Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Project Curb Appeal

You've probably already guessed that a top priority is to improve the curb appeal of the Bungalow. It might not look like much now, but there's real potential here!  We have lots of options, but need to figure out what makes the most sense.  So we've identified a couple of goals we're trying to achieve, while balancing some limitations.

1)  Add architectural interest - BUT we can't add any sort of porch that would touch the ground, because that would violate city setback requirements.

2)  Pick a new color for siding that ties to Craftsman ideals (natural color palette - greens, browns, golds, etc), but still ties in the pale yellow/almond of the garage and back of house.

3)  Replace the front door with something more interesting.

So, with that in mind, I sketched up lots of options, to try and figure out what we would like the best.  
Starting Point
Option 1
Option 2




Option 3

And after weighing all the pros and cons (i.e. structural feasibility - yeah, the guys were kind of insistent about that - angle orientation - etc), we chose Option 3.  It lets us create an overhang above the front door to keep guests dry, while adding some Craftsman architectural interest with exposed rafter tails and custom support brackets.  We can also highlight the wonderful enclosed porch, by using the siding colors from the garage to set it off, distinct from the rest of the house.

And you see that white rectangle to the right of the front door?  I've ordered a custom-made house number out of copper/bronze in a Craftsman style font.  I'm so excited about it!  Can't wait till it gets here!

With that decision made, we needed some better weather!   We were anxious to get started on Project Curb Appeal.  So, on the first semi-warm day, the guys started phase 1: Porch Overhang.  They quickly stripped off the old shingles and started building.

Kyle got to load test the new roof, as he swung back and forth on the support beam!

And they got it finished just in time - because winter decided to return with lots of fresh snow (as a reminder, we started this project in January)!  It looks like the rest of the updates will have to wait for some thawing!


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6 comments:

  1. Laurel,
    Don't know why I ever question your decision. I chose #2 then saw your choice in the next picture. You win again! I think seeing only one dimensional thew me off.
    Can not wait to see what else you have up your sleeve.
    Denise

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    1. I really liked #2 as well, but the angles didn't work quite as well in reality.....and the guys weren't sure how we could build it out to give the 3 dimensional look I was going for!

      Laurel

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  2. Too bad you can't put a proper porch and deck on the front. But the overhang looks appropriate and helps already. Nice to see the worn out exterior come back to life.

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  3. Couldn't you have built the overhang across the entire front? Maybe there was a city ordinance that prohibited it...but I think it would have been swell :-)

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  4. I really like the design solution you created for an awkward enclosed porch. Option 2 might have worked if you had the budget and room to expand the front stoop and stairs and it was made a bit wider to accommodate the support brackets. But if you did that, you might as well build a porch!

    The total lack of roof overhang makes me think that this is a minimal traditional from the 1930s, not a Craftsman. But the added Craftsman details work well without taking it too far.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! This house was certainly not a Craftsman. It doesn't have the overhangs or any other details. We we tried to add a little Craftsman styling, without breaking any of the zoning rules!

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