#3 makes the most sense. I think the ceiling rule is silly. There are all sorts of "rules" that make little sense in some circumstances. #2 with two different curtain heights looks off to me.

Don't do those short rods!

Avoid the height issues with a cornice? (I know, they're out, but there were reasons for them.)

I'd remove it, it's not providing useful storage. Do you use the counter space? That might make a difference. Once you've updated your kitchen, having them flow better might be good. Currently there's a view into a meh kitchen and separation looks good, but with a wow kitchen or even a pretty nice one, separation won't be as important.

@thinkdesignlive: That's a great idea, but I would recommend a beautiful wide sideboard rather than a continuation of cabinets--just to add more elegance to the dining end.

Lots to chew on. Thanks to everyone for their advice - much appreciated.

The thing about trendy colors in appliances is that they often go out of fashion. Dishwashers last about 10 years. In 10 years, you'll almost certainly be able to get a new stainless steel DW, will you be able to get a new black stainless one? I'd say the chances are 50-50.

I don't find my stainless steel fridge to be too shiny and AI always shines/glows up everything. I will note that in the pic with the stainles fridge, there's a cabinet in the corner and very little counter space beside the stove.

Also, the fridges have different proportions in the two pics and I doubt that they both exist in real life. You should check all the measurements of your space and the cabs and appliances you plan to put in, because the pretty pictures may be quite off.

Your fridge, DW and range do not have to be the same finish.

You can easily do a black stainless fridge and dishwasher and make you range regular stainless as long as there is some separation between them. Use the range as the brighter star of the show and let the darker fridge fade to the background.

Use some stainless - faucet, lighting, knobs or pulls to relate to the range.

Ever see a kitchen with a red range? Could easily be overkill if they did all the appliances in red.

hard to find pictures, but these both mix black stainless and stainless.

You need a better picture. One that is not shadowed and which shows the spaces you want us to comment on. I certainly can't see a concrete patio. Maybe you need to wait a few days to get the right weather and light to take good pictures, but you're not going to get good advice with the picture you have now.

Local stone is always appropriate. So granite for eastern Mass, bluestone for western Mass/Berkshires.

Ooo! If you are replacing your driveway, patio, and steps, consider installing radiant heating and never again having to shovel snow. I love ours. Don't assume it will be expensive to install or to use; get actual prices. Best move you could ever make. Ours failed only once in 20 years and that was when heavy ice followed snow. We called it snowcrete locally. In that case, when I broke through the ice the driveway had melted the snow next to the concrete but there was that snowcrete dome over top of an air pocket.

Also consider stamped concrete for driveway, patio, and steps...all one material looks so much nicer than asphalt this and stone that. You can get concrete in any color though the world may only accept some form of grey. Still, with your blue house, you could add less beige to the grey.

Our house used a slate texture for the bulk of the driveway and patios with a brick-look pattern stamped into the edges. The slate texture is not slippery and has aged well. Just throw it in the possibility mix.

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I'd go with velvet.

Cotton, linen or a blend of the two would be most comfortable in a warm humid climate. That’s what I chose for the upholstery in my vacation home on the east end of Long Island in New York. I saved velvet and chenille for my primary residence used mostly in the cooler/cold months.

Thank you. Yes I would never use velvet on the water . But I do love it. In south Texas we don’t have a lot of cold weather anyway.

Frankly, if given a choice between adding something and taking something away, I'd vote for the latter. I think it's great the way it is, but if it were my house, I'd remove the books and plants.

The chest is interesting and looks good in that space. The right mirror, with a thin frame, could go over it as @Maureen showed. The painting is too large for that area and should be placed where it isn’t squished onto a wall.

I always like a small interesting lamp on an entryway piece, which also lights the stairs at night.

I really like your style, especially the lidded vase on the left! Its rounded shape and intricate decoration bring so much character to the arrangement, and it pairs beautifully with the antique chest.

I’d keep both the chest and the painting. My only change would be to remove the two plants on the right and see how the arrangement feels with that space left open. If you still want a finishing touch, one slender brass candlestick could work without competing with the artwork.

