Need some ideas for outside of home (porch detail, paint, etc.)

[Scrantonluna]

Hello. I don't even know what you would call this house, probably a cottage but a very old addition and slopey roof give it an almost-bungalow look. My wife and I have just finished a bathroom remodel, are starting a kitchen remodel, and are thinking about what we will do with the outside of the home.

I think we may switch from the iron porch railings to a wooden set, and either repair or replace the columns. I know it's hard to tell due to the tint my camera is putting on the house, but it's white with brown trim. We were thinking maybe charcoal trim with a red front door, but that's still up in the air.

The roof will be replaced this spring, any ideas there? I don't know if you can see it, but the roof changes from shingles to a rubber roof over the porch, and I'd like to clean that up a little. It just doesn't look too great.

The style of the house, on the inside, will be a mix of 20's and 30's styles, with modern elements mixed in where appropriate. Not an accurate reproduction of any one movement or period, but maybe a sampling of the best of the pre-war era. I'll post a sneak peak of the bathroom we just completed to give you an idea. I'm also going to be installing reproduction push button switches throughout the house and a mechanical 'twist' door bell. We like craftsman, mission, and art deco styles.

Let me know what you think, and thanks in advance. If this should be in another section of this forum, please let me know.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/streetshot1.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/streetshot2.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/bath11.jpg

[annielinz]

Welcome, what a darling home, love the bathroom.
Your ideas sound like you are on the right track, a red door would be great!

[shabbychick]

Oh, your house is beautiful! I think your instincts are right about replacing the metal railings with wood. Have you considered a metal roof? I like the bathroom remodel. I agree that a red door would be a nice touch. Actually, with white paint and charcoal trim, any color of door would be a neat pop of color.

[Scrantonluna]

Thanks for the compliments, I'm guessing you're looking at the bones of the place, because it still needs a lot of work. It's a very, very old house. So old, that even the addition is double board construction.

I have thought about a metal roof, but they tend to look better on big homes where you can't really notice the seams, especially if you're going with a stamped detail roofing panel (spanish tile, slate, etc.). The cost is usually higher, too, and we're trying to not eat up too much of the budget on single projects. Right now the plan is a black architectual shingle. I'm hoping that the roofers will have a better idea than the 'rubber waterfall' that is connecting the porch roof at this point. I would be happy with some copper flashing or something similar, if that's what's needed to keep the ice from damming up there, just to get rid of that rubber hump.

As for the porch itself, we're thinking about a nice, wide trim around the front door, and beadboard on the ceiling. The door we're looking at is from Lowes, it's a colonial red with a leaded light, broken up into three squares across the top. I don't know if we will be able to remove the wrought iron railing support in the center of the front, between the two posts; if we can't I suppose that will become a wooden column as well. I'd rather not block the view, but I know many bungalow owners complain of a porch roof sag due to the lack of a column for the sake of front windows. The stairs might become wooden as well. I'm torn as far as new house numbers, either craftsman carriage house or the style with the 7s with the lines through them. The porch light will either be art deco or a craftsman lantern. I suppose one will determine the other.

By the way, what would you call it? Bungalow? Cottage? Other?

[Lynzee]

Welcome Scrantonluna! Your home is lovely ~ and the bathroom remodel is beautiful.

I love your ideas. I think replacing the metal railing with wood would be a very nice touch. Love the color theme, too. The red door would really make it pop! And I think the black shingle roof would be perfect if you go with the color scheme you are thinking about.

[Scrantonluna]

Again, thanks for the compliments.

We've really poured our attention into the backyard the past two summers, other than a small landscaping upgrade to the front, which you can't see in the winter anyway. I'll post some pics below. I'm hoping to have the interior completely wrapped up by mid summer or so, and then the porch and exterior into early fall. Other than the kitchen, the house only needs a few touch-ups here and there - better millwork around the doors, some spackle, and we're upgrading all the hardware to oil rubbed bronze.

We may go ahead and replace the wrought iron porch roof support with a wooden column to match the others, as I mentioned; I think this will make the house seem wider and bigger than it is, and give more depth to the porch.

