Home exterior - order of operations

[Susie]

I have been giving a lot of thought to the exterior of our house, because there is a lot I want to change.  The more I think about it though, the less sure I am about how to go about it.

I deeply dislike:
- the front door with the 90s semi-circle glass
- the burgundy.  

I am meh on the siding.  It's not what I would have chosen, but it's hard to hate.

All of the above are original (1994) but in serviceable condition.  I was planning to just replace the front door, paint the shutters, and KOKO.  I've been playing with colors for a few months (no winner yet).  Mostly looking at blues with this siding.

I recently decided that I don't really want to paint the shutters, because I don't want the shutters at all.  I'd rather have none, like another house on our street that has trim around the windows but no shutters.  The plastic-y non-functional shutters don't do anything for me.  Unfortunately, I highly doubt we can just remove them.  28 year old siding will probably have faded around them at least a little, and there are probably holes from where they were installed.

Then there's the issue of colors.  If I were to re-side the house, which eventually we will need to do, the color I would choose is not what we have, nor would it look great with the color doors I'm considering.  

So that leaves me with a few paths:

1.  Just leave it all alone until the siding shows more age, and do it all at once.  That is going to feel long for the door that I hate so much.  (It's just one of my house pet peeves.)

2.  Replace the door, remove the shutters, and re-side the front of the house only, e.g. using vinyl shake or shingle siding in a color that coordinates with what is there.  Likely eventually finish the house later.

3.  Same as #2, but do brick on the front face of the house.  Re-side the rest of the house someday when it needs it.

4.  Do it all now:  the door and new trim/siding. 

5.  Replace the doors, take the shutters down, assess whether they really need to go back up.  If yes, paint them black or navy (looking for minimal attention drawn) even though I don't really want them, and defer the rest of the decisions.  Unfortunately the door color I choose to go with the current siding likely would not be the door color I want if I change the color of the siding. 

--

I will follow up with pics to illustrate.  I am interested in what H&G would do?

ETA:

House currently:


Approximate siding color I've always envisioned putting on my house (seagrass).  


This is the no-shutter look I’m aiming for. Aside from the breezeway between garage and house, it's basically the same house as ours.

[laterz]

Can you fund the work if you were to do it all now? There's something to be said for this path - both for doing it all in one pass, as well as being able to enjoy the changes you want. (Signed, the lady that kicked herself for not replacing the builder-grade vanity until we were getting ready to sell.)

Otherwise I'd probably do the door and paint the shutters so that the siding doesn't come into play. If I was going to touch the siding, I'd want to do it all.

[orval]

I would probably do the shutters and door. What is the type of door you want??
I think I like shutters vs no shutters. Could you replace the shutters to a different style and color? I have no idea how much that would cost.


www.homedepot.com/p/Ply-Gem-14-50-in-x-58-87-in-Polypropylene-4-Board-Closed-Board-and-Batten-Shutters-Pair-in-Dark-Navy-VIN4C1559-95/309473751

[Susie]

Sept 21, 2022 9:10:51 GMT -5 laterz said:

Can you fund the work if you were to do it all now? 

We haven't done any estimates, but if we gave ourselves to 2023, then I think yes.  Definitely yes if we used a HEL short term.  

My only hesitation is that my dad keeps talking (but then walking back on the idea of) moving to our house.  This would entail selling his primary residence, and he has said if he does this he'd like to use some of the proceeds from that sale to put an addition on our house for his use during his lifetime.  It would be a six figure addition, I'm sure -- sun room with a basement below it, just like he put on his own house.  This would afford him space to set up a desk, recliner, give space for his orchids and other plants (one hobby) and space for woodworking in the basement shop (his other main hobby).  We are ok with this idea, and obviously if we did that, we'd need to be able to match the siding.  

I don't know, and I think my dad also doesn't know, how serious he is about it.  He keeps asking if we're going to do a sunroom ourselves, and the answer to that is no.  We just bought this house in 2021 to avoid doing a 6 figure addition to add space to our old house.  If he wants it, he's welcome to fund it.  He's 70, widowed, lonely, and does not enjoy living alone or maintaining two homes, his primary and a vacation home.  The plan makes a ton of sense.  But I will be surprised if he ever truly comes to terms with selling the house he shared with my mom and raised us in.