Your vase reminds me of the timeless Chinese porcelain pieces I discuss in my Prime Estate Spaces video—decorative accents that remain beautiful through changing design trends: https://youtu.be/PoZYuVMbVXQ

I think you need a structural engineer. The door to the dining room is going to be a function of where it can be put. Is that wall load bearing? After that, figure out where the bathroom will go.

What are you going to do with the garage doors? Will they stay, be walled in with some windows, be replaced with all-glass doors? Is it going to look like this:

Garage Conversion ADU Sacramento, CA · More Info

or this:

My Houzz: Couple's Two-Car Garage Becomes Their Chic New Home · More Info

General contractor here. Sigrid is right about the structural engineer, and here's the build-side checklist for the garage itself:

Slab: Garage slabs are usually thinner than house floors, sloped toward the door, and sit lower than the main floor. Plan on building the floor up with insulation and subfloor to match the house level.

Garage door opening: Filling it in needs real framing and support at the base, not just studs and siding. It's also where the exterior look gets decided, so plan windows or glass there on purpose.

Bathroom: Putting it on the kitchen-side wall is the right call. Plumbing in a slab means saw-cutting it for drain lines, so shorter runs save real money. A slab also makes a zero-entry shower easier to recess than a raised wood floor does, though it means chipping concrete, so budget for it.

Dining-room opening: Confirm whether that wall is load-bearing before you decide where the door goes.

Code: A bedroom needs a code-size egress window or door, smoke/CO alarms, heating and cooling, and energy-code insulation. Some cities also require replacement parking. Call your building department early, since rules vary by city.

Get drawings and the engineer's input first, then design the layout around what the structure allows.

The bedroom door should not have direct access to the Dining, there should at least be a "vestibule/ante room" or short hallway. The garage slab appears to be lower than the house, so a step/ramp, raising the floor elevation, and if there is conflict with the ceiling height and front wall height because of one of those choices, should be planned for.

Try a gel stripper.

I don't think you are dealing with an 18th century floor there. My guess is maybe early 20th century. Even if it has been covered by carpeting for the last 50 years, three coats of paint really isn't very many, and old houses don't have subfloors. If there isn't a ceiling, you can look right through the cracks from underneath.

So I'd do a small section first, to see what you are really dealing with. If you decide to go through with the project, do it when the summer humidity has swollen the wood as much as possible. That will shrink the cracks. I don't know if it is still summer where you are.

Is a professional lead abatement specialist unavailable?

The roof is being replaced black/dark grey

My cedar-shingled house is over 100 years old. Many of the shingles are original. When we got it painted, the painter replaced the shingles that needed replacing. That's probably cheaper than residing the whole thing. I'd look pretty hard at your shingles and see if they really do need replacing.

If your room is not square, you want to use some graph paper to draw it and measure each wall. Then, you make squares, multiply length x width in each square and add them up.

13 year old post......................

Can you move the hot water heater? (I presume that's the "HW" in the circle). If so, you might be able to move the sinks partly into the low storage space. People need full height to stand in front of the sinks, but the sinks don't, themselves, need to be at full height.

At the risk of having my question ignored, how tall are these walls?

To be more specific on what is shown and the comments recently noticing, it appears the main bathroom has a 9'-0" ceiling and is 5'-8" wide. Then the shower and flanking closets are 3'-4" wide and under a sloping ceiling.

There is more space that can be captured. It varies depending on the placement/height of the kneewalls related to the roof slope and footprint of the room.

Only a portion of the main bathroom and portion of a shower are required to have a full-height ceiling. That ceiling can also be lowered to 8'-0", and the storage and toilet can be under a sloping roof.

I would agree that for a bunk room, a separate shower/toilet room accessed from a vanity room is appropriate and perfectly functional for simultaneous use.

Agree with Sigrid’s comment … ”garish” , but it would look sort of ”Christmas” .

None of them are the slightest bit realistic. How are you going to use the space?

None.

Function is important. I'd prefer two larger doors for the frig on top with two lower doors and freezer shelves with pull out bins below. 2-3-4 per side.

Given that your second floor is all roof, I'd be very careful selecting the material, since it's going to be essentially siding. In Maine, many mansard-roofed houses have siding on the vertical part.