Anyway, here are the backyard pictures, which some of you who are also in a cold climate this time of year will enjoy. It's pretty much done except for some upgrades that will match the new front porch and three of these art deco wall sconces we will be installing for added light:

http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/736916/736916550673md.jpg


http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/patio/DSCN0488.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/patio/DSCN0492.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/patio/DSCN0491.jpg

[annielinz]

Your backyard is beautiful. Love what you did around the pool. We have an above ground pool and wish we had done a deck around it or at least wood steps to get in instead of the rickety ladder we have now. May have to show DH. Love the pop of red in the yard, right up my alley.

[chyna]

I think a wooden column to replace that flimsy metal one would really add to the charm of the porch. I'm thinking more of a farmhouse cottage for the style of your house. You could add architectural details to the porch also and carry it off. Gingerbread or even something more craftsman or art deco/neuvo (sp?). The gingerbread would open a big can of worms though but a few touches here and there would be nice. Heck even some scrollwork would be neat. Guess I'm telling you that you have a blank slate there. Do you have any pics of what it looked like when it was built or are there any houses similar to yours in the neighborhood? That would be a good place to start to get an idea of what you could be missing or could do.

Nice bathroom, I do love those black and white floors. :)

[Scrantonluna]

Chyna, the only old photo I have is from a 1968 tax assessment, and it looks almost exactly the same as when I bought it. There is nothing like it in the area, and I've been glancing across real estate listings for three years now, never coming across even a distant cousin. During the bathroom remodel, I found evidence that the home had been added onto, but even the addition was double board, so who knows how old the thing is. The main part of the house could have easily been built as early as 1860. Regular studded construction would have been in use by the 30s, so you have to figure the addition would have been 1920s at the latest. It must have been a coal miner's home, or an early settler to the area.

I agree with you as far as the farmhouse cottage look, that's probably what it would most resemble with an extra wooden column in the front. Maybe a couple hanging baskets... Whatever it decides on being, I just want it to have a vintage feel. I'm thinking a wide banister for the porch railings, with a squared picket. Wooden front steps as well.



Annie - I'm not that fond of the pool. If it wasn't there when I bought the place, there would be a pergola or a small gazeebo there now. I hope to get a little more use out of this season, but I'm always working. Red must be our color; the accents will carry out to the front of the house with the new door, and also some refreshed wicker furniture in espresso with red cushions.

[annielinz]

I feel the same way about my pool:), but my DH loves to float in it during the summer. It needs to be real hot for me to climb up the ladder and get in. At least yours looks nice.

[Breezy]

Hi Scrantonluna ~ nice to meet you!
Love the pics you posted. I'm not quite sure what style of house you have there but it's certainly charming.
Your idea of gray trim with black roof and red door sounds great. Your porch is lovely and looking at that pool makes me wanna jump right in.
Your bathroom redo is very nice and I love the black/white floor ~ tub too!:)

[WannaBHomemaker]

I like your house too! (Except i would feel crowded all the time if I lived there). I totally agree with a "pop color" on the front door, boxing in the iron column/brace and redoing the railings in wood. I like your idea of putting wide trim around the door - if you do that, you should do that to all the windows on the front too. Maybe a nice gray or cream color - then paint the trim on the house that same color. It's definitely a "blank slate" right now.
The bathroom looks great! love the floor! I like the outdoor sitting area too - those cushions look comfy!

[Gigi]

Welcome and thanks for posting pics! I personally love the railings the way they are---it seems they are making a come back- I really like the post too :o-- so on that note I can't help decide about the railings. But I do know a new roof, siding color, etc... would make your cottage/bungalow super charming!

[Daffodil]

Love your home! The bathroom is gorgeous and the backyard is very inviting. What about widening the front steps so you could move the second post closer to the middle, thereby removing the need for the metal post? I don't know if that would throw off the proportions of the front porch, or if it would be cost-prohibitive, but it's a thought.

