Colors

Just a few notes on colors.  In general, I'm in favor of them.  That is, I prefer colors rather than neutrals, especially when the neutrals are beige/tan.  My favorite colors are gray-blues to grassy greens.   I particularly like blue/greens, such as robin's egg blue and tourqouise.  I could easily decorate an entire house in blues and greens.  I've learned, over the years, to select much more gray versions (less saturated) versions of my favorite colors, as colors seem much more intense when up on the wall.  I'm also a big fan of crisp white and black/charcoal.  I will always have a soft spot for black and white checkerboard floors (as well as kitchen cabinetry that goes up to the ceiling) because my grandmother's kitchen was like that.  I also love white cabinetry with black countertop, small black/white tile mosaics, and crisp white trim that makes colors pop. 

I've always been drawn to homes that are white.  I love old farmhouses that are white with green roofs/shutters.  I also like the look of a white house with a charcoal gray roof.  I'm very open to considering color on the outside of our new house.  In particular, I'm thinking a gray/green might be nice, with white trim (of course!)  Despite having strong opinions, I am open to considering lots of options. 

Robin's egg blue--my favorite color!

Roofing Materials

I'm trying to collect a bit more information on roofing.  I've thought that a steel roof would be good, because it is made from recycled material, is recyclable, durable, long-lasting, and can reflect heat from the house.  In the past few years, it seems like metal roofing options have really expanded.  You can now get metal roofs in many styles, including faux tiles, faux slate, faux wood shingles, etc... These faux products are all put on in rows, one layer at a time.  I'm not sure if that means that you're sacrificing anything in terms of how water proof the roof is (more seams would mean more chances for leaks, no?)  The other options is standing seam roof in which the roof is put on in larger panels. 

I'm still trying to collect more information on this topic.  I did find one stone coated, faux shingle roof that looked nice to me:

It looks nice, tidy and comes in this pretty, charcoal grey color that I like.

Garrison Colonial

So, we met with an architect yesterday to discuss the house.  One of my biggest concerns was the front facade of the house.  While I was looking for a way to "fix" the front of a house in a way that was more appealing to me, the architect was trying to help me appreciate the style for what it is.  After meeting with him, I'm making a genuine effort to appreciate it.  Afterall, I love older homes and would love to maintain the historic character of the house.  The problem is, the home doesn't feel like it "has character" to me.  We were discussing how home styles can have different connotations.  My favorite home in Manhattan, a beautiful white two story with Craftsman features, connotes a warm, welcoming abundance.  It says "Come on in, we have enough to share."  The house we are buying doesn't say that.  I'm not sure what it says, other than "I'm a dumpy, schlumpy kind of Colonial" or "Paint me!"  Part of the problem, as we discussed it, is my lack of familiarity with the architectural style of the home. 

Apparently, the home is a Garrison Colonial.  The central difference between this type and that of a more "traditional" Colonial home is the cantilevered front facade.  The style has been around for a long time (Paul Revere's home, in Boston's North End, is an example.)  Apparently, this style got quite popular in the 1930s continuing in popularity a bit during the boom of the suburbs in the United States.  This may be my problem, as I associate this particular facade with suburban homes.  In fact, the only homes with cantilevered front facades that I'd ever seen, prior to this home, were suburban split level homes.  Because the suburban split level is entirely antitethical to what I want my home to connote, I feel put off by this style.  Suburban split level homes say to me "I'm just a place to park your family." or "I was built during an era in which beauty and character were not priorities in home construction."

So, if we are to maintain this home as a Garrison Colonial (as both the architect and the husband wish to do) the challenge is to find a way to change the connotation of the home.  Part of that is my own process of finding a new association for this style.  But, it's also a challenge for the architect to find a way to design the addition and make minor cosmetic changes to help improve the look of the facade.  I want the home to look beautiful, well-designed, abundant, and welcoming.  Part of this will be helped by creating a path from the front door to the street (handicap accessible) and improving the landscaping.  I liked what the architect said, about putting a lot of windows in the addition, helping it shine like a lantern at night.  Who knows, if the proposed design is good enough, maybe he can convince me to keep the finials (which, I now know are classic features of Garrison Colonials.  But, I still find them a bit annoying.  I'm not much for decorative doodads that serve no functional purpose.)

Here's an old advertisement that Mike found for Garrison Colonial house plans.  The great part is that you could order the plans, which came with a cardboard model, for just $1.00!

Rethinking the Front Facade

This is what the front of the house currently looks like.  We plan to add a two story addition approximately 10 feet to the south (left in picture).  Plus a single story sunroom or screened in porch.  I'm not overly fond of the appearance of the upper windows.  The very flat appearance and the blank white space above the windows looks awkward to me.  Originally, we were thinking of putting a two-story Craftsman style porch on the front.  In doing this, we hoped to change the look to Craftsman (my preferred style) and to eliminate the odd appearance of the windows. 

Well, we're rethinking this.  First, the interior of the house is fairly dark due to the large trees in the front yard.  A front porch would only worsen this problem.  Second, a protection from sunlight is unnecessary on the front of the house, as it faces east, so we'd be shaded in the evening.  Third, we have a potential problem with the setback.  There may not be enough room to build a porch without violating the 25' setback (because our property starts fairly far from the street.)  We could apply for an appeal, but this would set back renovations by 45 days.

