Dear Homework,
We bought a home this past spring for its inside, its yard, the location, its history … but NOT for its exterior. Our house was built originally in 1903 as the state of Georgia’s showcase home in the CWE for the World’s Fair then moved to its spot in Ladue in 1907. It lost so much of its beauty when, at some point, vinyl siding and a new façade were put on the front.We have held off landscaping projects until we handle the siding issue. We will be redoing the front entry/path and would love to redo the front façade and have even thought of opting for a farmhouse style or a one-story full wraparound porch. Ideally, we would like to do the siding/trim/shutters in phase one, and the front columns/porch as phase two.
Sincerely,
—Ready for a Second Face-lift
Your home possesses an interesting history, Luckily, most of it is working rather well, so my recommendations are mostly minor in nature.
That said, I would like to suggest a fairly extensive change to the two-storied, columned front porch. To me, this does not appear to be original or historic. I feel that a one-story porch with a second floor railing and two new pilasters at the face of the façade would feel more appropriate to a 1903-era design and fit Ladue better than a Webster Groves-type wraparound porch. A relocated gable over the center French doors keeps you from having to re-build that portion of the roof.
You also will notice bold new corner pilasters. I think these will work well with wider, thicker Hardie Board siding and give the façade a more impressive feel. After painting the siding gray, they will really stand out, as does the rest of the white trim. Red front and side doors add a welcome jolt of color.
The landscape scheme is more formal and extensive. New side hedges help hide the air conditioning condenser. A tall, vertical holly helps focus attention on the main portion of the façade and adds visual interest to the otherwise horizontally arranged foundation plantings.
With these changes, I think your home takes on a more confident, finished feel befitting its interesting history.
Hope this proves useful.
—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.]