You’re all excited. Your real estate agent has found the supposed house of
your dreams, raving for days about its perfect size, long list of fabulous
amenities and great location. But as she drives you up to the address, your
heart sinks and you explain that it’s not even worth your while to get out of
the car and go inside and look.
Hadn’t she listened when you repeated that you disliked red brick facades
or when you told her that you had to have a front porch? Maybe yes, maybe no.
Just as the interiors of houses can be rearranged and redecorated, so can the
exteriors, though many owners never do so. They think that it’s too costly,
too much work or not worth the investment since the return is less than
putting in a new kitchen or master bedroom suite.
While transforming a one-story tract house into a more interesting
two-story design involves considerable expense and time, there are many, more
limited, remodeling changes and even decorating tricks that you can employ to
make your house more appealing, both aesthetically and functionally.
Many of these ideas won’t just deliver greater enjoyment, but will also add
to that key cachet known as “curb appeal” for yourself and future buyers.
Most architects advise that you make changes within the context of the
existing home’s period and style so they don’t look stuck on and because fads
come and go.
In some cases, the work required is quite simple and more a matter of
putting a house back to its original state or eliminating a trendy color.
Architect Todd Main, of Bauhs, Dring & Main, and his wife, Bobbi, who owns
the Chicago design shop Motif, stripped off gray paint and restored the
original red color of their brick Victorian row house.
Builder Keith Jacobs, president of Jacobs Homes Inc. in Northbrook, also
changed his own home’s palette.
He lightened the dark brown brick of his ’80s Colonial on the North Shore,
a popular color when it was built but not appealing to him and his wife. They
painted the facade a light taupe, then accented the trim around the door and
windows and the door itself a darker hue.
They removed shutters to “declutter” the facade and give it more of a
French chateau flavor, and changed light fixtures and relandscaped.
But if your house doesn’t reflect a specific style that you can use as a
starting point, how do you begin? First, decide what you don’t like; whether
it’s something functional such as the absence of an overhang above the door to
provide weather protection or the absence of details around windows, says
architect Andrew Poticha, co-owner of Design/Construction Concepts Ltd. in
Northbrook.
With a wish list in hand, find solutions that appeal. Take a drive or walk
in your area or surrounding neighborhoods, photograph houses you like, clip
pictures from shelter magazines, study examples of other houses from the same
period at your local historical society or library, make mental notes from
movies that show houses or features you like, such as the white picket fence
in the remake of “Father of the Bride,” and buy an architectural book or two.
“A Field Guide to American Houses” by Virginia & Lee McAlester (Knopf) has
hundreds of photographs of houses arranged by style and it details the
components that comprise each architectural style.
For example, Greek Revival houses traditionally have a gabled or hipped
roof, narrow transom and sidelights around the front door and a front porch
with columns. Gradually, you should see a pattern to your likes and dislikes.
But try not to add piecemeal. Think of an overall plan so that the house
makes sense aesthetically and proportionally, advises architect Julie Hacker
of Cohen-Hacker in Evanston. “If it’s a symmetrical Georgian, you probably
wouldn’t want to add a quirky window at the front to let in more light, as you
might do for a Victorian or shingled home.”
If it lacks a distinctive style but is a mix of several, make changes that
are compatible with the home’s scale, materials or colors, so you have some
common denominators.
Remember not to overimprove the exterior for the size of the house and
neighborhood. Following are some exterior features to consider altering if the
front isn’t what you dreamed of coming home to.
- General cleanup. Cleanliness can make a significant difference, says
Brooke Bremner Givot, owner of First Impressions, a Chicago business that
advises owners how to spruce up their houses. “Cleaning makes a house look
loved. Wash windows, polish brass, put out a new doormat, add an urn with new
plants, remove a dead plant,” she says.
A recent study by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies for its
Remodeling Futures Program found that every dollar in maintenance resulted in
a $2 increase in a home’s value.
- Front doors. Probably the most important element that can be changed and
make a difference, says builder Jacobs. Most popular now are big doors that
measure 8 feet high and 4 feet wide, have sidelights and a transom above.
Don’t forget an attractive doorknob, knocker, a new set of address numbers and
even the right mailbox.
In addition to the door, a canopy above it or a small porch enclosing it
can create a grander feeling and offer weather protection. Poticha added one
for a North Shore house with a peak to echo the peak of the home’s gabled roof
and latticework for decoration. Chicago designer John Wiltgen has added
colorful awnings for a similar but less expensive effect.
On the passe list, at least for now, are double front doors, which were
popular in the 1960s, says Susan Schreiber, a real estate agent with The
Diamond/Schreiber Team of Kahn Realty.
- Steps. Topography will limit whether you can add steps for a more
impressive entry. But, if they’re there, you can spruce them up with lighting,
planters and additional trim, says Hacker.
- Windows. Traditional windows are back in vogue with owners requesting
muntins rather than solid glazing. When possible, they also want longer
windows that extend to the ground on their first floors, says Jacobs.
Palladian windows, which became overused in the 1980s as houses grew bigger
and fancier, are best used with classic brick homes.
But don’t expect a huge return on your investment when you replace windows.
Remodeling magazine’s annual Cost Versus Value survey found that the national
average last year was 68 percent, with a lower 60 percent return in Chicago.
Yet, an additional boon from doing so is that you’ll lower your utility bills
if you choose energy-efficient panes, says editor Paul Deffenbaugh.
In addition to the windows, Givot recommends standardizing treatments on
windows that are visible from the street. “You can use inexpensive white
shades and vary the treatments behind them,” she adds.
- Porches. The front porch, that relic of old-fashioned Southern homes, has
a renewed popularity in colder climates. Some view it as a nice place to sit,
others as a way to create a gracious welcome, says Schreiber. But a porch can
also serve as a structural element, particularly for houses that lack a foyer,
Poticha says.
- Facade. The material or color of most facades can be changed, though be
careful how you change it, advise architects. Drivet has become popular as a
less costly alternative to stucco. Remodeling magazine’s survey pegs the
return on investment of replacing siding at 71 percent nationally and 86
percent in Chicago, but if your siding is falling down or paint is peeling,
your return will be higher, Deffenbaugh says.
Owners f single-family residences that are landmarks or are in landmark
districts can receive a property tax assessment freeze for 12 years when they
renovate their homes, including the exteriors, if they follow certain historic
guidelines, says architectural historian Susan Benjamin, whose business with
Victoria Granacki, Historic Certification Consultants in Chicago and Highland
Park, helps owners follow their local ordinances so they receive tax
benefits.
The partners make suggestions, handle the paperwork and take the
photographs that need to be submitted to the state historic preservation
agency.
- Roofs. In spite of its lofty position, the roofing material can help
alter the look of a house, and many owners today prefer the texture of cedar
shakes to fiberglass or flat asphalt, says Jacobs. If you add a roof, be sure
to keep its shape appropriate to the style of the house. Wiltgen did so when
he added a copper mansard roof atop a new third floor to retain the French
flavor.
- Painting. Color is probably the easiest and cheapest remodeling tool.
Chicago architect Paul Florian tries to keep colors complementary and prefers
dark grays, blues and greens to a real black, which he feels is too harsh.
Neutral tones will appeal to a wider audience than vibrant turquoises and
mauves, advises Givot. Don’t forget that you can add color through
landscaping.
- Lights. Decorative fixtures, which also improve safety, can give a facade
added pizzazz. Place them on either side of a front door, at the ends of the
house, along a path and in trees.