skip to main content
Photos
Photos
Advice
Stories From Houzz
Houzz Discussions
Houzz Research
Sign In
Houzz Logo Print
Explore Discussions
RenovatingDesign DilemmaExteriors
paul_giorgi90

How Would You Fix The Front Of This House?

Paul Salgado
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

We are considering a 'fixer upper' in our area. It's in a great neighborhood and seems to have good bones but we are stuck on how we could fix the outside (on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this house's curb appeal?). We wouldn't have the budget to make any major changes to the outside (think: easy landscaping, new paint (white?), door/lights, shutters, *maybe new windows*), but I'd love to hear some thoughts on how you would refresh its look.


(House needs a ton of work done inside too... you can see the listing here if any of you are intrigued and want to provide more feedback). Do you think we'd get away with trying to copy the style of the inspiration pic below? My gut is telling my this isn't the type of brick house to paint white (but I'd love a second opinion). I also really wish the big room on the right had a gable (and no dormer!), but I doubt we'd have the budget to fix that.


This isn't the worst house I've ever seen but its lacking some major curb appeal in my opinion... let me know your thoughts! Bonus points if you want to chat about improvements on the inside (I have a lot more ideas there)


P.S. we are not professional house flippers, but after successfully reno-ing our current home are open to the idea of doing another.







Featured Answer
  • awm03
    6 years ago

    Re the dormer, I'd remove it, repair the roof, remodel the interior ceiling/wall, then add skylights on the side roof in that room. IOW, no window in the front side of the roof, just a normal looking roof & corresponding interior, with maybe 2 or 3 skylights on the right side of the roof (not visible from the street).

    As for removing the arched windows in your brick facade, that's too difficult to do well. It will look like a patch job. Put your money into the interior.

    Comments (30)

    • apple_pie_order
      6 years ago

      What's wrong with it? Seems like a perfectly nice early 1990's house.

    • User
      6 years ago

      Something seems to be wrong with your vision. There is nothing unappealing about that house. Nor does the interior need a ton of work either. Sure, the kitchen could use a different, safer, layout. But spending that 63K won’t get you more home value. It would lose you money. All renovations lose money.

      If you want to “make money” on a home sale, you’re going to have to pick one that’s a lot more 1979 gramma looking, or has a lot more actual real problems. And buy it for pennies on the dollar. Not dollars on the dollar. There is no room to make any money on that house.

      It can serv as a great family home. And you can personalize it to some degree, as long as you do t do it any harm, like painting the brick. But you’re going to spend money that you will not get back to do any of that personalization. Homes are not investments. On the long timeline, if you actually count the interest, upkeep, maintenance, personalization, etc, renting actually has better numbers for your bottom line. But you’re not looking at this just for the bottom line, right?

      http://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2018/

    • Related Discussions

      Need help with ideas to change front of house

      Q

      Comments (2)
      This is actually a re-post already. Try increasing the size of photos first before attaching.
      ...See More

      Hi, how to dress glass panels by front door.

      Q

      Comments (3)
      The photo above, captioned "Southampton" looks perfect for your home! On the inside, consider drapery panels with a grommet header, hung high on the wall. Would keep it contemporary but add a soft touch (very helpful on cold or cloudy days).
      ...See More

      En Suite Window facing front of house

      Q

      Comments (5)
      Hi Isobel, Could you add an obscured film to the window instead? I would have thought that this would be fine with planning as it's removable. I'm assuming that the planning restriction is because you're in a conservation area? The films come in different finishes, I've had a fairly successful go at applying a sandblasted one. There are specialist companies that will do it for you though
      ...See More

      Help me decide on house extension plans. Would be so grateful :)

      Q

      Comments (5)
      The "L' shape which extends further on the right will give you marginally more light into it - but this depends on the design of the roof and glazing - which is vitally important to the end result. I would consider putting pocket doors from the lounge into the kitchen (keeping the size as is) to allow the afternoon sun to be seen from the kitchen. This space might be a better option for the playroom - depending on the age of your children etc. I would put kitchen on the right hand side. Could you put a door from hall into the bike store so you don't have to go through the kitchen? Consolation prize for this orientation is that the back right hand side of your rear garden will hold the Summer evening sun the longest - so thats where to put the BBQ!
      ...See More
    • mjlb
      6 years ago

      Wow - compare landscape 2013 (GoogleMaps) to 2017 (BingMaps). I'll concede removing a few trees might have been a good idea, but the plants cascading over wall, etc.? Could this be attributable to the drought around Atlanta?