I like the current colors a lot. I wouldn't have thought peach, maroon and brown would go well together, but on your house they do.

I would never do a black roof (although they are recommended on this site often).

Also to my knowledge a Mansard roof is 4 sided as in the pictures posted by @beverlydesignchick above. I would call your home a Gambrel style roof and would do it as suggested by @Emily

Your door is open - so what color is it?

The door is Lowes purchase off white.😂 We haven't painted it yet. Good call on the black paint. It gets fiery hot as it is.

I agree on the mansard thing, too. These low roof homes are listed as dutch colonials in my area. I think a lighter brown mix shingle and a brown door white white trim might do the trick. We are looking to sell in a couple of years so I just want to improve the curb appeal.

My sandy soil will not make a mortar when mixed with more sand. We did fire some clay pots we made with the clay soil we had previously, but they were fired in a wood-burning stove, and we had no idea of the heat required to make pottery or what heat the coals were.

Are klem1 and westes the same person?

Are klem1 and westes the same person?

No.

The first thing is to not change things that don't need changing. I tend to think that most floors are fine, unless they are worn or just awful, like pink shag carpet. If the color is neutral and the condition okay, skip the floors. If you need to change them, I found snap-together LVP every easy to DIY.

Many people DIY their painting. The trick is to do the insides of your closet first, then, if you make a few mistakes or do a beginner's job, you won't care that much.

The best way to save money is to focus on cosmetic changes and keep the existing layout wherever possible. A fresh coat of paint, affordable flooring, and updated cabinet handles can make a big difference without a huge investment.

DIY painting and simple installations can also help reduce labor costs. However, I wouldn’t cut corners on plumbing, electrical work, or flooring preparation, as fixing those issues later can be much more expensive. Get a few quotes and set aside some extra money for unexpected expenses.

As mentioned, you have a broad list/ Good to avoid duplications. The necessary step is to break it down into the seperate jobs. Then determine the materials needed. Look at each material to determine proper removal of the old and then the correct quality installation of the upgrade. When you are knowledgeable about the installation, you van evaluate after a little practice whether you need assistance for that one segment. This learning and tryout always pays you back if you decide on hiring someone. You can be much better at determining capabilities of workers.

It's an attractive house. I'd focus on keeping it clean, neat and the landscaped trimmed. The palm suggests that planting a few annuals for color would last longer than they would here, with the first frosts just around the corner. Some annuals under your palm and certainly two big pots flanking the door. Perhaps at the edge of the yews/boxwood at the end of the driveway.

If I was buying the first thing I would change would be the tacky balcony above the garage and that door becomes a nice big window. So clean it up make sure the interior is spotless and decluttered and move on

Add the missing shutter and power wash the driveway and brick. If the doors look shabby, then repaint. Your biggest issue will always be your price. We don’t see the inside. Declutter, clean and make sure the place smells nice.

Interest rates just went up, so that’s your biggest enemy. Be the prettiest, cleanest house on the market and you’ll get more lookers.

Start by decluttering. Then set up the sofa and cofffee table so that it's comfortable to use, which may mean getting rid of some sections.

I'd replace the shelves with a bigger unit that includes and drop-down desk for your office space.

Bookshelf · More Info

Or something like this

Comfortable Country Entertaining Home · More Info

If you get the right TV, you can use it as an extra monitor for your computer, when you use the office.

First empty it then a to scale floor plan I will say family movie night and sleep overs usually do not work together for sure not with teens .Ask the teens what they want IMO since this will be their space and honestly no office either . Gaming is a big thing for some teens that requires some different seating , and do not forget sleep spaces .

I’d start by clearing out the boxes, loose items and extra small furniture, including the white console beside the sofa. At the moment, the things behind and around the sectional are taking up a lot of usable space and pushing the seating into the middle of the room.

For everyday use, I’d keep the sectional in its most compact configuration, with any pull-out or reclining sections closed, and bring the coffee table closer to the seating while leaving comfortable legroom. I’d keep the main furniture to a simple combination: the sofa, coffee table, and a low media cabinet with the TV mounted above it on the opposite wall.

