Secrets to Great Curb Appeal

Details Make the Difference

A modest ranch-house re-do is cause for celebration.

While the owner of the home at left loved his neighborhood, he was never satisfied with the appearance of his 1970s house. Because a garage dominated the facade, the front door was lost in the shadows.

Seeking a change in design, he asked an architect to at the garage entrance. This design element, along with a new cedar-door street entrance flanked by fixed shutters, hides the garage door and lends the appearance of a porch.

Then, to define the structure, he added a brick water table topped with a drip course banding. As a low-maintenance alternative to conventional siding, he installed fiber-cement siding, and he gave the roof a steeper, more appealing slope by replacing the rafters over the garage with new members. These strategic changes lent contemporary charm to a once-generic profile.