my office's street. I've been hiding (not really... deadline work) waiting for the crowds to disperse so I can go home.
senjohnblutarsky
May 10, 18 1:46 pm
Your house looks better than either of those.
If you insist on drastic change, you could get rid of the spindly porch columns. This is not a suggestion to go for the ugly faux greek columns the yellow house is showing. You could go with something like (but not an exact replication of) this:
It's still a basic square wood column. But the doubling gives you a wider look. Adding the base shortens the column, reducing the slender look.
Unless things on the yellow house were altered, the ceiling height on that porch is about 6'-10".
Hello, just curious if someone could tell me what style my house is. Also, what if anything would you add to give it a little more character that wouldn't feel out of place with this style (shutters, etc.) I obviously don't have an eye for this so didn't want to put in a bunch of work or money and have it look pieced together. Sorry about the poor photo.
Thanks!
Which trailer are you referring to?
Style?
An abortion clinic in mormon country has more charm than this.
Paint it pink.
No, really. HOT pink, bright magenta. The roof, too.
If you really want to be stylish, paint your car to match and get a suit in the same color. You will easily be the most stylish person within 100 miles.
You guys are too funny!
I'm dead serious.
It's your basic ranch house, complete with 45-degree-angled garage. A quiet classic. Don't mess it up; just paint it a nice color and call it a day.
Thanks, any color suggestions?
Yes. The color you like best.
Stormy Daniels style.
Landscaping, my friend.
And ranch - which just means 1 story and elongated footprint.
Paint it all one color. Install good landscaping. And don't take any advice from anyone who is giving it away for free.
In other words, don't paint it all one color or install good landscaping.
That's exactly what I meant, Miles. Or was it?
If it is your house and you have an internet connection surely you could go out and take some more/better pictures.
To post them here obviously, because it seems (as is mostly the case with these kinds of requests) to be a realtor asking for blurbs to put in their marketing brochure. I can snap tons of pictures of my home and put them online in a jiffy, but if it is a far away longtime unsold property in your portfolio and you sit behind your desk at a real estate agency, different story.
Realtors make a lot of money for all that hard work, yo!
What style do you want it to be?
It's in a high desert farming community. The house is on 15 acres, just natural vegetation (sage) except for a 1/4ac lavender field we just put in. I just got the place and felt the exterior needed some help. Any ideas?
If it's hot and dry and you don't need more square footage, you could make the front porch a white stuccoed arcade, giving it a bit of mission style. Or as many said, paint it one color and bring out the mid century modern look with more glass and a funky porch redo, something do-woop maybe.
The house is so plain it can be pretty much be whatever you want it to be in the hands of a good architect. The starter el cheapo route would be to paint it a lighter color (cream?) to blend in with the white trim. There is no cheap route for the landscaping, though. (I've seen 7-11 stores with less parking. What's with that?)
Tell me about it. Seems like the last owner was a prepper, so my best guess is that it's a muster point for the local militia. Thanks for the comment.
Local militia? Fuck you guys down south are messed up.
It's actually quite perfect the way it is. You are a lucky man to own your own home under such an amazing blue sky.
4 car garage, lots of space to park rv's. that's the style.
Nope, not a realtor. Just got the place and I've never really seen a house laid out like this so thought I'd ask the experts to see if they had any ideas.
Yes, landscaping has started. Mainly curious if it would benefit from any trim or shutters around the windows/door. Also, the big four car garage seems to dominate the house as you come up the drive so if you have any thoughts on that?
Thanks for the comments. The sh*t-talking ones were pretty lame, except the "which trailer" -that was good.
Chris
Fire would be an improvement.
Looks pretty ranchy to me. Three bedrooms, 1 free standing bath, one bath attached to the master all on one end; living room, kitchen, dining on the other? Center hallway. It's a fine house. Paint it however you want. You can't really do much to harm it. You could add some real shutters for window shading and an aesthetic change. Fake shutters are the devil. Don't you dare use them.
I would not continue the trend of painting the foundation walls the same color as the house. (I wouldn't have painted them to start with)
"Nope, not a realtor."
:)
Thanks. Yes, that's the layout. The house came painted this way but curious why you wouldn't paint the foundation to match? The look of raw concrete block doesn't sound that appealing.
I personally love the look of raw concrete blocks.
I did this with a similar ranch. Clear red cedar siding, anodized aluminum windows and garage door. For less cost just paint it all black. Don't use shutters.
Beautiful. My place does need siding but it will be a bit before it's in the budget so it's paint for now. Thanks
Yes to the black (or really dark gray-blue) for a cheap improvement. Paint the roof edge and trim a tone lighter.
Vantablack?
Painting it all dark was my first thought too, Second thought, clad the columns in wood, build the front porch with a nice warm clear stained cedar. Replace the garage doors with something that has translucent glass panels, more modern. Rework the driveway, give yourself a round about and plant a large tree in the center to help block the garage visually and give the house something to grasp with the off axis garage.
