Front door off-center

8 år sedan

Looking for suggestions to remodeling the front entry to the house. I like symmetry and it bothers me that the door is off-centered in the portico. The house is 34 wide- the left two windows are in a room that is 16 feet wide and the right side is 18 feet wide. I believe the portico itself may be centered, but it looks odd because of the gable and window placement. Looking for suggestions as to what may help this look better!

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acm

8 år sedan

Well, I think that if the gable were centered over the door, you might (a) interfere with the window above, and (b) feel like there was empty space to the left. Anyway, I'd do something like this:

With maybe a rocker in that space if there's room.

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Kommentarer (66)

Bruce Crawford
8 år sedan
We have double-door front entry, and I can't count the number of times being able to open both wide has made life easier.
J S
8 år sedan
Adding new doors and or side lite's would bring things more symmetric but it would be much more involved and come at a cost that imo won't bring the same in return. You've already received a number of good suggestions that would improve the curb appeal and give you the symmetry you prefer.

For small fixes my advice is to invest in a new door and hardware, a bench or swing, clear the tree stumps. add landscaping and the suggested white fencing. At the door a large potted tree or a climbing vine and trellis would be cost effective and help with symmetry and easily changed if or when you want to do something else. Be sure to bring the look to the right side of the house with some lattice a larger post and flowers. Maybe even an arbor.

IMO a front walk would give your house the most symmetry and curb appeal. You have the perfect architecture for a weather vane and brackets or open frame work at the gables. Besides be affordable and be a great look it would bring the eye up so that you see the house as a whole instead of stopping at the door. I found some pic's to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about. Good Luck. I'd love to see pic's when you're done or as you go.

The Rivendell Manor · Mer info

Classic Cottage · Mer info
farmhouse100 thanked J S
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harvey & Dot
8 år sedan
Can you do a front porch all the way across the front? I had a house like this once and put a front porch all the way across. LOVED it.
farmhouse100 thanked harvey & Dot
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harvey & Dot
8 år sedan
farmhouse100 thanked harvey & Dot
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
Ändrades senast: 8 år sedan
I would love to do a porch, but have to battle zoning since we are so close to the road. I will look into it though. I love those pictures you posted harvey & Dot. I'll play with photoshop and see what I can come up with. I have no idea on cost of adding a front porch. Maybe we could just do a little one. We are adding an addition and garage so it's already pretty involved with siding and roofing. Maybe it wouldn't be too much more to do the porch?
Jennifer K
8 år sedan
Your door is lined up with the window above it. So that section of the house has 6 evenly spaced rectangles. The issue is that the porch is not lined up with the door or window. @acm's solution fixes the problem nicely. Alternatively, you could either add a small decorative window next to the door to balance the porch, or extend the porch to the left side of the house.
farmhouse100 thanked Jennifer K
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
J S Great ideas, and thank you for the visuals! I just recently thought of the idea of adding crown trim to the windows. The other ideas you had would go right along with that! I also agree a front walk is completely necessary and long overdue. We plan to do one to the road, and one to the new garage/parking area.
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
Jennifer K Interesting ideas- thank you! I had not considered the porch that way. I'm going to save that one to my piles of ideas!
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan

Here is a really rough idea of what the addition and garage might look like...
acm
8 år sedan
Ok, PHotoshop is fun. Here's the shrunken gable solution. I sort of hate the double doors, but if it has bonus functionality for your, then maybe...
farmhouse100 thanked acm
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
I LIKE the smaller gable! This whole time I've been thinking bigger...but I actually think the smaller might look better! Thanks for the perspective!
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BeverlyFLADeziner
8 år sedan
farmhouse100 thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
If we decide to go two story with the addition, then we could center everything and it would be VERY symmetrical. This decision comes down to budget! Another one of my VERY rough photoshops

...
Jennifer K
8 år sedan
I vote for the single story addition. The two-story addition looks like a rooming house.
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
I agree Jennifer K. We really don't need all the room. I just like the symmetry ;)
Bruce Crawford
8 år sedan
Going hog wild now. I actually like 2-story rendition. You show new portico centered over door. What flashed in my mind is a 2-story portico following lines of roof gable covering door & 5 windows in center section. That would give colonial feel & the area where you are seems very amenable to colonial. Then it wouldn't look like a lodging home either.
farmhouse100 thanked Bruce Crawford
katinparadise
8 år sedan
I realize I'm late to the conversation but after looking at the photoshop of your addition, I was thinking that a shed roof porch over your door and two windows to the right of it would give you a real farmhouse feel. It would also eliminate the worry about keeping the portico peak low enough to clear the windows.
farmhouse100 thanked katinparadise
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JudyG Designs
8 år sedan
Ändrades senast: 8 år sedan
The door isn't off-center...your house has a distinct Greek Revival Farmhouse look. Try replacing what is there with a period look front entry.

Greek Revival Vermont Farmhouse · Mer info
Crisp Architects · Mer info
farmhouse100 thanked JudyG Designs
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
Bruce - that is surely a lovely idea! Wish something that extravagant was in the budget!

katinparadise- I like the idea of the shed roof (I had to google that!). I'm trying to piece a picture together on my photoshop but having a difficult time. I will post one if I can make it look halfway decent. Definitely an idea I want to explore!