For the office, I’d explore placing a slim desk against the wall with the three pictures, behind the sofa, with a chair that tucks underneath. I can’t tell from the photos how much depth you have there or what those doors lead to, so this would depend on keeping the doors usable and leaving enough space to sit and walk through. If it fits, the sofa back would help screen the work area from the rest of the room.

Once the extra furniture is gone, I’d soften the room with full-length curtains at the windows, a compact decorative ceiling light suited to the ceiling height, and a table lamp for softer evening lighting. For the dark sofa, I’d choose larger cushions in warm ivory and deep teal, mixing a subtle pattern with textured plain fabrics, plus one soft throw. That would make the room feel more cohesive and welcoming for the whole family.

I’m an interior designer, and I made a video showing four different styles for the same living room while keeping the furniture layout the same. Once you’ve cleared the space and settled the practical arrangement, the examples could help you see how lighting, curtains, colours and décor work together to change the room’s character and choose a style that suits your family:

https://youtu.be/R-2ZyyBc6EY

Our composite steps match our painted wood porch. We matched the new steps to the porch when we had to redo the stairs. Then, years later, the porch needed painting and we matched the paint to the steps. So, whether composite steps with a painted porch will look okay is a function of matching the two. It's quite possible you could get a good look with a contrast between the steps and porch, too, but you'd have to get the colors quite right.

I live in Canada and composite decks get really slippery in the winter so steps might also get slippery . Maybe stone for the steps but who knows without pictures/

Digging in compost every year should inprove the structure of your soil. I presume you're starting with clay? Peat is a good soils amendment for clay. Rather than digging in mulch, you could try leaving it on the surface. This goes for any mulch --- straw, compost, wood chips, grass. That usually helps the soil underneath.

That's sensible. Pine mulch will decay in a single year, and suck all the nitrogen out in that year. Cedar can last four years underground, so it will pull nitrogen only a quarter as fast. No question that uncomposted material pulls nitrogen out of the soil, but what's important here is how fast that happens. Yes, I have 2 cubic feet dug into a 5x5 bed that I use for collards. As a green, they need nitrogen! But I think I dug in a pile of uncomposted leaves in that bed last year, and had no problems this summer.

hungryfarmer, you need to talk to daninthedirt, he had the same problem and similar question. Also ask klem1 and Kevin (outpatientzero spelled wrong), they are also soil experts just like daninthedirt. All seem like your brothers from different mothers!

Good thing garden"gal" is here to help you, she is such an expert, her spidey sense must have been tingling.

Good luck.

I like the brick.

I like the Black Fox paint on the garage door. More subtle than black-black. Your house is totally adorable.

I like the new garage & front door colors. The garage is nothing you want to look at necessarily so let disappear into the background.

ps: I did go read see your previous post and understand why you would make a new one regarding the same topic. That was no longer about you but a pissing contest between some posters. good job

This is what tablecloths are for. A plastic one if you're using something like acetone, an attractive cloth one for a damaged table. Etsy has many oval tablecloths and Pottery Barn has table throws and runners. Either will cost well under $1.5K. Or style the table with something big on the spot.

Vail Ski Haus · More Info

Eclectic White, Gray + Red Dining Room with Modern Light Fixture, Oval Dining Ta · More Info

The price for refinishing doesn't look unreasonable. The finishers would have to strip the table, probably restain the whole thing and then refinish it. It does not look like it can be retouched with good results.

You could get a product like Olde English and retouch it, which would make the stain less apparent (test the color of the product on the underside of the table), but not make the table look like new. Your best bet is probably getting a new top for it. In my area, finding a woodworker to make one with a higher quality wood would probably be less than $1500. YMMV.

This needs to be fully stripped and refinished. If it’s veneer, you will need to be careful not to over sand it. You can do this yourself, but it’s a big messy job and there is a learning curve.

I hope the "someone" has learned their lesson and is contrite.

Wrought iron railings with white wood porch railings is a very common and classic look. I have it in my 100yo house. Further, if you have a 90-something relative who needs to clutch the railing to get up your stairs (my house requires stairs no matter what door you use, it's on a rise) wrought iron is much easier to clutch than wood, because it's narrower. You may not have a 90-something relative, but you could have a family member with a sprained ankle or broken leg, who will thank you for keeping the wrought iron railings. Further, if you're starting to slip on icy steps, it's easier to grab wrought iron.

