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The front door is behind the blue spruce bush. :-) You're right, it's hard to see! There is a nice sidewalk, but it's not visible from the front. I like the idea of another (curving) path to it from the road. I picture something wide and welcoming with plantings on the sides of it. Great ideas everyone! Thanks!
You'll want to remove a couple of the overgrown bushes but not all. The blue spruce bush should be moved or removed so that the front door is not visually blocked. This is a safety issue (your personal safety). Ideally foundations plantings should never be so large that a person can hide themselves behind them.
I'd trim up the maples a bit and plant around them to bring the red from the roof out into the yard. Closer to the house I'd add plants with white and yellows to lighten it up. Perhaps some large pots in the front or the addition of a porch under those center windows?
You can also do some lightscaping to add to both security and curb appeal after dark.
Unless you are expecting foot traffic from the street to the front door regularly I don't know that I would add a curvy walk to the front door from it. Some architectural styles lend themselves to such more readily but I don't know that your potential home does.
I think you could really jazz it up with some Hardi-shingles and some shutters. Of course that is going to run some $$ and might not be your idea of economical.
The house is wonderful! If it were me, I would leave the trees...I'm a tree hugger anyway, lol, trim them back and add a colorful garden! Don't forget to make those beautiful breezy rooms, you posted pics of in another thread, a reality!
This is a home we are considering buying. Is there any hope for updating the exterior without throwing a ton of money into it? If we updated the windows, what style would look nice? We would, of course, keep the brick. How can we lighten it up? Trimming or tearing out bushes would be beneficial, right? Thanks for your thoughts!
I'd stucco the eaves, maybe make it look tudor style...
As far as the trees go, cut all the branches off that are below the roof line - this will open up the front of the house. Trees should never cover up or mask your entrance or front door.
I would love to see more pictures of your house - better pictures with more detail.
The house looks great! I also think you will be surprised at what some landscaping updates will do for the look and feel. If you did want to make some other updates, you could lighten up the board and batten in the gable and brighten the trim!
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Last edited by golfgal; 08-13-2011 at 09:16 AM..
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I would take out the tree in the front of the house. It hides the house and it is quite a nice looking home. It is nestled in the greenery and does have a charming nice appeal to it.
I would take out the tree in the front of the house. It hides the house and it is quite a nice looking home. It is nestled in the greenery and does have a charming nice appeal to it.
I think the angle of the photo is the issue, not the tree.
I'm a tree hugger and a tree pruner, but not a tree murderer. :-) ;-) Realtors sometimes take lousy photos from lousy angles. I like the "nestled in" feel.
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