Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Before/After: Color

Charming before/after, below.  Don't know any details about the home, purchased to live in, bought to flip, perhaps a new owner knows they will only live in the house 4-5 years max, and the budget had to go into new wiring, plumbing, septic, windows, floors, kitchen.
.
Without primping, the house has great bones.
.

Pic, above, here.
.
Notice the fascia boards at roof's edge, above.  Painted dark, they lift upward visually, into the roof, giving greater height to the house from the ground.  Always adore making this change.  And, the gutters are dark too.  Perfect choices.
.
Another height altering paint/color technique, with a home at this scale, above, paint the gable the same color as the walls.  Nothing to 'pull down' the height, a pure line of color rising up.  Two colors, at this scale, makes the gable look  more 'squat'.
.
The white windows are probably vinyl and not easily painted, or painting them would invalidate a warranty.  If this is the issue, and those windows were being chosen now, choose almond vinyl not white.  White windows, above, are jumping forward, instead of calmly receding, and looking larger.
.
Great choice replacing the front door, depth of character.
.
In addition, at the front door, swap the square post, for a round post, greater contrast with all the square lines of the house, and new post about 25% larger in scale.
.
Opening the front door zone further, remove the side rails, wrap the steps around the entire front door landing.  Reuse the handrail at the angle where the new steps 'turn' from the front.  Now, the front door zone is scaled to a focal point welcome, not merely a small niche along the front facade of the home.
.
Changing the front door steps, the curbed garden edging will need to be changed. And, the stone walk must be enlarged to create a landing at the steps.
.
Another before/after, below, using color as their best tool.
.
Curb Appeal before & after! Wow! Properly matching the door style to the architecture of your home..."good doors done right" :) by leona
Pic, above, here.
.
Won't mention, above, landscape plantings, it's the colors used in the 'after' drawing delight.  'After', the foundation uses colors from the house, to the ground, making the house recede, appear larger, and creating flow from the house to the ground.  Keeping the house the focal point, not the foundation.
.
Bright colors on foundations too often accentuate the foundation, not the house.
.
Another bit of fabulous flow, above, the new entry from the sidewalk, up the steps, to the house.  No longer must you enter the house from a service court, now you can enter the house via the garden.
.
 #BeforeAfter Restoring a Queen Anne Bungalow in Atlanta | #primaedopo
Pic, above, here.
.
Another before/after, above.
.
Porch rails, top pic, probably not original to the home, yet added not long after construction.  Have seen those exact metal pole rails used across Georgia at many historic homes.  Not good if you have children/grandchildren.  Nor if you're selling your home and the buyer uses a VA loan.  VA loans require modern safety/efficiency layers for approval.
.
We made an offer on our ca. 1900 home within hours of touring.  Another family made an offer a few days later, VA loan.  Our lucky day.  We love our front porch, still historically accurate, no rails.
.
The porch, above, would look a bit larger, in the 'after', if the rails were painted the same color as the foundation.  In addition, the fence/gate to the left of the home, above, stained same color as the brick columns, will extend the architecture of the home.
.
Plantings, above, I would move to the slope and add more plants, creating a hedge from sidewalk to crest of hill, growing no taller than the porch rail.  Why?  Add privacy to front porch, yet keeping visibility outward to neighbors, trees, and without seeing parked/moving cars, and the road.  More importantly, creating the hedge closer to the road blocks many toxins cars spew.
.
Rubber crumb, from tires, used to make mulch, is toxic to soil, ground water, and above certain temp turns into fumes absorbed thru our skin.  And that's merely one layer of toxicity from cars.
.
Lastly, above, painting gutter/fascia boards at the roof line, the same color as the foundation, will make the roof rise taller, and settle the house into the landscape vs. currently jumping forward in the landscape, similar to the painting of the fascia in the top pic.
.
Garden & Be Well,   XOT
.
Appreciate the thought going into each of the renovations, above.  Every thought = $$$, both in renovation expense or sales price or rental income.  In addition to the joy of living in the homes.  Alas, landscaping always last on the budget list, literally.

3 comments:

  1. OH TARA!!! Such an important teaching thing! "Trompe l'oeil" Fool the eye!

    Such beautiful examples of the transformations of houses painted correctly. Sheesh! Hundreds of thousands of dollars added to their sales!

    My favorite was no lawn. Lawns are simply so OUT here in sophisticated parts of California......there are a few left....but REALLY???

    Water waste, herbicides, pesticides, owl killing.....who wants them and why???

    Sheesh!

    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fascinating, Tara. We all love before-and-afters, but these are way more instructive than the usual. I will definitely share this "makeover mini-course."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Could you comment on painting natural distressed brick on a mid 70's rambler. How would you determine when to paint and when to allow the natural brick to inform the design. I am learning your life giving philosophy one blog at a time. Thank you. Barbra

    ReplyDelete