Putting Our Best Face Forward

Dear Homework,
Our home is one of four row house-type condos in Old Town Clayton. The side of our unit faces the street, and has a basement-level garage. Can you suggest ways that we might improve this de facto front elevation?
Sincerely,
—Putting Our Best Face Forward

Dear Putting Our Best Face Forward,
This is a difficult architectural question. In general, I like the way your existing evergreens help to hide the garage door from the street. The taller evergreens also seem to give your side yard (‘front yard’) great privacy, so I think they should stay. That means only architectural changes are open to us, not leaving many options.

The first change I would suggest would be to power wash the retaining wall and paint the exposed basement wall gray to match the retaining wall. Next, I would upgrade the doors and paint them a glossy black. A new, bolder light fixture finishes off this area. You also will notice a new copper roof with decorative brackets at the side door. This feature matches the roof on the existing box-bay window, which gives the elevation a sense of unity. I also show a new flower box to add color and privacy to the side terrace.

The final area of change is to add double shutters at the oddly spaced second floor windows. I would paint these black and add window boxes, as well.

These small changes help give the side façade a more finished look as befits its prominent street orientation.

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.