[Scrantonluna]

We thought about moving the front steps around, but nothing we came up with would really work - it's still on the drawing board though. Definately not keeping the wrought iron, there's too much of it in the neighborhood. Just about all of the older houses around here got the same treatment at the same time - mild texture stucco and wrought iron rails.

Thought I would post some things that could help narrow down the age of the house. First would be a couple shots of the wood trim in the master bedroom, the only room that has escaped with an original door, plaster, and all it's trim intact. The rest of the house was not so lucky. If anyone knows of a company that is reproducing this rounded block molding, please let me know asap. I might decide to put it elsewhere in the house.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/curvedtrim1.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/curvedtrim3.jpg

[Scrantonluna]

Next we have some real interesting shots, of wallpaper I found while ripping out the bathroom walls. The thing about the wallpaper is that it was glued directly to the double board, as in it was under the plaster. I am fairly sure that this would pre-date even the wood trim in the bedroom. This paper, in what seems like two different styles, should be from the original era of when the house was first constructed.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/oldpaper1.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/oldpaper2.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/oldpaper3a.jpg

[Scrantonluna]

Style two

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/oldpaper3.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/montclairemotors/oldpaper4.jpg

[Scrantonluna]

By the way, for anyone interested in buying a clawfoot tub like mine, I believe they are still on special at dreambathinternational.com We saved like a grand to $1500, and it's an acrylic tub, so you get the look without the weight.

The tile I got from Lowes, but it's discontinued. It took me about 5 weeks to track down a couple cases they had in back stock, and I had to get it shipped up from West Virginia.

[Scrantonluna]

This pattern is from the 1870s, and is the closest I can see out there, at least in google-land. What do you think? Certainly not the same, but very, very similar.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2884781556_9a116ab5d1.jpg?v=0

[Gigi]

What beautiful moulding- love the curve- very charming.

And look at the treasures you are unfolding with the wallpaper, etc... Love that you are able to share the pictures...

You must just love this cottage!

[chyna]

I would forward the pics on to a wallpaper historical group and see what they say. I believe the Smithsonian has a dept just on wallpaper alone. did you save any of the scraps? What a great find!

As for the plans for the front porch railing, it sounds lovely. I would love to see stone steps on your house but those are priiiicey!!! Wood steps would be nice too. How exciting to get to make some changes to bring back some of the character of your house.

there should be some sort of company that can make copies of that trim, my brain is stalling htis morning so I can't think of what to look under in the yellow pages. :o It seems almost Art Nuv(sp???) with the curves instead of squared. Interesting, very interesting. You've got yourself one giant mystery of a house there. :D

[Danske]

Your home is wonderful! The backyard looks so relaxing!

[Scrantonluna]

Unfortunately, as far as the wall paper, I was unable to save any of it. Whatever was left was the stuff that had been really glued down in the first place, and it was so brittle that any attempt to remove it just destroyed it. Rather than keep trying I grabbed the camera and saved what I could that way.

Stone steps? My wife wants slate in the worst way, so maybe it will happen. I'm also unsure what will become of the outdoor carpet - the porch is concrete underneath, which limits me a little. I could do the entire porch with slate tile, which I have to admit would be stunning.


Chyna, I'll have to see if I can find any historical wallpaper groups online. My mother paints now and then, I was going to ask her to try to duplicate the wallpaper which I could hang in a frame outside of the bathroom - art? history? all of the above. :)

I'm sure that I can have the corner molding reproduced, but I'm also sure it would be more than I can afford to do the proper number of doors and windows. Who knows though, someone may stock it, and that would bring the price down. I may try to set up a jig with my router, and there is also an architectual salvage yard nearby that I could try.

[Zuzu's Garden]

Another thought, Scrantonluna, would be to contact a business like Hannah's Treasures (http://www.hannahstreasures.com/bandboxes.asp). Perhaps they could tell you more about your wallpaper?

I have not seen this molding before - it's great! Perhaps this is a question that Cottages and Bungalows can answer! Hillary? Do you know anything about it?