Which is why wrought iron railings are common on steps on houses with white wood railings on the porch --- the function of the porch railings is to prevent people from falling off the porch, the function of railings by steps is to provide support when needed. Thus, the narrow iron is more functional for stairs. Don't let anyone tell you they both have to match. That's just nonsense.

Can you wait to decide until after the steps/walkway are finished, as you’ll have a better sense of what will be complementary. I‘d aim for an uninterrupted flow and suggest adding posts as well. Think big picture.

If you walk around the house in barefeet and your bathroom floor gets a bit wet, you'll have a few footprints on a light floor. If people are super messy with soap or your water is very, very hard, maybe you'll have a few spots on a dark floor. Both of these problems can be resolved by getting your family to be less neat. If you have small kids now, they'll grow and you can get them to be neater. That said, for the most part, it won't make a difference and, on the whole, darker floors show less dirt/spots than lighter.

But is a dark floor like this going to be terrible to keep clean--show water spot, etc?

Based upon your title only, I was ready to say, No Dark Floor! But then I looked at your inspiration picture, and I find it calming and nicely balanced. Not cookie-cutter, not trendy, will stand the test of time. I like it. Really like it.

Do consider that you won't leave the floor "as is". You'l want floor mats to keep your tootsies warm, and water drops, etc. will end up on those mats (because those are the spots where you'll naturally stop /dry off).

It'd be smart to "test the waters" by bringing home a single piece of tile and dropping water, etc. on it to see how it looks.

Beyond the floor, looking at the image, I note that you can't reach a bath towel from the shower. Is this a new build? If so, you probably have the option to flip the window with the towel bar.

I can't make out the glass door's details well, but be sure you don't create a hinged door that'll block your access to the towels.

I also like the dark green towel, as it ties into the dark floor. You could use dark red or dark blue, but definitely go with DARK linens. The floor shouldn't be the lone dark item in the room.

You're thinking about pale green paint? Eh, I think I like the simplicity of the beige walls /beige shower tile straight ahead as you enter the room.

BUT, having said that, I love the image someone else shared late in the thread with the (looks like) handmade green tiles in the shower. If you go with a colored tile, perhaps go with the same color /different tone in the walls.

If you don't want to commit to green shower tiles, I'd suggest the same handmade tile (in beige) instead of the more simple tile in your inspiration picture. It provides more texture and more personality.

A very important detail: I don't see any storage at all in your shower. You need a niche, and you need more than that cutsie little 12x12 we always see in pictures. At a minimum, you want double that little 12x12. All things being equal, I'd like to see it at the right end (opposite the shower head) so it's not the first thing you see upon entering the room; after all, your big squirt-top shampoo bottles and shaving cream aren't the most attractive things in your bathroom, but you do want them to be convenient when you enter the shower.

Where's your trash can? I assume it's over by the toilet, and does that mean behind the wall? That's not the most convenient for a person using the sink.

I wish the sinks were smaller

Sinks plural -- no way. Stick with the one sink (centered) and allow yourself plenty of counterspace /a bank of drawers for each spouse. Storage beats a repetiative water source. What is popular is not always smart -- duplicate sinks are a perfect example.

The faucet seems to be squished in between the sink and the wall, and it looks like it'll be hard to keep clean /will require "flossing", which I hate. Alternates: If you go with an oval sink, you could place a one-hole faucet at the 10:00 or 2:00 position, giving you more space around the faucet. Or you could go with wall-mounted faucets, which mean nothing but clear cabinet when cleaning -- oh, imagine the wash rag just sliding along the countertop.

Also, there is lighting under the vanity - it has a motion sensor = nice for at night

This is a nice feature.
I'd look for a soft green/seaglass tile

Oh, that's a lovely color.

The sinks are big - fwiw we stayed an airbnb for a recent wedding and the master vanity had huge sinks (which i don’t understand since it’s mainly for hand washing/dental care/skin care) but because of that there was no place to set down the hair dryer, cosmetics when using etc - it was truly annoying.

