Dear Homework,
We need to put a new asphalt shingle roof on our house and wonder what you might recommend. There’s so much of it! If there are other minor (meaning not too expensive) thoughts, please add them to the mix.
Sincerely,
Too Much Roof Over My Head
Dear Too Much Roof Over My Head,
I’m glad you asked for some ideas before you started with any work, because I think we can improve things here quite a bit. First, I think the current color scheme of khaki green and white with Oxblood shutters works well with your brick color. I think the asphalt shingle color called Weathered Wood (a mixture of greens and browns) would be a good looking choice.
That said, there are several issues to address before the re-roofing. I would add two rather large triangular roof vents to the vast main area of roofing to break it up and add some detail. Next, I would suggest a large, shuttered window in the front porch gable to give the house more of a two-story look. Even if this is essentially fake, specifying translucent glass will mean that no one will notice.
Finally, don’t allow any of the foundation plantings to hide the already overwhelmed ground-floor elevation. You will notice that I show trimming all the plants to the height of the window sills. I also show using an upright evergreen to mask the right side driveway turn-around.
I feel that the resulting composition has a much more balanced and comfortable feel and that the ‘sea of roofing and siding’ no longer dominates.
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.