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Larry_MN Joined: 04 May 2009 Posts: 1	Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 8:40 pm    Post subject: Ideas for ugly house We need to do something to increase the “curb appeal” of our house. Our home was built in 1962 with the full attention to the backyard to take advantage of the views of the Mississippi River. The home was designed such that all rooms have a view towards the back. The main hallway is in the front of the house and is lined with closets. If there were windows, they would be in a closet or the garage. We were thinking about adding something to break up the big gray expanse such as a pergola or covered porch. However, I am not sure if this would just look like a band-aid on an already funny looking house. Maybe it just needs some color, or other design elements to give the home some style rather than just drab. I am looking for some design ideas for the front of the house to increase its attractiveness. Any input would be appreciated. Some design criteria: 1. We like to sit out front to watch the kids play in the driveway, so whatever we do we want to incorporate some sort of sitting area for 4 chairs. 2. The driveway will be removed and replaced with a larger one to increase our parking area as I now have to park off to the right on the dirt to keep the path to the garage clear. We were thinking about also paving the area on the street side of the garage to add another parking spot for another car and camping trailer. Again, I would appreciate any ideas of anything that comes to mind. Thanks, Larry    Filesize:  68.06 KB  Filename:  Survey.JPG  Viewed:  77 Time(s)    Filesize:  102.17 KB  Filename:  House picture.JPG  Viewed:  77 Time(s)
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phansford Joined: 18 Apr 2004 Posts: 829 Location: SW Ohio	Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 7:29 am    Post subject: Larry - I think if you focus on a design issue, such as creating a sense of entry or arrival, you can begin to generate some design ideas. Your desire to create a living/play area in the front of the house can be used to this advantage. You might actually get more design mileage contracting with a landscape architect..... try to stay away from someone associated with a garden center..... they are typically more interesting in selling plant materials (they typically are paid a commission). Find a landscape architect who has residential experience. They will typically work in a smaller office or even independently. Architecturally, you might also consider material changes to the building to add texture and break down the mass of the blank walls. The pergola is a good idea also if it connects from a new parking area to the entry. Good luck. I sure the views to the back of the house are spectacular.
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JWmHarmon Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Posts: 126 Location: Ohio	Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 6:56 am    Post subject: Pergola and patio idea There are many options for changing the appearance of the facade of your home. One of the elements that could be improved is the very large, blank wall. One possibility would be to add a pergola to the right side of this large wall space. The rafters of the pergola could match the slope of the garage roof and extend from 5 to 10 feet out from the wall, depending on how much space is needed for car access to the garage. You could install a patio area of pavers that could be the same or larger than the overhead pergola rafters. It could be on ground level and incorporate part of the driveway or it could be raised a step or two. Another decorative item that would break up the vertical plane would be the addition of a horizontal board extending from the top of the doorway to the pergola. An added parking area in front of the garage could be screened with bushes in front of it. This might be more attractive from the street view than seeing the camper. _________________ When building or manufacturing always ask, "How will we recycle that?" - JWmHarmon
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