Flip This Pancake

Dear Homework,
Our house needs help. The brick home has interesting detail over the stone porch, but its facade is as flat as a pancake and needs some depth. The interior is dark, so we’d like to enlarge the first floor front windows or add a third window. We also like the basic design of the landscaping but would welcome your suggestions.

Thanks for your input,
— Flip This Pancake

Dear Flip This Pancake,
Your house has some great details such as the stone door case, corner brick quoins and the blue junipers framing the front walkway. Bumping out a copper-roofed box bay window will add some needed depth and interior light. Forest green shutters with hinges and tiebacks give architectural weight to the second floor, balancing the stronger elements on the first floor. A new gas lantern to the right of the entry adds an elegant touch.

The Japanese maple hides the house and will need to be moved because of the new bay window, so I have relocated it to the right of the facade. Tall columnar evergreens frame the corners of the facade, which is tied together by a new continuous low hedge. The pale green junipers are rare and look great. Their color is picked up in the wood trim around the facade’s windows. These refinements flip the presentation from “mildly interesting” to “perfectly elegant.”

Thanks for asking,
—Homework

Homework is penned by Paul Doerner, founding partner of The Lawrence Group. If you would like your home critiqued, contact us at homework@townandstyle.com.