Zuzu

[Daffodil]

The molding really makes me think 1930's art deco (hope I'm not mixing eras!). I don't know anything about wallpaper (I strip it wherever I see it!), but that looks really old. Did you mention before how old the house is? I'll go back and read your previous posts.

[Scrantonluna]

I'm going to have to spend a day down at the Recorder's office and trace the chain of title to see if I can figure out when the house was first built. From what I have seen so far, I would put the addition to the house at around 1920s or early 30s.

The wallpaper I found, combined with the fact of how it was applied, would certainly put the original build date of the home much earlier. The closest match I could see online was from the 1870s; a little more ornate than mine, but the leaf detail was right on.

Another point would be the nails, which are the old 'cut' kind (not round, they're actually squared off). Not too unique on their own, but they are also very soft and bendable, so they are old enough that they were not even hardened.

Then we get to the structure itself, which is more like a story and 2/3rds. Whoever built it was either vertically challenged, or everyone was smaller at the time of construction. I have an old hand drawn map of the area from 1892, and there were a few homes where my lot is, as it's along an old main road. I have found the map to be very accurate in the past, but it's hard to make out where my house would be if it's actually there or not. At least though, it proves that it's possible that the house could be that old or better.

[chyna]

They really glued those wallpapers down back then didn't they? :p When we remodeled our bathroom we uncovered some of the old wallpaper and I like you couldn't salvage it either. I do have a small piece in the built-in cupboard that I made sure not ot paint over. Must have been very pretty way back then. Mine was of a white swan and a black swan facing each other. Reminds me of the 50's or maybe earlier. Officially my house was built in 1930 but I have some suspicions that it was moved to that location in 1930 and is older than that.

Instead of putting down slate how about using some cement/concrete stain to sort of mimic that looks of slate? They do that alot on HGTV and they come out pretty well. That way you aren't raising the height of the floor therefore messing with steps and so forth. Also would be cheaper. :o:D

[Scrantonluna]

I found this online, it's an 1860s cottage - pretty close, huh?

http://baybrink.org/Gallery/albums/18_Seaview_History/Primary1.jpg

[Deb D]

Very interesting photos!

I'm guessing your house was was built between 1880 and 1900. That molding looks a little Art Deco, but I think it's older. It's similar to what I had in a house from the 1880s. It was real wide like that. The wallpaper pattern appears to not be influenced by Art Nouveau, which would make it pre-1900. The nails you describe could be from about the same time period.

What an adventure!

[Scrantonluna]

It's a shame, in doing the kitchen demo over the weekend I found a perfect outline of the same rounded trim in the pantry, so at some point all that beautiful trim was removed and replaced with the plain clamshell.

I'm tracing the chain of title, so I should get a definite answer soon, or at least close to it. The cottage I posted has a lot of similar attributes, most notably the 'story and 2/3rds' design. It's the closest match I have found anywhere, and it's undoubtedly in the same design family/era.

We're still playing around with ideas for the exterior. The latest I have come up with is to trim the windows with a slightly rounded pediment and quoins on the corners.

[Scrantonluna]

Update, looks like I have my answer! While I can't say when the house was first built, I can say that the lot was granted on March 4th, 1868! The next document I have is a deed change from 1880, and based on the dollar amount, I will say with certainty that there was a structure built by that point. Later documents describe the property as 'improved with a two story home, fruit trees, vines, and out buildings.'

Woohoo!

[Gigi]

Some very interesting finds on the history of your home!

[chyna]

Wow, good job finding out some of the history of your house! If you ever make it to Montana I should have you look into my house. Not nearly as interesting as your place but you are good. :)

[leslieg51]

Hi everybody,
This is my first time participating in this type of thing.....

We are in the process of purchasing a Victorian cottage in the East. We will have to remove the asbestos shingles and put some kind of new siding before we can paint. I am thinking of vinyl shake, so my first question is does anybody have experience with those?

I want to use the following colors on the house to make her stand out as a lovely "painted lady" (I am from SF).

Background color: yellow
porch: french blue
accent: white
2nd accent: coral

My question is about the coral. Where best to put it so as not to be too "circusy" (is that even a word?)?