Yep, you're backing up what I said about skipping the duplicate sinks.

The recommended way to move a tree is to cut the roots in a semi-circle at the width of the crown in the fall, then do the other semi-circle in the spring and transplant in the fall. If you want to save time, do just one semi-circle now and transplant in the spring.

"heh heh, you didn't screw up, you just changed your mind."

I like how you think! :0)

"...gave up having any confidence in a ten or twenty year plan, I just plant to the best of my ability and keep a saw handy. Life's too short to plant an oak and keep the space around it clear for decades until it finally fills in."

I never heard anyone say that before about trees, and I get it. I am this way with perennials -- I buy them big to begin with if I can, I have no patience or desire to wait for them to beef up, I want something to fill in and look at now, I'll just dig them later when I have to.

I agree, porkchop - I like the way kato thinks!

Although the saw part.... hmm I'm not sure about that. If I could remove or cut down things as easily as you, kato, my life would be so much easier lol. All those potted shrubs and trees would have been in the ground long ago and I wouldn't be such a worry-wart!

I think it's the part about "quick decisions" that has me wavering lol..... I can barely make slow ones!

:)

Dee

I'd go with a slightly darker olive than you have now for the paint. For the window trim, I might do a warm cream shading to a taupe. The black looks good with the AI glow, but I doubt it would look all that good in real life.

Yes, go black on the driveway. Paint the front steps, railings, front door and garage door black. Keep the windows and all the trim white.

I like the last pic all one color and IMO never white with brick

I'd email your local extension service. My parents had wells for the big oaks in their front yard. The wells are all filled and the trees are fine. You may find filling gradually will be okay, which would mean a less permanent retaining structure.

Yes to all of the above.

For clarity, I'll post this image to show the basic concept of how things need to be for tree to grow in a healthy manner.

I've personally found out, over the years, how important this is.

The root flare needs to be at or slightly above the surface of the soil.

https://www.bartlett.com/faqs/pine-tree-roots

It is very close to the foundation and roots could cause cracks in it.

My biggest concern would be the height, proximity to the house and lightening.

I'd do the garage door in the same color as the siding, with black as a second choice. I think your landscaping looks good. I might divide some of your plants to fill in the space so you don't need mulch. I'd consider pruning some of the lower branches from your trees.

Nope. Grey (same as siding color) garage doors and I would go Burgundy for the front door.

Homes look inviting when the focus is on the front door. White garage doors "pop" and draw the eye away from the front door. Black is better than white, but more closely matching the siding would be best.

Get away from the all-neutral and choose a real colour for the front door. Repeat the same colour in your landscaping and any porch decor such as a cushions on a chair. Burgundy would look good as suggested by @millworkman. Shrubs and ground covers with burgundy leaves would look great with it. Your older photo shows a burgundy-leaf tree, if it survived the reno.

You need to decide a purpose for it. I like libraries with quiet reading spaces. But who knows, maybe you need a room for sewing or carpentry.

Yes, the arrow would be the path of how you could potentially walk/run to the doors from the stairs. The left door too is accessible now, unless you don't need it . In that case a console table by the door and stairs can be useful too.

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You could also just keep it open with only a few furnishings. Your family’s needs may change and then you’ll will have a better idea of how you want this space to function.

I would never notice that the kitchen and bathroom didn't match. I don't expect them to match. The only way I would notice is if the entire house was a really boring greige and one room was different.

For example, if your kitchen looks like this:

Greige Kitchen Remodeling Project · More Info

and your bathroom looks like this:

Kipling Ct Residence · More Info

But, then, it would be how awful the greige was, not how awful the bathroom was.