[orval]

I like the photo no shutters you posted, but it looks like they have some kind of thicker trim around the windows.

[Susie]

Sept 21, 2022 9:32:32 GMT -5 orval said:

I like the photo no shutters you posted, but it looks like they have some kind of thicker trim around the windows.

Right, we would look to add that when we re-side.

[dr.girlfriend]

This is what it looked like when they took shutters off our dormers before we resided them. I don't think all the power washing in the world would have made it okay. I do like the shutter-free look, though, so I would just wait and change it all at once.

[brooke77]

I would do number 2. Change front door, remove shutters, and re-side front of house.

I think that will give you the look you want without the added expense of re-siding the rest of the house that doesn’t need it.

[Susie]

orval, this is the door style I want, but I absolutely can't seem to arrive at a color I am happy with, after months of playing with the SW tool.  It's getting ridiculous.  That's when I started thinking harder about having the shutters at all, and it all kind of snowballed.

[maudefindlay]

I vote #4 do it all now if it's in your budget. I'd definitely not do #2 as it will likely not match up well with the new once you'd redo the other 3 sides. I don't like the look of brick only on the front. It doesn't sound like your Dad and a potential addition can really be planned on at this time, so I would not factor that in. You could mention your plans to him and see if he wants to move forward soon, but otherwise carry on.

[simpsongal]

Is your current siding vinyl? I'm guessing you can't paint it?

Are you planning on new windows at some point or are your windows ok? I'd consider that w/any siding work in the future. I think the new door and no shutters or painted shutters would be a huge improvement. The no shutters look has an early american/new england look, I like it better than I thought I would. Maybe take down 1 shutter to see what you're dealing with in terms of discoloration?

[orval]

Susie, love that front door! I think the navy or classic black for the time being on the shutters would look nice.

[Susie]

simpsongal , Replacement windows are supposed to be going in (whole house) within the next few weeks.  I should call to check on timing.  We ordered them back in June, and late Sept/early Oct was the promised timing.  And yes, current siding is vinyl.

[bittybomb]

I would do 4, if you can swing it now and 5 if it would be a stretch. You could always repaint the door down the line.

And FWIW, we unexpecedtedly resided our house as part of a larger renovation, and the energy savings we have seen has been incredible. It definitely made that big unexpected expense easier for us to swallow when we realized it. There is something to be said for making your house yours, and if you can go for it, I would rather that than live with something that made me unhappy in the long term just sucking it up.

[bittybomb]

Sept 21, 2022 9:26:08 GMT -5 Susie said:

Sept 21, 2022 9:10:51 GMT -5 laterz said:

Can you fund the work if you were to do it all now? 

We haven't done any estimates, but if we gave ourselves to 2023, then I think yes.  Definitely yes if we used a HEL short term.  

My only hesitation is that my dad keeps talking (but then walking back on the idea of) moving to our house.  This would entail selling his primary residence, and he has said if he does this he'd like to use some of the proceeds from that sale to put an addition on our house for his use during his lifetime.  It would be a six figure addition, I'm sure -- sun room with a basement below it, just like he put on his own house.  This would afford him space to set up a desk, recliner, give space for his orchids and other plants (one hobby) and space for woodworking in the basement shop (his other main hobby).  We are ok with this idea, and obviously if we did that, we'd need to be able to match the siding.  

I don't know, and I think my dad also doesn't know, how serious he is about it.  He keeps asking if we're going to do a sunroom ourselves, and the answer to that is no.  We just bought this house in 2021 to avoid doing a 6 figure addition to add space to our old house.  If he wants it, he's welcome to fund it.  He's 70, widowed, lonely, and does not enjoy living alone or maintaining two homes, his primary and a vacation home.  The plan makes a ton of sense.  But I will be surprised if he ever truly comes to terms with selling the house he shared with my mom and raised us in.

We did exactly this for my mom, and that was why we had to reside the whole thing.  The contractor couldn't match what we already had and I couldn't stomach the look of it being unmatched, even though our addition is in the back.  

[ssmjlm]

I would repaint the shutters and do a new door.