Thanks for all your opinions,

[Gigi]

Very charming- what about a shade of coral/pumpkin? Ohh- it's going to be darling!

[leslieg51]

Hi Gigi,
Thanks for replying.

Yes, I do want to use coral for an accent color. I am wondering where best to put it.

I was thinking of striping the porch columns with it. What do you think?
The bulk of the porch columns will be the French blue.

thanks,

[yarborough house]

Hey Leslie,

Well nice house to begin with. I would say for historic sake do not put on vinyl anything. The siding on it looks fine just needs to be scraped a bit and repainted. Also, it is not a victorian as there is not enough ornamentation on it to be that. It looks like someone just added the scrolly brackets but they do not look like they go with the house as the rest is pretty plain. I'd say it is more of a cottage look but not victorian. On that note - if you go with a lot of colors to try to get a painted lady effect on a house that is not victorian you'll have a hard time not going over the line to being circusy as you said. Only a true victorian with tons of ornamentation and gingerbread can pull off all of those different colors.
That being said- I'd say pick an odd amount of colors I'd say 5 since you want to have some color going on..
Pick one for body,
one for major trim like window moldings and fascia boards
one for minor trim like sashes and bands on porch columns and shutters,
one for the door
and one for small accents like flower boxes or house numbers, etc

Just my opinion of course as we live in a historic district so see many houses.
I can go take some pics of houses that look like yours for inspiration if you'd like..
Can't wait to see what it all looks like...

[cheapdiva]

Leslie -

Welcome and you have a charmer there! I love coral - am in the process of remodeling our kitchen which had 3 shades from soft peachy to pumpkin. I'd do just the door in the coral - make it standout! You could add accents with planters (clay pots) or find fabric with some coral/yellow/blue/white in it to add cushions to chairs on your porch to tie it all in.

Please keep us posted on the updates!

[Gigi]

I was thinking the door coral too! I think that would be a nice accent- and make the door standout too!

[cheapdiva]

GREAT minds, Gigi!!!:D

[leslieg51]

Wow I love everybody's suggestions! Thanks!

By Victorian I mean that it was built in 1900. Whether or not it had more ornamentation at that time I don't know. There are no public records of its original house plans etc.

It is a pretty typical Victorian era style here in New England. You see this type of cottage everywhere in the oceanside and lakeside towns.

But I do understand that it is rather plain, but figure that I can fake the "painted lady" effect a bit. :-)

As for the siding, currently it is asbestos cement shingles, and you can't touch them for fear of releasing the fibers into the air. I want to get rid of them!!!!

I agree about vinyl not being aesthetically the best choice. However, that seems to be the standard siding again here in New England. What other choices would you suggest?

[CohenCottage]

Hardiplank is cement based siding. It looks much better than vinyl and will last forever. I've also seen lots of cottages with cedar shingle siding, but that wouldn't exactly lend itself to being a painted lady...

[leslieg51]

Oh ok.....................I have never heard of Hardiplank. thanks.

so it would come in a clapboard style? or shingles?

a lot of the same style house in Newport are being redone in cedar shake. It looks very nice, but creates a whole different style than Victorian. Definitely becomes Cape Cod.

I want to try and keep it Victorianish and a little different from the surrounding houses.

I will look into the Hardiplank.

[CohenCottage]

I believe that Hardiplank comes in different types. Ours is board and batten, but our neighbors have regular horizontal siding...

here is a link that might be helpful...

http://homerenovations.about.com/od/houseexteriorframework/a/hardiplank.htm

[vintage girl]

Your house is darling. I love the idea of making it a "painted lady". I have always wanted a victorian house. I lived in San Francisco for a few years and adorded the victorian houses. I am looking forward to your pics when you get started with the siding and paint:)

[leslieg51]

Thanks so much for your kind words. I miss the Bay, and so I thought it would make me a little less homesick, if I created my own painted lady.

As already mentioned by another reader, there isn't a lot to work with, but I am going to give it a try.

I am going to strip all the old paint off the floor and porch and inside as well. It has been a rental for a long time, and every time somebody moved, they just slapped another coat of paint on top.