      Agree with the earlier posters that I don't understand the "house needs a ton of work on the inside too" comment, but Atlanta real estate is WAY different from where I live!

    • Jennifer Dube
      6 years ago

      Looks like someone already flipped it with some shaving and and a hair cut on the lawn.

    • Paul Salgado
      Original Author
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      We're looking for an upscale, upgraded home (upgraded trim, floors, kitchen, baths). I know this home isn't hideous, but there's a reason its selling for $84/sq ft when similar homes in the area are getting snatched up in a week at $160-175+. For some scope, take a look at the current dining room and the dining room I envision it could be.

      With new trim, new kitchen (opened up to the dining/living area.. which requires structural work), upgrading 4 bathrooms, new light fixtures, new wood floors throughout (does anyone think we could match the existing ones to avoid having to rip those out?), new staircase (iron balusters and wood steps), new basement ceiling (I don't like the office-style ceiling tiles), etc. this is a project that will easily run $100K+. For this area, $500K on a fully upgraded 4500 sq. ft. house is a great deal.

      With a house of that caliber on the inside, I would like the outside to match.. and what is currently there is not doing it for me. There are some beautiful homes in that neighborhood that have been very well kept up with. I'd like my home to fall in that category... not the "this home has not had a single update since the day it was built" state which it's currently in.

      I appreciate the advice and opinions, but I didn't come to Houzz to be told that a 25 year old un-upgraded house is good enough. I'm here for ideas on how to make it amazing.

      With all that said, I definitely won't be painting the outside, but the dormer still really bothers me (I think new siding and some sort of gable trim on it would really upgrade it). That whole room on the right also takes over the proportions of the house (more-so in person), and I am hoping to get some landscaping ideas to help even out the profile of the house.

      I also completely agree with @mjlb that the previous owners stripped the landscaping bare and I think adding some of that back will make this house stand out.

    • PRO
      Patricia Colwell Consulting
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      No you can’t get your inspiration pic with that house give your head a shake. You want something you can’t have unless you have a really big money tree.So you are looking at a okay builders grade house if you want to throw money at it go for it the dormer on the right is the first thing I would remove.

    • miss lindsey (She/Her)
      6 years ago

      The dormer window in the right looks a bit phallic to me. Otherwise, no problems with this house.

    • Paul Salgado
      Original Author
      6 years ago
      Patricia, I definitely see your point. I’ve seen nice white brick remodels in the area, but I see now that this is definitely not the house for that. I’d still like to refresh it though and I agree the dormer would be the first thing on my list (it looks worse in person).
    • PRO
      Barbara Brown Interiors, Inc.
      6 years ago
      The bones are good. Looks good. I agree that the former window looks very added on and not integrated. An eyebrow window would fix that. I’d look into that change. Next I’d do some basic landscape. I also love painted brick, but many don’t. If your looking to flip consider that. Hope this helps!
    • groveraxle
      6 years ago

      Sophie is right (as always). This is not a candidate for a flip. You are unlikely to get back what you put into this house, even at its current bargain price.

    • jlcasto
      6 years ago
      I agree that the dormer needs to go. The windows underneath it also look like the middle window went missing. Replacing it with a big picture window could do a lot!

      I think you also need bigger shrubs on the left side of the house. The house looks too too heavy without some greenery weighing it down
    • apple_pie_order
      6 years ago

      If you want to modernize the exterior, remove the arches over the windows and the outsize dormer. Patching the brick will require a master mason. A new roof may be required after the dormer is removed. Then get a new professional landscape plan drawn up and implemented. In my area, a budget of $100K for interior updating to a luxury level would cover the kitchen, nothing else.

    • Judy Mishkin
      6 years ago

      i find dormers are never successful on a hip roof. "if it was my house" i'd honestly spend the money to remove it.

    • teresale2013
      6 years ago

      Sophie nailed it--

    • wantsideas
      6 years ago

      This house will never look like your inspiration picture. No to painting the brick. I don't like the dormer either but I wouldn't let that factor into my decision to buy the house if the other factors like price, location and square footage were in line. Check with a contractor about what you could do with the dormer. I know Exovations does work in the area and I think they will give you a free estimate.