Although based on how our shutters went on, I don't think we could take them off to paint them. I feel like they would need to be painted in place.

Everything else is a big investment with a lot of what-ifs attached. If an addition is down the road, I wouldn't touch any siding because it will never match. I can't tell if bricking the front is a true want or just a way to get the shutters off.

[Susie]

Sept 21, 2022 14:24:41 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Everything else is a big investment with a lot of what-ifs attached. If an addition is down the road, I wouldn't touch any siding because it will never match. I can't tell if bricking the front is a true want or just a way to get the shutters off.

This "if" is so frustrating.  IDK if we will have a final answer on this for as long as my dad is alive.  Hopefully that's a long time, but it's also a really long time to pull up every night to a house whose look I dislike, just in case.  IDK what the answer to this problem is.  

As for the brick -- it's sort of in between?  I dislike the look of vinyl siding on the outside of a chimney, which is what we have.  It screams THIS IS ALL FAKE! to me.  Even if the fireplace is gas, which ours is, I prefer the traditional look of a brick (or stone) chimney.  (I realize this is a very small area on the side of the house where there aren't even any windows.)  If we did brick on the chimney, it might be weird for it not to be elsewhere, so then I'd probably like brick somewhere else, and the front of the house is a good spot.  But I'm not explicitly wedded to brick on the front, if that makes sense.  The neighbor's house that is sided on all 4 sides is a fine look for me.

[wildrice]

Why do you have to coordinate the new door with the shutters? I think you could replace your door now and do nothing else until you know what you want to do/save the money. I know the door currently matches the shutters but I don't think that's a requirement.

[ewall]

I would do the front door and paint the shutters something more neutral. I think once you are free of all that red, you will be able to live with it.

We are doing our exterior in phases as we can cash flow it. We are luck to live on a dead end street with no across the street neighbors so our house’s in between awkward phases don’t bother anyone.

[Susie]

Sept 21, 2022 15:32:19 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Why do you have to coordinate the new door with the shutters? I think you could replace your door now and do nothing else until you know what you want to do/save the money. I know the door currently matches the shutters but I don't think that's a requirement.

I don't need them to match, but I do need the boldest/brightest color on the house to be the door.  That is really hard to achieve without changing the dark red shutters.  Plus they're faded (especially IRL and up close) so they really do need an update of some kind.

[bittybomb]

Sept 21, 2022 15:49:42 GMT -5 Susie said:

Sept 21, 2022 15:32:19 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Why do you have to coordinate the new door with the shutters? I think you could replace your door now and do nothing else until you know what you want to do/save the money. I know the door currently matches the shutters but I don't think that's a requirement.

I don't need them to match, but I do need the boldest/brightest color on the house to be the door.  That is really hard to achieve without changing the dark red shutters.  Plus they're faded (especially IRL and up close) so they really do need an update of some kind.

I’d paint the shutters black and go for what you want on the door.

I’m not understanding the chimney. Loads of houses near me have brick chimneys with sided houses so for me it doesn’t at all look off or weird. I also hate a sided chimney.

[deadwing]

Sept 21, 2022 14:36:50 GMT -5 Susie said:

Sept 21, 2022 14:24:41 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Everything else is a big investment with a lot of what-ifs attached. If an addition is down the road, I wouldn't touch any siding because it will never match. I can't tell if bricking the front is a true want or just a way to get the shutters off.

This "if" is so frustrating.  IDK if we will have a final answer on this for as long as my dad is alive.  Hopefully that's a long time, but it's also a really long time to pull up every night to a house whose look I dislike, just in case.  IDK what the answer to this problem is.  

As for the brick -- it's sort of in between?  I dislike the look of vinyl siding on the outside of a chimney, which is what we have.  It screams THIS IS ALL FAKE! to me.  Even if the fireplace is gas, which ours is, I prefer the traditional look of a brick (or stone) chimney.  (I realize this is a very small area on the side of the house where there aren't even any windows.)  If we did brick on the chimney, it might be weird for it not to be elsewhere, so then I'd probably like brick somewhere else, and the front of the house is a good spot.  But I'm not explicitly wedded to brick on the front, if that makes sense.  The neighbor's house that is sided on all 4 sides is a fine look for me.

