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However, since it appears you'll be changing the exterior siding AND color, I'd wait until you make those new selections.
Also check with your town to see what the front setback would be for the fence. It may make the front yard so shallow you'd prefer just to fence in the back.
Stucco on a two story house is not usual in my section of the country. I think it would look better if it were brick at least half way up and wood the rest of the way
More like an simple example of American vernacular architecture. A simple four walled frame house with a gabled roof. It is one of the least expensive and easiest styles of construction using local materials. Nice looking house by the way.
Stucco on a two story house is not usual in my section of the country. I think it would look better if it were brick at least half way up and wood the rest of the way
I can't really envision the halfway up brick/wood idea.... perhaps this is what you meant?
Black aluminum fencing would enhance your house, and at a fraction of the cost of wrought iron. If you wanted to emphasize the colonial aspects of the house, I would tend to replace the stucco with brick.
You might also consider switching the attic vent from a square to a circular vent. And, if you switched supports of the porch roof from the brackets you have to a pair of columns, that could enhance the look. If you wanted to open up the living room a bit more, adding more light, you could also consider a box bay window with a copper roof in the living room, so you would have a porch with columns.
Stucco can be more maintenance-intensive in some areas of the country. Someone to whom I am related had to have their entire house re-sided in brick from stucco, at the builder's expense, because of the failures of stucco. As such, this builder will not offer any stucco, and will not warrant any stucco in its custom home division as they had to replace multiple houses because the Mid-Atlantic area (DC suburbs) is not known for being kind to stucco because of the varied weather.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
The beauty of this type of house is that you have a multitude of siding choices as colonials can be brick, stone, stucco, clapboard, or even shingle, depending upon the region and look that you want to achieve.
Clapboards or shingles would be more evocative of rural/coastal New England, whereas res brick with glossy dark green/black shutters and bright white trim would evoke more of a town/city style. HardiPlank siding is a modern iteration that can be applied as clapboards and shingles, with much lower maintenance requirements than wood or stucco. Brick is brick, and I am not a fan of veneers or engineered faux brick/stone solutions, though some newer surfaces do look better and might be applied over the existing siding as long as it is structurally sound, which would make such options more cost effective.
Stucco can work well, too, but I would change the color scheme and definitely would consider a different window arrangement in the living room, both for light and visual interest. Bay windows are another element that are appropriate to colonials, so one could be added and remain in keeping with the overall style of the house.
The style of the house gives you a basic template from which you can choose elements of the style to personalize it, and get rid of the current stucco color/patched texture. And, for the mid-1920s, any of the siding options would be appropriate for the period.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Black aluminum fencing would enhance your house, and at a fraction of the cost of wrought iron. If you wanted to emphasize the colonial aspects of the house, I would tend to replace the stucco with brick.
You might also consider switching the attic vent from a square to a circular vent. And, if you switched supports of the porch roof from the brackets you have to a pair of columns, that could enhance the look. If you wanted to open up the living room a bit more, adding more light, you could also consider a box bay window with a copper roof in the living room, so you would have a porch with columns.
Stucco can be more maintenance-intensive in some areas of the country. Someone to whom I am related had to have their entire house re-sided in brick from stucco, at the builder's expense, because of the failures of stucco. As such, this builder will not offer any stucco, and will not warrant any stucco in its custom home division as they had to replace multiple houses because the Mid-Atlantic area (DC suburbs) is not known for being kind to stucco because of the varied weather.
'Would advise caution about doing too much to this house. It could easily end up looking very busy and "modernized". If the stucco has to go I would look at a hardboard/clapboard siding. Brick might look fine, but there will be some gymnastics required to create a supporting brick-ledge, and I wouldn't recommend "thin-brick". If it wasn't ever intended to be brick you could be creating quite a major project.
We decided to stick with stucco. Thanks for all the ideas! We will simply slightly alter the color of the stucco, update the roof extending it a bit beyond the edge of the house, and put up a black aluminium fence.
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