      For 100K you won't get all on your wish list in the quality you want. What is the condition of the roof, HVAC and windows? I know this house is near the lake. Do you have a view of it?

    • User
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      To get that house to resemble your inspiration is going to cost as much, or more, than the the house’s purchase price. 130K kitchen, 70K master bath, 20K per other bath. Structural work, carpentry, and flooring, another 100K. Then the exterior. Another 100K. So, at least the. 500K range to get where you want it to be.

      And the neighborhood doesn’t even support a 100K remodeling budget. Average sellingniricr is 350K. Right there in your link. So, it would appear to already be overpriced for the neighborhood. This is not a money maker. Location, location, location.

      If that doesn’t startle your brain and make you think too much, then you need to find a good local professional to work with to make effective changes. For just as much as the house itself costs. If you are very very lucky to do such ambitious changes on such a small budget.

    • aprilneverends
      6 years ago

      Granted, I don't know your prices, labor etc, (I'm just jealous of your real estate situation that looks pretty good from where I sit)..but here the remodel of scale and quality you want, in a house of similar size, would eat close to 400 K..and that's me being very optimistic.

      I love the lot. Right, landscaping needs work..but what a fabulous space.

      I also like the exterior much better than that house with the dining room you posted..right it's very upgraded inside but it looks awkward nevertheless..so I definitely get where you're coming from, It's just hard for me to see how it's possible from financial standpoint. It's possible; it just won't cost 100K and won't cost 200K either. Tell me somebody if I'm deadly wrong, I'd gladly admit I might be mistaken.

    • Elizabeth B
      6 years ago

      Is this a house to live in or buy just to flip? You wont make any money the buying and selling process ($$$$$$)will eat up any money you could make

    • deegw
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      It's not a money making proposition. I lived in a town similar to Peachtree City in SC (no golf paths though!). We purchased the "meh" house in a good neighborhood and killed ourselves trying to upgrade the builder basic finishes and lighting and carpets and blah, blah, blah. We enjoyed living in the nicer house but no buyers were interested in paying a premium for our efforts and investment.

      If you are lucky, it will be a financial wash.

    • User
      6 years ago

      In my experience, making a good house better is a losing proposition. You make your money on the front end, by buying cheap, not by gilding a lily.

    • Paul Salgado
      Original Author
      6 years ago

      I hear what some of you are saying (really), but this home really is a pretty good deal in the area. In this school zone, my options for a house this size are either a turn-key for about $600K (example 1) (example 2) (example 3) (example 4) OR I can get something that needs some work in the $400K range (example 1) (example 2) (example 3). With these options, this house became very attractive to me. It's one of the biggest options and it's in a very nice lakeside neighborhood with lots of updated homes (I don't want the nicest home on the block once I'm done.. that's the situation I am currently in).

      None of these $600K listings have $130K kitchens or $70K master baths... even the nicest homes in this area don't have that. My current home (less than a mile away) has a nicer kitchen than most of these homes and I paid $35K for it by buying cabinets and counters from the warehouses themselves and subcontracting the work myself... I also cashed in at HHGregg's going out of business sale on Kitchenaid's commercial style appliances. My master bath redo was about $7500. In this town, almost everything under $1M just has new cabinet doors slapped on with a fresh paint job and Whirlpool appliances, so a $130K kitchen is definitely way off base.


      I can put $125K into the inside of this house and it will be nicer than any of the similar sized (and most importantly, same school district) $600K homes... the inside is not my main concern as I have been there and done that (within the last year). My main concern was that the $600K homes I'm looking at (linked above) have more curb appeal.. which is how I got around to making this post.

    • suezbell
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      Agree that the right sided section of the red brick house with a hip roof and a tall dormer should have been a full forward facing gable. Other than that, the exterior of the house has a lot of curb appeal.

      Note: I have a bias toward having some kind of front porch -- but that is not for the visual of it ... more for the practical.

      One other note: Not sure that window on the left with the arch actually opens. Not a fan of windows that don't open.

      Not usually a fan of painted brick but the gray house turned out looking really well. Just wondering what it will look like as it begins to need repainting.