@palimpsest. Yes, that is what I am not wanting to do. I am thinking Cambria shower walls in a beige/tan maybe veined, wood toned vanities again. I have a CKD, Aging in Place person coming out tomorrow. She actually worked for the local home improvement store and did the original layouts and then helped with the kitchen refresh 15 years ago,

great project & sounds like you’re on the right path - I love a fresh, updated and low key bath that looks like it belongs in the house. We redid my sons’ bath a few years ago - we live in an old home and just did classic black & white. I had to force myself not to fall in love with gorgeous/dramatic tile and stay simple as it fits the home - and it does tend to age well

What kind of sun does the window in the first pic get? Do you need the privacy. If it gets any sun at all and you don't need 100% of the window covered, I'd go with a big, bushy plant. An elephant ear will cover a lot of window, fill your corner and be inexpensive and get big enough fast. Then, you can keep the existing blinds.

This one's outdoors, but you they thrive inside, too. They come in plain green and some exotic colors --- look up Waikiki.

Lemont Landscaping At Cog Hill · More Info

If you want curtains I was able to do it in my bedroom and hall with a similar setup and a rad! it is not perfect but it looks ok in my opinion.

This 1928 room has so much character! I'm a total design newbie from California, but I absolutely love the minimalist vibe you're going for here.

For the 9' ceilings, a smaller brass chandelier would look incredible. It keeps that classic 1920s soul without eating up the personal space like the old giant bronze one. Glass could work too, but brass warmer tones would pair so well with that beautiful vintage chair in the corner!

As for the windows, with that tight 4” space on one side, traditional heavy curtains might look a bit choked and messy. Since you like minimalism, maybe skip the curtains and stick with high-quality blinds or a sleek inside-mount Roman shade? It keeps things clean and balanced.

Can't wait to see how this turns out!

Shirley

I don't like the eagle. It's too small for the space, and highlights the asymetry of your windows. If you love it, but it over the door. I don't like the star, either. I'd pick either the star or the eagle and put one over the door remove the other. Perhaps, there's a place on another side of the house for it, if you love it. Your house numbers are small. I'm sure they are barely legible from the road. Bigger numbers are another option for the porch gable.

I'd add a bit of landscaping. Maybe something like creeping phlox?

I think you'd enhance the entry with a wider path. One thing that upgrades the look of a cement path is a brick border. Power wash the cement and add a brick border.

Mediterranean Landscape · More Info

I would get rid of the eagle and the fret work to the left of the photo. You could paint the front door black. It is very cute. Maybe when you have a lot more money and your 20 years in a larger porch, otherwise keep costs to a minimum with a few larger shrubs. Congratulations!

Adding to some of the ideas already suggested here.

White trim for windows to avoid the busy look of square-in-square.

Wider pathway is more budget friendly than wider porch. Add brick or pavers beside the existing pathway as suggested above.

Taller plants in front of the house. The ones you have are too small for a 2 storey house.

Extend the planting bed to the right of the house, to balance the left side. At present, the bed ends too abruptly at the end of the house. Plant a small tree or tall shrub to soften the edge of the house and balance the bulk of the circular room.

Remove star and eagle.

Larger house number and exterior lights. White porch posts, could be larger but not a priority.

More eye-catching front door colour.

Cute house.

I notice your new elevation has the stairs still facing to the side. That made sense when the driveway was close by, but it's more attractive to make the stairs face front.

I like the current brick, but it's a warm color, which doesn't go with your pale blue current siding or the harsh white of the AI picture. I'd go with a warm cream or a very soft yellow.

Yes my design was professionally done. We purchased my husband's family house and doing a renovation and massive addition. However we are keeping the brick on the original front and hickory shingles.

When will all of you stop living in HOAs you saved for a home and then allow somebody on some committee to tell you how to do any simple thing on the home you bought with your money. I would defy any HOA person to tell the difference in those whites on sunny day .

I have white ones. I've assumed they are Boltonia Asteroides.

The middle aster prenanthoides is the Crooked Stem Aster, not New York Aster, Symphyotrichum novi-belgii. To me I think the white aster is Symphyotrichum racemosum because Boltonia asteroides flowers are larger and have a much larger number of ray petals. All the flowers are blooming on one side of the stem and are in a racime. There are pendelous linear leaves within the inflorescence. The only other 2 white asters in your area are pilosum and lateriflorum.

