Dear Homework,
After seven busy years in this home, we now are forced to deal with its aging roof and gutters. We want to seize the moment and take advantage of this opportunity to completely modernize the exterior color palette and look. What would you do?

Sincerely,
—Seizing the Moment

Dear Seizing the Moment,
There is a lot more here than first meets the eye. My initial request would be for you to drastically trim the two handsome magnolia trees that completely swamp the entire presentation. That done, a very interesting “early modern” facade is revealed. By using black window frames and gutters and a new charcoal gray roof, a crisp, up-to-date feel is achieved. A new front door and stone flower urns add drama to the entry and the removal of two of the six brick piers makes the composition seem bolder.

The proposed simple, horizontal landscape of clipped evergreen hedges and rectangular beds of ground cover reinforce the lines of the facade and provide the modernized feel that you were hoping for.

Thanks for the interesting challenge,
—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.