Dear Homework,
I love my Colonial ranch with its large, shady yard. I’ve put two additions out back and have redone the baths. Since my neighborhood is ripe for teardowns, I have more than a few much-larger ‘neighbors.’ If this were your house, how would you modify it to feel more stately or impressive?
Sincerely,
— Keeping Up Appearances
Dear Keeping Up Appearances,
Your home sits back well from the street and is nicely framed by mature trees, but (as with many long ranch houses) it doesn’t really have much of an architectural composition. It needs more interest around its center, near the front door.
I would suggest creating a taller ceiling in the entry and living room, raising it above the adjacent wings. By adding a front-facing pediment and arch-topped French doors, the façade now has a dignified centerpiece to balance its generous length.
To the left of the front door, I would craft an angled, copper-roofed bay window to differentiate it and add some ‘movement’ to the façade. For the final architectural change, I would add a low, brick garden wall with light piers on both ends. This adds depth and importance to the façade and makes the property feel more like an estate. I also would suggest whitewashing the entire elevation to help it stand out from the surrounding forest and hold the eye from a greater distance.
The most important landscape change is widening the driveway at the garden wall, so that guests use the new front door, rather than driving on to the rear turnaround. Filling in the existing planting beds with contrasting shaped plants and adding a clipped evergreen hedge atop the new garden wall complete the picture.
I feel these changes give the home new importance, which allows it to hold its own against inflating neighbors.
Good luck with your improvements,
—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.]