New York Aster, Symphyotrichum novi-belgii

Jay, thanks for correcting me! So I’ve never heard of crooked stem aster, but I grow it. :)

Closeups of the white aster today —

And crooked stem aster:

Ah, the demise of Lexington Gardens. I loved that place. The smell of the greenhouse and the waterfall in the back. I had my first job there. I went to college with 30 small, potted cuttings. I think they built a whole housing development on the land. Victory Garden Way. 13 houses.

That's right Sigrid. I thought they retained the Victory Garden in the development. I haven't been over that way in a long time. I used to love to shop there. There was a manager in the yard that used to be good to work with. When they went out of business, we bought cheaply, a ton of milk crates that we still use for a lot of garden activity. And they sold their Christmas display and I still have a couple of village pieces. Seems like a long time ago. :-) What ever happened to all your cuttings, do you still keep a lot of houseplants?

I tried injecting my zucchini vines with Bt, where the vine borer holes were. It certainly helped the vines last a lot longer.

I'm thankful that I didn't have a problem with squash bugs of either type this year. I've never had the dreaded SVB but have those gray squash bugs every year. This year, not a single one, nada. No tomato worms either, which is very strange, they seem to be here every year.

As laceyvail says, every year is a new garden mystery. Meanwhile, I have a bumper crop of zucchini, yellow summer squash and butternut only because the groundhogs and the raccoons didn't eat any of those. Furry pests in the place of insect pests, but it's always something.

Annie

Get a wooden toilet seat for your new toilet. See if you can keep the tank part of the toilet. Then, you'd just have the bottom visible (unless the tank is the problem). If you really hate the white tank part, you could paint it, if you're handy.

You can also get acrylic or fiberglass or something tub liners. They go right over the existing tub.

I had my tub reglazed by a professional company. It wasn't cheap, but it is chipping where there was underlying rust, which was the reason we reglazed. I'd imagine most cast iron tubs are like ours, dating from long before the 80s and that most people want to reglaze to deal with a minor rust issue. You might have decent luck reglazing. My tub was reglazed 10 or so years ago. You also need to avoid scouring products.

Sorry Emily’s pic…
‘S

Bought an imperfect Victorian house in 90's (was turned into 2 family many years prior). Rental unit had dusty rose bathroom fixtures in excellent shape. Replaced floor, walls with beadboard & tub surround all in cream & beige. Replaced toilet and free standing sink (room is VERY small ) with white but kept cast iron pink tub.

Moved into unit myself 8/9 yrs ago; used a white shower curtain that covered the (still in great shape) dusty rose tub. Didn't bother me a bit. Am now about to finally remove tub and replace with a walk in shower for ease & safety.

(Had newer fiberglass tub in FL; no comparison to porcelain). It all comes down to budget and preferences. If this is the last reno you will be doing & can afford it, change all unless you can't rationalize the expense.

PS: I did have the old white porcelain tub in the other unit (I was living in) reglazed due to wear. Toilet & sink replaced. Reglazing tub hideously smelly experience & shine eventually wears off over years despite using Soft Scrub.

Good luck!

The simplest thing is a chain at the top of the door.

Does this affect how the hinge pin door stops would work?

Those are a poor choice for this application. They are intended for light weight interior doors.

" Does anyone recognize the type of hinge I posted in the picture above? It looks different than standard hinges on all my other doors. "

Those are self closing hinges, they will not effectively work to stop a door from opening to far.

105S-716 Glynn Johnson 100 Series Heavy Duty Concealed Overhead Stop. Or similar

You need a picture and zone, nearest city, and sun/shade, deer or other pest, and any other specific issues, like clay soil. . As a general rule, I think a small flowering tree looks good in the middle of the front yard. I'd put some azaleas on either side of the steps to the front door. Search for landscape photos, collect them in an ideabook and decide what elements you like and implement them.

This one is pretty nice

Shades of Summer · More Info

This one is very simple

La Vista Dr #2- Dallas · More Info

This one has a tree in the front yard and what look like azaleas

An Entry with a Beautiful Lawn and Colorful Garden · More Info

You need to remove a lot of that asphalt. I'd be very surprised if you need all that parking.

I need to start small and work towards more later. Today it seems bare, we have big property behind us.

@Sigrid -You gotta laugh at the people who didn’t understand your “green” roof….😂