    • miss lindsey (She/Her)
      6 years ago

      Wow - compare landscape 2013 (GoogleMaps) to 2017 (BingMaps). I'll concede removing a few trees might have been a good idea, but the plants cascading over wall, etc.? Could this be attributable to the drought around Atlanta?

      I think it could more likely be attributable to the fact that one photo is taken in winter and one in summer...

    • Paul Salgado
      Original Author
      6 years ago
      In regards to the outside, I don’t think I can remove the dormer because it’s the only window in that bedroom. I would definitely try to change out the siding to something more current. I also think gable brackets would look nice as well as the dormer. I won’t be touching the roof as it’s relatively new. My wildest idea would be putting in more modern big, black rectangular windows. I’d have to get a quote on that to see if it’s even feasible, but before wasting time with that I’d love to hear thoughts on that. (Windows similar to the inspiration house.. but painting it white has definitely been taken off the table!) Thanks to everyone who’s taken the time to give feedback!
    • Anthony C
      6 years ago

      read the mcmansion hell blog. This is a classic 90s mcmansion, from the mismatched windows, to giant wart dormer, to the two story foyer. I agree with you about the updating, this house needs a lot. If you dont love the house for its bones/location I wouldnt do it.

      I would remove the dormer, remove the arched windows, make all windows consistent with each other, then update stairway, kitchen, and master bath.

      I dont love all the tile which would probably be the deal killer. Tearing out perfectly good tile to replace with wood would be a big waste of money.


      Ultimately I couldnt buy that house unless it was a particular neighborhood that I had to live in.


    • deegw
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      If you are doing the updates to help you enjoy the house so you can live in the school district then the house is a good choice. If you are doing updates with the expectation that they will add to your net profit margin when you sell the house, then I would buy a turnkey.

      Like I mentioned above, the likelihood that your taste specific updates will add additional value to the house above the neighborhood norms is small. Potential buyers will notice bad windows. But nobody is going to pay a premium for fancy ones. They will notice bad curb appeal, they won't pay extra for decent curb appeal.

    • User
      6 years ago

      Your low estimations for remodel costs are not borne out by the current labor market. You will spend well above your target goal. http://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2018/


      Buy the move in ready and take advantage of someone else’s overspending. Or be the one who spends way to much to recuperate.

      Or get off the ridiculous marketing generated “updating” bandwagon all together. Put that 400-500K in a money market fund and let the kids enjoy the good schools for s few years. Then find the great retirement home that you want, and have enough left over to enjoy that retirement. https://www.curbed.com/2018/3/7/17087588/home-renovation-unnecessary-mcmansion-hell-wagner

    • Paul Salgado
      Original Author
      6 years ago

      Anthony C, you are spot on with the McMansion hell blog.. unfortunately my entire community fits into this category. Peachtree City is a planned community near the Atlanta airport that was built for pilots and their families. A huge housing boom in the 90s left behind dozens of neighborhoods like these full of builder grade semi-custom homes. To make it worse, Delta's near bankruptcy in 2005 left a huge portion of the community unemployed with the rest suffering major pay reductions.. only to be followed by the 2008 recession. All of this has left behind an entire community of huge 1990's homes that have never seen a major upgrade. This is also why the homes that *are* upgraded are sold within days (even relatively outdated upgrades).


      All that said, there is zero land left to build in these school districts (top schools in the State) so my only option is to buy a fixer upper (or buy a $600-700K home that will never live up to my dreams).

    • bry911
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      My main concern was that the $600K homes I'm looking at (linked above) have more curb appeal.. which is how I got around to making this post.

      Really? More curb appeal?

      I recommend an optometrist.

      ------------

      For some real advice, worrying about curb appeal is often a bad bet, unless your home is a lot worse than the rest of the area. Using even a conservative discount rate, the money invested into the house to improve visual appeal of a house is probably not worth it. Conservatively invest the money that you would have spent on significant changes to the exterior for curb appeal, and when you sell the house add that money to your disbursement and see how you are doing.

      In the end, the gain on a house is based on the difference between what you get and what you spent. Spending more to get more may be great, or it may be terrible. Frankly, I think so many people are blind to the exterior of a home that anything will sell.

      Paul Salgado thanked bry911
    Sponsored

    Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore

    Ireland
    Tailor my experience with cookies

    Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.