New front porch transforms tired-looking home
New Shaker-style shutters, accent door take centre stage
A faithful reader kindly submitted her sister’s home. She explained that her sibling inherited this bungalow from their father and has spruced up the interior extensively. With plenty of inventiveness, she managed to inexpensively update the bathroom and kitchen. She is stymied, though, about the home’s exterior.
The bricks have become muddy grey with time, and the beautiful stone chimney reflects a similar tone. Although the owner hoped I would suggest a new colour for the siding, I would not go for any saturated or even subdued colours like grey neutrals, which would produce a monochromatic palette. Including the windows, all existing snowy elements would be cleaned with TSP, rinsed with a hose, then refreshed with two coats of white exterior acrylic paint in a matte finish.
The black flashing between the roof and chimney ought to mimic the dusty shade of the stones, not the dark shingles. A new accent door would take centre stage by being dressed up in crimson in a soft sheen. Also in a discreet lustre, easy-to-make Shakerstyle shutters would look good in an ebony tint pulled from the roof pigmentation.
The porch area is obviously an eyesore and looks treacherously unstable. This was the toughest part of this exercise. They say to measure twice and cut once. I say, measure as many times as possible to ensure that the finished framework is perfectly positioned so that the wide steps descend to a new cohesive addition connecting to the current walkway.
I’m not in favour of a railing visually obstructing the front door. After the entire structure is discarded, a new balcony could be built and should measure the same length as before but only about half the depth as the previous floor. This way, the seating space would remain but the staircase would converge toward the front.
Sturdy square posts and railings, all risers as well as horizontal planks with closed-in sides would be opaque-stained or painted in white reflecting a light sheen. The wider steps and the flooring would be done in a warm grey similar to that of the bricks. The re- duced dimension of the porch would leave an empty section in front of the stairs. To connect the old concrete angled walk to the entrance, a new landing made out of paving blocks or concrete slabs would be installed at the same level.
Saturated flush blooms and berries would pay homage to the focal-point red portal. Built so that its height is in line with the top of the door, a strong black custom-made trellis would provide support for a climber that hopes to reach for the sun. Appeal- ing to our sense of sight, bright, cascading flowerings would soften the edges of the retaining wall and could also trickle down the sides of a generous black hanging pot. Small chains in the same colour would replace the unsightly commercial plastic hook. Lipstick-red arching annuals could surge out of effervescent-like white blooms adorned with a minuscule flush heart. In winter, the owners’ empty urn could be decorated with tall twist- ed bare twigs, spiky pine branches and pomegranate.
The centre of the Hemerocallis Stella Ruby, as well as the foliage of Heuchera Lime Rickey, would echo the early blossom clusters of Hydrangea Annabelle, which would eventually turn to white. Inside the triangular bed, a miniature tree and ground cover would also carry the same chalky flowering hue. The vegetal carpet would offer red berries, just like the Ribes shrub in the corner. In fall, the leaves of this bush would mirror the golden fruiting of the undersized crab apple. Vegetation (from left to right):
Juniperus chinensis Fairview (pyramidal evergreen, well-drained soil, front of cooling system)
Owners’ Thuja( evergreens, bay window, trim front of hedge in a trapezoid form)
Hemerocallis Stella Ruby (perennials, red, chartreuse centre, edge of path)
Clematis Avant-Garde (climber, red, trellis, cut back 6 to 12” from ground in spring leaving 2 sets of buds, compost, black mulch, fertilize)
Anigozanthos Kanga Red (annuals, red, urn)
Catharanthus Vinca rosea (annuals, white, red heart, urn)
Begonia Dragon Wing (cascading annuals, red, hanging pot and retaining wall) Hedera helix (cascading reenery, hanging pot and between red annuals, retaining wall, bring indoors for winter)
Heuchera Lime Rickey (perennials, white blooms, chartreuse, behind red annuals, black mulch, compost in spring)
Ribes alpinum (shrub, golden in fall, berries, rich and well drained soil)
Hydrangea Annabelle (several shrubs, chartreuse blooms turning white, foundation, cut back at 12” from ground in early spring)
Vaccinium vitis-idaea (persistent ground cover, white flowerets, red berries, plant in one-third each of sand, compost and sphagnum moss, spread layer of compost every spring)
Malus Sir Lancelot (mini- ature tree, white blooms, golden fruits)