[yarborough house]

I would recommend hardiplank and it is available in many different styles.

Also, a time period does not dictate the architectural style of a house. It was built in 1900 but that does not mean every house built in 1900 is a victorian. Not to offend but I was just saying that the house is not victorian it is more cottage with bungalow leanings. It doesn't have any ornamention to make it victorian- now exposed brackets at the roofline, no fancy window moldings or any corbels. And without all of that it will be hard to come across as a painted lady without looking out of place.

I will back off of this conversation as I am a historic preservationist - not it all has to go back to what it was but that historic homes should retain the architectural style they were given and I get a bit worked up when homes are changed to be something they aren't..so not trying to piss anyone off here and dont' want to...I just think it would be so pretty if it were done as what it is.

I am sure it will look nice no matter what and above all else it is your house and you have to be happy when you look at as you should.
Will watch to see what unfolds..good luck asbestos is a pain and I would hire someone to remove it if you do have it removed. Not a pretty thing to deal with.

[leslieg51]

Hi Tammy.......................

No, no, no................I didn't take ANY offense at what you said. I appreciate all opinions, and that is one reason to post on this thread.

As an historian myself, although not an architectural historian nor an expert in house restoration....................I was referring more to the date it was built.

As you know, the Victorian period spanned from Victoria's ascension to the throne to the beginning of WWI, so anything that occurred during those years is referred to as Victorian.

I totally understood what you were saying about my little house..............

Please, if you have the time, can you share with me your thoughts on what you think I should do to the exterior? I am truly open to any ideas.

Please don't back off...................I value your opinion.

Thanks, Leslie

[shabbychick]

I think your house is darling. I was thinking about coral on the porch columns as well since there are clearly delineated segments on them. I'm a big fan of lots of color and of things that look bright and happy, so to me, the combination of blue and coral on the porch columns wouldn't be circusy. The nice thing about paint is, if you don't like it, you can easily change it, so I'd say give it a try wherever you think it fits, then see how you feel about it.

[RoseMary]

What a wonderful house! I'm looking forward to seeing it with it's 'painted lady' look! Oh, and welcome to the forum!!!!

[Hillary Black]

Hi Leslie,

I love your Victorian cottage!

Here are a couple of thoughts I had:

1) I found this link re: asbestos/Maine -- not sure where your home is but it may help on your discovery path. Be sure to find out your area's guidelines for waste removal once you have it off of the house as well as whether or not you need to hire a certified professional to do the job in the first place. http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/asbestos/sidingremoval.htm

2) For color ideas, visit Robert Schweitzer's Historic House Colors at www.historichousecolors.com. You will love it! (He's a C&B contributor and recently worked with Benjamin Moore on a historic color palette.)

3) You may be able to find original photos of your home via the town's historic preservation group if there is one or via other research. A photo would give you clues for properly restoring the exterior. (Local preservation/historic groups are a great resource in general.)

Have fun!
Hillary

[Lynzee]

I love your house, Leslie! It's darling. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

Welcome, by the way. Glad you are here! :)

[leslieg51]

Hi Hilary,
Thanks so much for all that info. The house is located in Newport, RI., so there is definitely a STRONG historical preservation movement going on there.

I hadn't even thought of checking with the local historical society...........will do that next week when I am down there.

This house is a second home, so we won't actually be doing too much to it for a bit, but I have all my design boards and ideas lined up. Plus since I joined this forum, I have received the greatest suggestions.

And thanks to all the members who have welcomed me to this forum. I look forward to sharing the progress on the cottage.

Leslie

[yarborough house]

Leslie,

I would second Hilary on checking with the historic preservation group. They usually detailed inventory on the homes and could be a great help to you.
I'm not sure if your house is in a historic district but if so then sometimes it can qualify for tax credits on the work you do. Something to check into as it saves money. But they also have tons of information that can help including color and some resources on people who are good contractors for such projects.
Good luck and can't wait to see the transformation.

