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Pro Spotlight: How to Turn Your Home’s Exterior Into a Showpiece
Create your dream New England charmer using these tips from a South Shore-area building designer
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Who: Doug Friesen of Duxborough Designs
Where: Duxbury, Massachusetts
In his own words: “I get to be an intimate part of something that’s really important to people, and make them happy with how it’s done. That’s exhilarating and exciting. It never gets old.”
Picture a Nantucket cottage at sunset. Graying shingles dappled in the lingering light. Lush gardens offset by crisp white-trimmed decks. The warm glow of lamps through cozy dormer windows. Even if you have a modern ranch, you can emulate this historic local style with a few design changes. “The No. 1 thing people want is charm and character,” says Doug Friesen, owner of Duxborough Designs in Duxbury. “If you break it down into components, you can achieve that traditional New England look.”
Where: Duxbury, Massachusetts
In his own words: “I get to be an intimate part of something that’s really important to people, and make them happy with how it’s done. That’s exhilarating and exciting. It never gets old.”
Picture a Nantucket cottage at sunset. Graying shingles dappled in the lingering light. Lush gardens offset by crisp white-trimmed decks. The warm glow of lamps through cozy dormer windows. Even if you have a modern ranch, you can emulate this historic local style with a few design changes. “The No. 1 thing people want is charm and character,” says Doug Friesen, owner of Duxborough Designs in Duxbury. “If you break it down into components, you can achieve that traditional New England look.”
Building on his background. Friesen spent over two decades as a builder before switching paths and becoming a designer. “I wanted to infuse design with practicality,” he says. “Plus, design is a lot more fun than construction.” His ability to understand what’s actually possible and what’s merely a pipe dream gives him a unique lens into the overall process. “I’m grounded in the reality of projects,” he says.
Local architectural appreciation. Living in an area where many homes are centuries old, Friesen enjoys them both for their looks and for their handcrafted nature. “Most of those houses were built and designed by farmers and craftsmen and fishermen,” he says. “The proportions and care people took in putting these houses together are captivating. There’s a lot of character to these houses.”
Ready to give your home a stunning new appearance? Friesen shares his tips below.
Ready to give your home a stunning new appearance? Friesen shares his tips below.
1. Make Your Roofline More Interesting
Even if your house is rather plain, “you can put a really interesting new roofline on it,” Friesen says. “That’s the first thing to do.”
For this Duxbury home, Friesen took off the former generic ranch roof and put a gambrel roof in its place, an antique style with two different pitches and shed dormers. “It’s also cost-effective, and maximizes the living space,” Friesen says, distinct advantages in addition to its more traditional New England appearance.
See more of this project
Even if your house is rather plain, “you can put a really interesting new roofline on it,” Friesen says. “That’s the first thing to do.”
For this Duxbury home, Friesen took off the former generic ranch roof and put a gambrel roof in its place, an antique style with two different pitches and shed dormers. “It’s also cost-effective, and maximizes the living space,” Friesen says, distinct advantages in addition to its more traditional New England appearance.
See more of this project
2. Install Traditional Windows
Add divided-light windows that have lots of little panes of glass separated by grilles or dividers, Friesen says. “They’re the essence of New England architecture.”
A beach house in Hull, seen here, was partially burned out and had generic double-hung aluminum windows. In addition to raising and replacing the roof and adding decks to let in lots of natural light, Friesen chose divided-light windows with white-painted sashes for a crisp, vintage look.
See more of this project
Add divided-light windows that have lots of little panes of glass separated by grilles or dividers, Friesen says. “They’re the essence of New England architecture.”
A beach house in Hull, seen here, was partially burned out and had generic double-hung aluminum windows. In addition to raising and replacing the roof and adding decks to let in lots of natural light, Friesen chose divided-light windows with white-painted sashes for a crisp, vintage look.
See more of this project
3. Use Period Siding
Overlapping squares of cedar shingles epitomize the coastal character of traditional Nantucket cottages. “It really softens the look of a house, especially in beachy tones and putty colors,” Friesen says.
He added white cedar shingles to this Scituate home. They’re finished with a bleaching oil stain — an oil that bleaches the wood and keeps the uniform color intact without the eventual blackening effect caused by shade trees. The color itself is a mixture of beige and gray, to meet in the middle of the warmth and coolness of those tones.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Doug Friesen and examples of his work, visit Duxborough Designs’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Overlapping squares of cedar shingles epitomize the coastal character of traditional Nantucket cottages. “It really softens the look of a house, especially in beachy tones and putty colors,” Friesen says.
He added white cedar shingles to this Scituate home. They’re finished with a bleaching oil stain — an oil that bleaches the wood and keeps the uniform color intact without the eventual blackening effect caused by shade trees. The color itself is a mixture of beige and gray, to meet in the middle of the warmth and coolness of those tones.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Doug Friesen and examples of his work, visit Duxborough Designs’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Residential Design | South Shore, MA
The design process can be frustrating, as I found out in the 1980's as a... Read More
Review by Mark:
We had worked with a few architects/designers prior to Doug that did not meet our expectations and thought the renovation/redesign to our cape house was not going to be possible. We then found Doug a...More
So nice to read this article! Doug designed my kitchen and bar area a decade ago and it still stands the test of time! I love it 🥰!
Doug redesigned my beach house in Marshfield, Mass., originally built in 1924. He retained the charm and updated the home to make it much more enjoyable. A great experience working with Doug!