Ideas for siding our 40 year old bungalow

Question

Our home is very long, we want to reside it but want to add some interest so it does not look like a bowling alley. 
 Was wondering about brick somewhere???

Irish53 · Answer

Lots of color. Door can be a bright contrasting color.A different green or blue? Brick path to drive way to break up front lawn. If there is enough room to walk short flower boxes in front of windows for herbs. If not along the front of the walk way. Annual flowers to bring lots of colors. If you wanted to add brick to the front of the house I would only go part way up the house.

Country Design Home · Answer

Actually, I think your house is quite cute and has lots of potential-love the columns! The 'bowling alley' effect is because of the straight lines of the entire length of the front with no curves, not really the paint color. For an easy color add, I would put colorful shutters on either side of the large picture window to match the front door. Then I would extend the flower beds out on the right side of the door, border with raised stones or fieldstone and plant colorful flowers and shrubs. To balance that, I would add railings along the left side of the house between the columns (under two smaller windows) and create a porch area. Then build out the front step and add a walk way with flower beds on either side.

Ashley Freeman · Answer

Turn your siding vertical. It will make it look taller also.

Jean Thompson · Answer

You could add some more Real Wood to the Area around the Entrance all the way to the Corner of the House where the side walk ends.. applied Vertical and stain it so the wood Grain shows to show case the wood and the Front door, which you can paint a Bright Color. You could stain the Garage door to match ? to tie it in. and find a Really Nice Rustic looking Light for near the Front Door... You can paint the Storm door to match the inside door too....

Me · Answer

definitely try vertical siding. And break it all up with a strong contrast for trim, door and shutters.

Randy Smith · Answer

Maybe board and batten siding would lead your eye vertically, as opposed to the long look. A porch railing would break up the lines, also and add some interest., with corbels at the top of porch posts to give some character, as well.

Lindcurt · Answer

Your house just needs more horizontal and less vertical. Possibly adding the board and batten siding from the Southwest corner through to the North edge of the porch. Add railings around the south and East sides of the porch. Use some vertical evergreen(s) in a triangle bed at the corner where the sidewalk meets the driveway. Add some vertical landscape materials South of the porch, mixing evergreen and deciduous. Decorating the posts as Randy Smith suggested would indeed give some extra character.

Dianne · Answer

Listen to Sue @CountryDesign Home! She has it pegged! The only thing I would add, would be to do something about the garage door. You could add some faux panels to make it look as if it has a row of glass panels at the top, and paint it a contrasting color.

Patti · Answer

Do Something around your porch supports like this photo has! Lots of faux stone mounted on sheets 12' x 12' available at Lowe's and Home Depot. Just build a 'box' around the lower portion of support posts (all 3 of them) using a cement backer board and enclose the top, you could even fill the boxes with gravel/rocks and put a quick dry cement as the very top and smooth it out with a downward slope so water won't stand there; then apply the faux stone or brick in a color that complements the new roof shingle color. The 'stacked stone' that's so popular now would be beautiful and you don't have to grout it. Make sure you use a thin-set made for stone. It would also look great if you could add a course of the faux stone on the base of the front of the house under the last row of siding. It would tie in with the stone supports and really make a great look! The upper part of the front of the house around the windows - I would paint a lighter shade of the same color to break up the 'solid' color look. Hope this helps. I hope you post pictures, whatever you decide to do! Good Luck! (Sorry, I couldn't get the picture to post!)

Marlene Haigh · Answer

We used board & batten vertical vinyl siding and gave our house of similar demenions a craft mans look. The neighbors were jealious it looked so nice.

Marlene Haigh · Answer

check out zillow.com or realtor.com and check out our old house photo at address 3440 alsace place, Blasdell, NY. We use two colors of siding.

Jim L · Answer

The columns look nice...though 'skimpy'! Add another column beside the ones that are there. That will make it look 'beefier'. Add some panels at the bottom of the triple window and paint it white. Paint the siding a dark color and the trim white. DO NOT let anyone talk you into shutters! They look just plain 'tacky' on big windows. Pick our LARGE lanterns for the front...and on either side of the garage...small one get lost. Add some evergreen shrubbery across the front and put in a WIDE walkway in a 'quarter circle' to the drive. Add some BIG pots with plants on each side of the front door as well as the garage door. Good luck. I would really like to see what you do and how it turns out. (I'm telling you exactly what I tell my clients...)

Laughter222 · Answer

Hi, I wanted to recommend a product that I am considering at the moment for the base of my house. It's called FauxPanels and they have a website by that same name. I'm still in the beginning phase of browsing all of their products, etc.---but for me, it might just meet my needs & budget. :) Good luck to you.

Gail Salminen · Answer

@VLJ lots of great ideas here. You have great bones to start with - love your home. I think I would start small - less expensive and easier projects that can be broken up. I agree more colour and vertical lines need to be added. Consider making a lattice frame for the front then plant a flowering - can be annual - sweet peas, morning glories etc. or perennial such as clematis. (not sure which canadian zone you are int?)
You could also plant some boxwood or globe cedars along the front walk from the porch to the driveway to define the area. Brick walkway would be nice, but expensive and labour intensive - if you use the search bar at the top of the page, you can look for staining concrete. There are some amazing posts with very interesting result - can also use any colour you like - but do have to seal it at the end and then again every so often to maintain it.
Colourful pots/planters if the front would also add to the curb appeal - I look for these on sale at the end of the season - you can save lots of $$$.
For your deck it is hard to see what is on it and what colours might be incorporated but I suggest lots of post with colourful plants. You can add more colour through cushions and side tables etc. We have a very basic deck but our cushions and pots add a lot of interest and colour. I also hang sheers from the gazebo - for privacy from the neighbours - and weight them down with sawed off hockey sticks in the hems.
Love to see more pics as you make your changes. Before making major changes, keep the pocket book in check and make the small less expensive changes first, it will lead you to where you ultimately want to end up.

Leslie · Answer

Your house looks long because there is no other 'interest' to distract the eye. Is that a side light on your front door, behind the column, in the first pic? My advice would be the following: 1. replace the screen door with a full view storm door. 2. add porch that is proper height, it should come to bottom of door threshold. 3. install nice size matching porch lights by front door and on each side of garage door. 4. some landscaping, as suggested by Sue in a earlier post. 5. Those posts/columns don't seem to go with the style of your home. I would build them up into square columns with lumber so they have a more modern look. 6. could even build out the frame of your front door and windows with white moulding. The best of luck with your renovations, what ever your choices are!

Marion Nesbitt · Answer

Embrace the long, clean lines and save a lot of money. Just widen the flower beds along the walk, etc. and add varying height pernnials/small bushes, etc.

VLJ · Answer

Thanks everyone for your help!!!

Ideas for siding our 40 year old bungalow

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Ideas for siding our 40 year old bungalow

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