JudyG Designs- thanks for the pictures!! I absolutely LOVE that first one! I will research that style and see what I find. Thank you!
decoenthusiaste
8 år sedan
I'm thinking the shed roof porch would work best if zoning allows. Right now, your little portico gable does not replicate the angle of your large gable, or of the one you're considering adding to the side. So it looks like a stick-on afterthought.Try mocking up your two versions of additions with a long shed room porch covering the front door and two windows. That will really keep the farmhouse feeling too.

for your facade
Addition to a 720 square foot home - Contemporary Farmhouse · Mer info

For the back of the house
Traditional Porch · Mer info
farmhouse100 thanked decoenthusiaste
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
Does the shed roof look funny if it only goes part-way?
decoenthusiaste
8 år sedan
I think it will be fine if it extends the full width of the upstairs roof gable. Pretend the photo I added is just the gable portion of your home. It should cover your door and the two windows right of it.
farmhouse100 thanked decoenthusiaste
katinparadise
8 år sedan
I'm with deco on the size of the shed roof. It would do a good job of making your entrance the focal point of your facade. I hope you can mock something up in photoshop.
farmhouse100 thanked katinparadise
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
I'm trying- but it's just not looking right! I'll post it once I get it ;)
PRO
Revolutionary Gardens
8 år sedan
Your door is "right" in terms of lining up with the windows. I wouldn't get too wrapped up in symmetry because if you draw a centerline from the roof peak down to the ground you'll see that your whole grouping of five windows and a door are off the center axis (and not by a tiny amount). I think JudyG has the best suggestion so far.
farmhouse100 thanked Revolutionary Gardens
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
This is the best I've got so far!
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan

Here is a more flat roof- more Greek Revival I guess?

What do you guys think?
decoenthusiaste
8 år sedan
For the farmhouse look I prefer the shed roof. You might try it all across the two story portion just to see. I think the picket style railing would look nice, especially with a picket fence.
D'Urso Landscape Design · Mer info

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farmhouse100 thanked decoenthusiaste
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JudyG Designs
8 år sedan
Here is a perfect example:
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decoenthusiaste
8 år sedan
JudyG's house takes you right into the city - not a farmhouse, but beautiful!
farmhouse100 thanked decoenthusiaste
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
Ändrades senast: 8 år sedan
The original house did have the gable (or at least circa 1940s)- I'll attach a photo- but I think I like the shed roof better. The house was also white- which is something I am trying to get back to.
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
decoenthusiaste
8 år sedan
That's the right track - white farmhouse. The one with the red roof here has a modified shed with a gable over the entry. That might be more interesting.
My Houzz: Colorful Vintage Finds fill a Chic Modern Farmhouse · Mer info

Farmhouse Exterior · Mer info

Modern Farmhouse · Mer info
farmhouse100 thanked decoenthusiaste
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
Deco those photos are stunning. I feel like they're only possible in a dream!
decoenthusiaste
8 år sedan
You can achieve a lot of these looks on your home, but you may have to put the addition on the back burner. I would start with the house as it is now - paint and porch. If your roof is good for another 10 years, then match a metal roof to it for the porch. When you need to replace the house roof, or when you do the addition, you can match with metal like the porch. The last one is more like yours with the porch close to the ground. You can do it simply with those double posts, and avoid railing. Then do your picket fence and you'll have a great transformation.
farmhouse100 thanked decoenthusiaste
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
Ändrades senast: 8 år sedan
The house is vinyl. Would you consider painting the vinyl to achieve the white? The old white clapboard is underneath, but not sure the condition and I doubt there is insulation!

I definitely want to do the addition this year, but hope to accomplish the other issues at the same time. It may take us all summer, but we've already lined up the financing and we've been planning for nearly three years!
decoenthusiaste
8 år sedan
Ben Moore is a "Houzz approved" paint company and evidently they have paint for just your situation.

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/for-contractors/vinyl-select
farmhouse100 thanked decoenthusiaste
Jennifer K
8 år sedan
Vinyl is a nice low-maintenance finish. Painting it leads to a high-maintenance finish. I wouldn't paint vinyl unless it were a truly egregious colour. You can have a really nice farmhouse just by adding a porch with a shed roof.
Bruce Crawford
8 år sedan
My new K & LR windows are vinyl on the outside and our fenstermacher used a special Sherwin-Williams paint formulated specifically for vinyl. I'm hoping they're not high maintenance! I learned of special blend b/c color we used on windows was not available as std. color for stucco blend we needed for the surrounds so they made a special mix to match for my surrounds.
katinparadise
8 år sedan
I really love the shed roof. It definitely accomplishes the farmhouse feel you were hoping for. I hope you'll keep us informed of your progress.
farmhouse100 thanked katinparadise
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
decoenthusiaste
8 år sedan
Nice! That's what you need to do! Full steam ahead!
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JudyG Designs
8 år sedan
Greek columns in the '40's picture.
decoenthusiaste
8 år sedan
Yes, I think you'll get a better farmhouse look with square posts rather than round ones. Just make sure they are beefy enough.
farmhouse100 thanked decoenthusiaste
farmhouse100
Författare
8 år sedan
I passed the photo along to our contractor and architect. Looking forward to hearing their feedback and seeing what the zoning board says. Thank you for your input everyone. If anyone has any further ideas or thoughts, please feel free to comment!
decoenthusiaste
8 år sedan
Let us know what they say, and certainly post pix of your makeover!
farmhouse100 thanked decoenthusiaste
katinparadise
8 år sedan
Yes-definitely keep us posted!
Valerie Gorman
8 år sedan
Ändrades senast: 8 år sedan
Honestly, I love how this little bit of railing and a hanging plant posted by acm completely fixes the awkward unsymmetrical appearace. Excellent idea!
G
8 år sedan
i would do round columns and replace the attic vent with a window. Your house looks more like a greek revival, try to play up that style.
clearyam
17 dagar sedan
What program did you use to create/design the additional to your house? Thanks