When we received the initial call from our client, she stated she WANTED to love her house, but “right now it is a big brown box”. She hated the exterior and had a list of what she’d like to see changed.

In fact, the collection of design images she liked was quite extensive and just as varied! Our client didn’t know how all these ideas could be sorted out and even which ones were do-able. She had pictures – but lacked one cohesive vision.

Luckily, we’ve been doing this for over 30 years so we’re well-versed in reviewing a list of disparate design concepts and finding the “string” that ties them all together.

This project was a renovation without additions, except a new front porch. The exterior renovations were done first and have been recently completed. Enjoy the before and after photos! (The interior renovation project will begin soon.)

In discussing what styles she and her husband liked, we noticed that quite a few of the images she shared with us contained Craftsman style details, so we used this throughout our design.

We added 3 new roofs: over the new front porch; over a new box bay window at the living room; and at the garage doors. For these 3 roofs, we used metal roofing to act as an accent material. Wooden brackets at the garage roof match the posts and beams of the front porch.

Our client liked different styles of siding and wondered if we could incorporate more than one and still maintain a natural flow. We used clapboard siding along the main level, shingle siding at the upstairs level and board and batten siding at the top levels under the roof overhangs and at the garage.

One of the first things you would notice on the original house were the narrow windows. Every window was less than 2 feet wide. Replacing these with large windows delighted the homeowner with an abundance of light brightening the interior.

While keeping the overall composition of the exterior balanced, we were mindful that the size of each window matched the purpose of each room. Where we placed each new window would naturally affect the furniture placement in the rooms. We also considered what future design changes we would implement when we worked on the interior.

And speaking of windows, the master bedroom used to have a balcony, but it was too small to even fit a chair. It didn’t serve a real purpose and was never used. It was removed and replaced with large bright windows.

The entry to the house had just a platform and steps with no roof covering. Our clients wanted an ample porch they could use comfortably. Our 8 ft deep porch design gave them a comfy place to sit and relax, with room for a small table and chairs if they wished to use them. The porch is Craftsman style with stone piers and timber frame construction.

In the back of the home, they had a two-level deck with an unfortunate placement of the stairs. The stairs to the lower level were way off to the side, creating two disjointed spaces. In our design, we featured a large, centrally located stair that joins the 2 spaces and integrates them, so they work together as a cohesive whole.

Lastly, there was a room off of the deck that had been a screened in porch. We redesigned it as a four-season room they can now use however they wish, all year long.

The big brown box is now a memory, and our clients are excited about the upcoming interior work. It all starts with a phone call – even if you are years away from starting, it’s never too soon to have a conversation.

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