Brick only on chimneys is pretty normal around here. I usually don't love houses with mixed exterior materials, but I've seen some where there is a small bricked section around the front door that's cute. Usually the front door protrudes a little from the front facade though.

[Susie]

Sept 21, 2022 17:27:25 GMT -5 bittybomb said:

Sept 21, 2022 15:49:42 GMT -5 Susie said:

I don't need them to match, but I do need the boldest/brightest color on the house to be the door.  That is really hard to achieve without changing the dark red shutters.  Plus they're faded (especially IRL and up close) so they really do need an update of some kind.

I’d paint the shutters black and go for what you want on the door.

I’m not understanding the chimney. Loads of houses near me have brick chimneys with sided houses so for me it doesn’t at all look off or weird. I also hate a sided chimney.

Every house I've lived in that had a brick chimney, also had brick elsewhere too, like on some part of the facade.  But I agree that plenty have brick only on the chimney, and I wouldn't dislike that the way I dislike the vinyl sided chimney.

[libbygrl109]

Were you at one point thinking of putting a portico over the front door (or am I thinking of someone else)?

I am leaning towards doing it all at once when you are sure of all of your choices. You run the risk of the siding fading between the time you do the front and then the rest.

Are there any houses similar to yours that have brick on the front that can help you determine if that’s the direction you want to go in?

[heygrey]

I would redo the exterior now, but have a game plan for adding a sun room down the road. I like the photo of the neighbour's house as inspiration for the window trim, definitely better than the vinyl shutters.

Just looking at pinterest, there are several examples of additions with complementary siding choices so you don't have to match it exactly down the road. I like the look of a hardy board siding on the house, then using a shake shingle on the addition. I would do a stone or stone veneer on the chimney. (I don't see a chimney in the photo, but you mentioned it??)

[purplepenguin7]

I was team all in (#4) until you mentioned the extension and your dad. While you said he seems indecisive and may be a ways off but everything you’ve said about your dad and your relationship makes me lean towards that will be happening at some point in time. I’d hate to waste time and money on re-siding and then not be able to match 5 years or so down the line.

I would start with the new door, then take down the shutters and see if it looks ok underneath. If it doesn’t, paint the color of your choice. Then proceed with siding later on if you have a better sense of your dads future. I would pick the door that you want with your current siding and you can always paint it later on. I looked into having my front door painting and it was very inexpensive plus I think you paint yourself often? If that’s an option as well.

[darby]

If you can swing it, I would do it all now. I think it would look great like your inspo pic without shutters & with beefier trim, but I wouldn’t do brick on just the front. I personally don’t care for that look. I also see tons of homes with brick or stone just on the chimney & think it looks great. The door you like is gorgeous!

[Susie]

Sept 21, 2022 19:43:26 GMT -5 libbygrl109 said:

Were you at one point thinking of putting a portico over the front door (or am I thinking of someone else)?

I am leaning towards doing it all at once when you are sure of all of your choices. You run the risk of the siding fading between the time you do the front and then the rest.

Are there any houses similar to yours that have brick on the front that can help you determine if that’s the direction you want to go in?

None have brick on the whole front like I was thinking of, but a few have brick on just the lower half of the facade with a full front porch.  I was imagining something similar, except taking it all the way up, since we don't have a porch roof to divide.  I like how much light we get in the windows, so I'm glad we don't have a porch roof shading the whole first floor.

 

It was just an idea, to break up the siding project.  Very much in the brainstorming phase right now.  My dad was non-committal about his plans to or not to move in with us while we were house shopping, which was also hard.  How big a house are we buying, for 4 people or 5?  Eventually we bought the house on the lot we wanted, and figured we'd figure it out later.  I guess this is later!

Somebody asked about the chimney location, the fireplace is in the family room behind the garage, and the chimney is on the outer side of the garage, on the rear portion.  Not super noticeable, and not visible in any of these pictures, but I see it day to day.  Our house is on a bend in the road, so the sides of our house are more visible than many.

[lust2hart]

I would get the door you want and paint the shutters black until you are ready to replace all of the siding.

[boiler717]

I would take down the shutters first to see what you are working with. If they need to go up, paint them navy or whatever you prefer. Then order the door since you will have more info to pick a color.