No snow to plow I assume.
Non, on my project or the OP's? Mine is in Maine but we needed to buy permeable lot coverage for a new pool. They have the driveway cleared with a snowblower. The courtyard has heat cables.
Oh desert, yeah you could achieve the same thing going white. WHITE ON WHITE. Think modern farm house style meets midcentury ranch.
Wood-Guy, thanks for the clarification. Yeah, I was referring to your example. That's dedication to maintain that nice drive lane in winter.
They really wanted the pool, and it's a tight coastal lot. They did not go into it uninformed. There may or may not have been talk about likely paving it someday in the future, once inspections were done. I just drove by recently and it's still there after 4+ years and in surprisingly good shape.
Could you do radiant heating under those permeable pavers? melt the two tracks? just curious, we did this a lot for homes in Colorado not sure how that would work with actually planting it.
Jonathan, I'm sure that could work, especially if there was a layer of foam below, and as I recall it was discussed but this was already an expensive renovation and toward the end they started putting the brakes on some extravagances. I'm honestly surprised they haven't paved over the permeable pavers yet.
Well it doesn't have 14 gables so you are ahead of the McMansion crowd and it has a porch for visitors to ring your doorbell and not get soaked so you are ahead of about half the modernists. The place seems to have a Spanish Colonial vibe. Some architects can blend that style with modern elements to make an attractive house. The xeriscape landscaping should be attractive and minimum cost. Hide the foundation with plants.
Agreed. My yard is all xeriscaped but lush with succulents, no gravel. And painting the house a lighter color will help reduce solar heat gain. Pop some skylights in it if the interior is dark. Now we are being helpful.
Thanks, we're in a drought area so xeriscaping seems perfect. As far as adding modern elements, I found this on This Old House. Seems like a similar style and gable and eyebrow adds some interest, what do you think? I have to redo the roof anyway this summer so might be a good time to do it.
Yeah, No, don't ever put MORE lipstick on a monkey.
A ranch is a ranch, and a colonial is a colonial. When you mix the two you like this you get a mess. There are a few improvements here compared to the "before" version but the columns and eyebrow dormer are gag-worthy. You should consider hiring an architect or professional designer.
Fair enough, can you point me to any examples of "painting it all black". I did a search but didn't come up with much that were a similar style home. And do you mean "all" as in doors and trim? Thanks.
If you redo the roof, do it with solar panels.
Not ALL black.
Chris, this site is really meant for architects and designers to talk amongst ourselves. If you don't want to hire professional help--getting paid to help with questions like this is how we make our livings--you should check out homeowner-friendly sites like houzz.com or pinterest. Or try searching google images with various related search terms. Good luck with your project.
Painting a desert house black is not a great idea.
It's dark grey, so it's fine.
I had missed the fact that it's in the desert. Hot pink it is, then. (Though the SRI of hot pink is probably on the low side, and high desert isn't always hot...)
Thanks, I tried some of the "homeowner friendly" sites but didn'
Thanks, I tried some of the "homeowner friendly" sites but didn't get anything intelligent (that's where I got the referral on the before/after above). I've learned more here in a day than a week on google, Thanks guys!
The before.
You guys, I'm shocked. This conversation has been unbelievably civil, neutral, even helpful? WTF, are we losing our bourbon-fueled acerbic edge and gloomy outlook about giving away free work? Is everyone so flush with clients right now that we're happily handing out advice like we haven't spent tens of thousands of dollars on education and over three decades in the discipline honing our skills?!?
(^read the above being mindful of my former comment about free advice on the internet. Am I serious? Or is that my alter ego talking? Or is this?)
I don't know... JLC's lipstick on a monkey kinda takes the prize here.
There was something refreshingly honest about the OP's post. No hidden agendas, no obvious end runs around someone he had already hired, no Fivver or craigslist, etc. I think it's such a relief to see that everyone here (well, almost everyone) is just happy to engage.
He seems to realize that he's walked into a clubby bar and isn't taking it too seriously. Kudos to him, and a nice change for us.
You're right Miles. He seems chill. And no indignantly admonishing anyone for comments like "it looks like an abortion clinic" which IMO went a little far.
I'll admit fault to that one Donna... there is anti-abortion rally throughout downtown here all day today and it's a pretty big deal dumb deal all week.
LOL I didn't even notice that was you, NonSeq! But yes, anti-abortion rallies can make one cranky. Very, very cranky.
They empty the schools and run their parade of ignorance right down my office's street. I've been hiding (not really... deadline work) waiting for the crowds to disperse so I can go home.
Your house looks better than either of those.
If you insist on drastic change, you could get rid of the spindly porch columns. This is not a suggestion to go for the ugly faux greek columns the yellow house is showing. You could go with something like (but not an exact replication of) this:
It's still a basic square wood column. But the doubling gives you a wider look. Adding the base shortens the column, reducing the slender look.
Unless things on the yellow house were altered, the ceiling height on that porch is about 6'-10".