I agree...the shutters are too dark and should be painted white and the house should be pressure washed. Once you have this done, then pick a color for the door in the red to red-orange color. If you are not one big on gardening, a couple of large planters (pots at least 18" dia) should be placed on each side of the walk just in front of the blooming bushes (which appear to be spring bloomers and wil be non-blooming soon). Be sure to trim back the bushes to get them off the sidewalk and
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back a little for a pot. It is easy to walk from the kitchen out the front door to frequently water a couple of pots. It will make a BIG difference.
I would paint the shutters a classic black and the door a teal with a bit of gray undertone, light but not too bright. Make sure you paint the trim around the small windows on your door white. Also paint the lower part of the downspout to blend in with the color of the brick. Here's a quick overlay on your pic of what it might look like. (Colors may be off depending on monitor, but hopefully you'll get a little bit of an idea.) Sherwin Williams has a pretty color called Lakeshore.6494. Or
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Great Falls 6495 if you want to go darker. If you want something brighter, look at Cruising 6782.
The house cries out to be noticed. I would suggest soft gray shutters and a vibrant red door. Just a thought, but maybe remove the bushes and replace with flowers that will bloom bright against the brick? There are so many options that will work. The best way to decide (for me anyway) is to drive down my street, clear my mind, and drive by my home from a strangers point of view and see what looks like it's missing. You know, like when you drive by someone's home and think, " If they would
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just put...their house would look incredible!"....that kind of thing works really well.
Like your idea of black shutters. I do not know if I could go that bold of a color on the door. I have removed all the bushes and have small evergreens. This is an old picture of the house since I did the new landscaping. The grass is some kind of grass that needs little water, grow slowly, and takes awhile to green up in the spring. Thanks for your ideas.
Susan, I hope you'll post an update once you get your painting done. I'm still rooting for the teal- go with a greyed down version if it's too bright for you. :)
Sometimes I'll mix up some of my acrylic craft paints until I get the color I want, then take that to be color matched.
I agree with others, I'd curve beds from the front of the house down to the sidewalk with a wave on both sides and plant some flowers and low shrubs to negate all the straight lines. It would soften everything and give color as well. I love the black shutters and teal door color combo. Very pretty. Post finished pics!
Thanks for all your ideas......I like home talk. I am estimates for my roof right now. Have 2 for about 6 grand and one for 7.6 grand. Checked out companies, all seem pretty good.....All I know is $$$$$$. But Ihave to take care of my little house. Its in good city, neighborhood, schools and its paid for!
Why would you put on slate? There are many high quality asphalt roofs that will last 50 plus years and not cost as much and look almost the same. Have you looked into those? You may be putting way to much value into the roof and even if you did decide to move you would never get your money back. Besides Slate roofs require yearly service. And that is something you do not want to have as you get older. Slate these days is nothing like the slate mined many years ago and its simply not worth the cost or expense.
I was also curious as to why you are going slate. There are really good looking asphalt shingles on the market that look fantastic and last for a very long time. We had slate and I was not impressed with how poorly they held up. If it is just a personal desire than by all means follow your heart, but if it is for durability, I do not think anyone would be happy with slate.
I'm with these guys- use a nice architectural shingle. Spend the money on a covered entry instead- a gabled roof over the front door would break up the roofline and add a little interest, though I have no idea how much that would cost.
Susan Y, your home needs trees/plants and some with color. At least one tree and then some plants. That will make a big difference in the look of the entire yard. After that you can think about the door.
Paint the Brick White Washed with a hint of the old brick shining through. Or paint the shutters and door on the house a nice shade of deep green or brown a shade close to nature colors..And plant some trees,bushes,and flowers in the yard.Maybe a small water fall and a white fence to make everyone feel welcomed when they walk up to your home.If you own your home,please do make it your own.Make it be a reflection of your personality.
Sometimes I'll mix up some of my acrylic craft paints until I get the color I want, then take that to be color matched.