Dear Homework,
When we moved into our house 30 years ago, it was a lump of brown cedar. We are glad we painted it gray, but now we want to take things further. We like the white trim we’ve added and wonder if more would help. For example, we need new gutters; should they be white? What would you suggest for the landscaping, or anything else for that matter?
Sincerely,
—Develop Our Potential
There are lots of little details you could alter to improve your ‘basically just fine’ Garrison-style Colonial. In fact, there are so many things, I am just going to list them:
» Get wider paneled shutters with hinges and tie-backs. The shutter width should be half the width of the window.
» Lots of new white can be added. Notice a newly white overhanging band board, corner boards, hanging ‘pineapple’ ornaments, gutters and downspouts, garage door surround and picket fence at the entry.
» A new, taller, relocated cupola, which should be centered on the garage doors, not the garage wing roof
» New carriage-style garage doors
» New dark aggregate concrete entry walkway with flower beds. I note that you are driving onto the lawn; this alteration will end that problem and provide a more gracious path for guests who park on the street.
» New ‘slate look’ asphalt with multicolor slate selection roof
» New, much larger, black lanterns
» Landscaping kept below the window sills to show off the long windows, and side yard hornbeams to help block out neighboring houses
These changes together will result in a perfected, pulled-together feel that will extract all the potential your house possesses.
Hope this helps,
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.