FRESH COLOURS UPDATE LOOK
Family may fall in love with house once again
Designer Suzanne Rowe selects homes that could benefit from a little inexpensive help in increasing their curb appeal. After examining photographs, she then proceeds to sketch out an artist’s rendering of what they could look like with a few minor changes. We hope you enjoy the results.
The daughter of the owners of this house in Lachine lives in Alexandria, Va., which is right outside of Washington, D. C. While visiting her parents in Lachine for her father’s 70th birthday, the mother and daughter submitted the family home for my column.
After living in apartments and a duplex in LaSalle, the owners bought this detached home, which was built in 1958. They were drawn to Lachine where, for years, they had taken their two daughters to the waterfront for walks and picnics. They fell in love with the tree- lined streets and the overall community feeling. The selling point was the proximity to the waterfront and the move- in condition of the house. They moved in 2002 and immediately were welcomed by friendly neighbours.
The owner hates the laminated stones that always fall off. She could re- glue them, but hates their appearance. I propose mainly rusty coloured bricks with some slight variations in tint. A few could present in lighter or darker shades, while others would hint discreet tones of sand. The brick segment on the wall on the right side of the house should extend to the top of the side entrance above the overhang.
All existing siding, including the horizontal white strip of the two overhangs and vertical gutter pipes, should be painted a medium sand hue free of pink undertones. To balance with the darker bottom half of the house, this sand colour shouldn’t be too light. If ever the owners decide to have the upper walls redone with new siding, the triangular sections should also show a horizontal layout. If the white elements on the house look dingy, a few coats of crisp white paint would help rejuvenate the trims. Both white and sand aluminum portions should be painted with exterior acrylic paint in a matte finish.
Influenced by the dark brown hue of the shingles, I introduced Shaker- style shutters, a long 10- inchhigh custom- made flower box and a Craftsman door. If the owners keep the other doors around the house, they should be painted brown also, in a soft- to- medium sheen, along with their casings.
I don’t like the base of the bay window. It should be finished all the way down to the floor following the rounded shape of the windows and finished in slim sand- coloured vertical siding like the top part. The three other older windows look like skimpy grilles. Painting the brown frame white would help. When the time comes for a replacement, the owners should replicate the aspect of the bay window’s panes as illustrated here.
When railings visually encroach over a front door, they instil an unwelcoming sense. The dated, weak- looking columns and railings should be swapped for heftier square posts and spindles to proffer a more substantial feel to the entrance. But first, the stairs should be removed. Longer steps, made of pavers in a light sand hue, are pushed more to the right and centred with the door. The old porch floor and its sides could be finished with pavers. To minimize costs, the pavers can be sawed in half height- wise. The cut part is then secured on surfaces with specialized glue after the concrete has been properly sanded and sealed. For future improvements, I’ve
sketched a pathway measuring the width of the steps that merges with the driveway.
The new planting beds, sinuous and linear, should be bordered. The landscaping composition is repetitive, which procures a strong visual impact. Bright yellows from shrub foliage, ever- blooming perennials and ornamental grass plumes, produce a warm colour scheme when paired with bright orange flowers. The top- grafted decorative tree provides a vertical element, while the row of evergreens near the porch offers a year- round anchor.
When the daughter returns for a visit on her dad’s 71st birthday, she may discover a new personality to the house. The home has always been warm inside but now, the exterior will reflect it, too.
VEGETATION ( FROM LEFT ):
Caragana Walker ( top grafted ornamental tree, yellow blooms, centred in convex bed, align with left corner of house)
Hemerocallis Stella de Oro (perennials, orange y-yellow blooms, mass planting in convex bed up to centre of Potentilla hedge)
Potentilla Abbotswood ( shrubs, white blooms, hedge, left foundation)
Calibrachoa Superbells Dreamsicle ( cascading annuals, orange blooms, flower box and contour of large planter)
Osteospermum ( upward daisylike annuals, orange petals, darker heart, several centred in large planter)
Geum borissi i ( perennials, orange blooms, mass planting from centre of Potentilla hedge to concave section near porch)
Taxus Brownii ( one to three evergreens, buy more mature specimens, occasional trim in boxy shape to prevent branches from encroaching over the railing, porch)
Spirea White Glod ( small shrubs, white blooms, yellow foliage, outer edge of old or new path)
Calamagrostis Karl Foerster ( ornamental grass, golden plumes, one in new small bed or several in old planting space at right side of porch)
Thick layer of dark brown cedar mulch over all exposed soil.