So, I began thinking about sticking with a Colonial facade.  But, that still leaves me with the problem of the windows.  Extending the house just 10 feet to the south would give a fairly asymetrical look to the building.  So, I had a thought:  if you added a window between the two existing windows, you'd be able to go out just 10.5 feet and still have symmetry, by having four windows.  Also, if you bumped the roof line up a bit, you could eliminate the gables.  Or, maybe you wouldn't have to bump up the roofline, if you could make the gables more attractive. 

So, here's the idea (crudely sketched by me!):

Bathroom Design Elements

I have a pretty good idea of what I want the bathrooms in the house to look like.  I like a small patterned black and white flooring, such as this one:

I like these train/hotel type racks for towels.  In all of the metal hardware, I like polished nickel.

I LOVE this textured, pressed glass as a way to bring in light in areas where you want privacy.  I hope we can use some in the house.  This particular pattern is a favorite of mine:

This is a gorgeous bathroom. Though, I'd change the ceiling light fixture to something that better matches the scones (something white/clear with polished nickel accent.)  I'd also make the vanities have storage.  They could be white or dark/antique cherry.  Mostly, I love the feel of this bathroom--so light and bright!

I'd like a deep tub that is long enough to stretch out your legs in, like this one:

I'd like the sinks to have higher, arched faucets.  Just in case you wanted to fill something tall or water a plant.  Something like this, but with less modern handles.

Handles like the one below, faucet like the one above.

Cabinetry would be pretty in a dark/antique cherry or in white.  Countertops/sinks white.  Wall color would be a nice pale blue green.

To Do List (a work in progress)

Here is a proposed list of changes to make at the new house.  Top priority items are highlighted.  Top priority items are ones that need to be done prior to moving in.  It would be good to get as many other items done as possible, as our current budget allows.

Exterior of house: 
Modify front facade (see post http://weschhouse.blogspot.com/2011/06/rethinking-front-facade.html)
Two story addition to south + screened porch with roof deck
New siding (white clapboard look, cement fiber board?)
New roofing (slate gray, steel roofing.)
New windows, where needed.
New exterior door on basement entrance.
Any exposed foundation given a limestone facade.
Repair/replace the brick on the chimney of the 1960s addition?
Repaint the original chimney?
Blow insulation into exterior walls.

Garage:
Repair damaged gutter, corner of garage.
New siding on front facade (to match house).
Paint top siding white.
Paint brick white.
Paint (or replace) garage door.

Brick Garden Shed:
At minimum, clean and repair gutters.
May need new roof

Basement:
Convert the "shop" into a mudroom with stairs up to the new kitchen.
Mudroom should have space for chest freezer, pantry storage, recycling center, hooks for coats, places for shoes, hats, gloves...
Create TV room in basement.
Improve laundry room (place to fold/hang laundry)

1960s Addition:
Convert to kitchen with room for informal dining and seating for entertainment.

Dining Room:
Replace carpet with hardwood or tile
Remove paneling.
Deal with chipping paint on window seat--lead paint concern.  Should seat be replaced?
Add built-in storage
Add wainscoting.

1938 Kitchen:
Leave as is for now.

1938 Living Room:
Add wainscoting.
Repaint.

Foyer:
Remove paneling.
Add wainscoting.
New flooring.
Add windows around/above doorway to increase light.
Add doorway into new south addition.

Stairway:
New carpeting.

Den:
Expand into new South addition to create a main floor guest bedroom and full bath (handicap accessible.)
Stackable washer/dryer hook up?
Make a half bath accessible to public.

New Addition (main floor):
West part will be new guest room.
East part (off of foyer) will be small library/den space.  Lots of bookshelves.

Screened porch (addition): 8 to 10 feet wide
Designed so that windows can be added later, if needed.


Upstairs:

NW bedroom:
Redecorate.

Existing full bath:
Leave alone.

2nd Story Addition (Master Suite Extension) 8 to 10 feet wide
Master bath including: small pattern, black and white flooring, deep rectangular tub with rounded corners, separate shower, toilet with dual flush, separate space for toilet with door (and ventilation), vanity with double sink.
Separate closets with built in storage.
Small seating area and/or area for treadmill

Attic:
Insulate attic floor.
Remove insulation from attic ceiling? (as suggested by inspector.)

Additional:
Update heating and cooling system
Update electrical where needed.

Siding Options

The existing siding on the house is a shingle style.  It may be original to the house (1938).  It needs to be replaced.  So, we need to explore our options. I like the look of wood clapboard siding.  It seems traditional and fitting with the style that we're trying to go with.  But, neither Mike nor I are keen on repainting the house on a frequent basis.  Or dealing with rot if the wood isn't painted and sealed properly.  So, another option would be vinyl, but we don't want to deal with it becoming brittle and breaking.  Aluminum siding can get dented, a big consideration in our area (with hailstorms.)  My first choice, at this point, would be cement fiber siding.  It doesn't rot and can be prefinished.  I just did a bit of research and found that there is also steel siding.  I don't know much about that yet.  I'm looking forward to discussing this with our architect/builder team.