[vintage girl]

I think you have a lot of places to put some wonderful color on your house what with the porch columns, window sills, facia board (sp??) and even the roof. I love the idea of a great french blue. You could than add 2-4 more accent colors. I love the combo of blue, yellow, red, and cream. My house is tan, green and red. I love color and I personally feel that your house needs to be your haven and whatever color/style you want, you should go for. When we repained our house, I wanted to paint the stucco red, with tan shutters and green trim and roof. Hubs is not that bold, so I compromised with tan stucco, red shutters, green trim and green roof. I love it, but in the back of my mind, I wish I had gone for the more bold look. Hubs has promised that my next house will be red:D

[leslieg51]

Hi,
I love the colors you did choose for your house even if "hubs" didn't want the bolder ones.

My sister in AZ just bought her first house, and we re-did the whole thing (it was a foreclosed prop, so kind of a mess).

We replaced all doors, lights, and floors, and painted the whole thing.................looks awesome.

But we are going to do the outside stucco in a sage/armyish green with brown trim, and probably some strong accent color, too.

At this point, for the Newport house, I am looking at Woodland Cream Hardiplank, with French blue, antique white, and coral for accent colors.

I don't yet have free access to the house since we haven't closed yet, but as soon as we do, I will post pics of the inside too.

I have already started collecting the furniture though. It is a very exciting project.

[vintage girl]

I am really looking forward to seeing your pics as you progress through the renovation. I think your color choices are wonderful and the coral will look great with the french blue. Picking out furnishings is fun isn't it?? I love to shop:D

[vintage girl]

Leslie,

I was watching a show this past weekend on HGTV, I think it was "Buy and Sell", and it was about a Victorian Painted Lady that was for sale. It was gorgeous and was two tones of coral (light and darker), and french blue for accents. It was absolutely beautiful. I thought of you and your house when I was watching the show. How is your renovation going?

[Lea]

Hi, We recently bought a small lot with 3 small cabins on it. They are in need of painting but we are unsure if we should paint them 3 different colors or keep them in a similar color group. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[yarborough house]

Oh I'd paint them all different colors but complimentary so they flow but have their own identity.
How cute. What are you going to use them for?

[shabbychick]

If it were me, I'd paint them three different colors and redo the exterior of each in different trim colors and styles from the others (if you're up for redoing the trim too). I'd probably do the interior of each one differently, too, but I'm one of those people who thinks in themes and likes a lot of variety. What would make you happiest? If they're your cabins on your land, you should do something that makes you smile when you see them and makes you glad to come home.

[Lea]

Thanks for your ideas! Two of them are currently rented month to month and the third one we would like to keep and use ourselves as they are very close to the water. There are other homes behind them (that are quite a bit nicer) and these need to be 'spruced up'. We want them to look nice, but it's difficult coming up with 3 colors that won't make them look like a rainbow. We really like the cottage red color, but I wouldn't want to paint all three red, and don't know what I would paint the other two if we chose red. Another color option we are looking at is yellow.

[Lea]

Thanks again for your ideas! We will be painting them all, including the trim. We would like to add some shutters to them also and a large deck to the first one (closest to the water) and possibly the others. Since they are so small, we need some exterior space in the summer!

[yarborough house]

Oh how much fun.
So, you say you like red and yellow. Well green would go well with those so why not go with something like this:
#1 paint it red with white trim then maybe a yellow door and shutters
#2 paint it yellow with white trim and green shutters and door.
#3 paint it green with white trim and red shutters and door.

that way they would all cohesively go together but then not be identical and they'd be the colors you like..
I'd stick with more subdued colors not really bright so they work together.

[vintage girl]

Your cottages are absolutely darling! I think Tammy's color suggestions would be adorable. Or you could go with a more coastal look and paint them in blues, yellows and tans. Adding porches would be great. Especially since you and your renters will be spending most of their time outdoors. Outdoor wicker would look great with some pretty cushions to match the cottage colors. I am looking forward to seeing the transformation. Also, welcome to the forum:)

[katey]

Painting them with 3 different colors would be a great idea to have their own identity. You can paint them with your favorite colors.