Neue Aktivität
If you're picking the fabric, go on-line. Onlinefabricstore.com or fabricwarehouse.com. Be sure to put "upholstery" in the filter, pick the colors you want and then sort by price, low-to-high. Often, you can put in a print, such as animal prints, as well. You should probably contact the upholsterer for an estimate of how many yards you'll need, so you can budget.
There are more on-line fabric stores, but you want to look at ones with a large choice in upholstery fabrics.
I think the painting works with the sofa if you lower it…6-8 inches above the sofa. A helpful tip for sizing is to have art that’s 2/3 to 3/4 the width of the sofa.
Bouclé or a textured chenille in warm oat or camel would give those chairs character without fighting the zebra pillows. Since the wood armrests are the pretty part, go texture over pattern. Ask the upholsterer to redo the seat with new high-density foam so they stop caving, and a contrast piping in deep green or charcoal makes it look custom. Grab a big swatch and live with it in the room a couple days.
I think as long as any wooden furniture matches one of the many tones in your panelling --- not tough --- you'll be fine. Just avoid all ash, birch and other light-colored furniture.
What a room! With wood on the walls, ceiling and floor, I'd make the furniture the quiet layer instead of adding yet another wood tone. Think an upholstered bed in oatmeal or olive boucle, and nightstands that either match your darkest wood exactly or skip wood altogether (painted, lacquered or cane).
A large wool rug in cream or rust will break up the floor so it doesn't run straight into the paneling. Then add contrast with black or brass: a pair of mid-century sconces, a globe pendant, a black metal lamp. Bedding in mustard, rust or teal keeps the period feel without looking themed.
If you ever want a full layout and shopping list for it, that's the kind of plan I put together for people online.
What a room — I'd be slow to paint any of that paneling, and not just for the look. Original mid-century woodwork like that is one of the things buyers actually notice and pay for, and once it's painted there's no going back to it. I'd let the panel wall be the pattern in the room and keep everything else quiet and solid — plain oatmeal or olive bedding, no busy print, so the grain isn't competing with the textiles. And choose a low headboard, upholstered, rather than a tall wooden one: a tall headboard will just hide the best wall in the room, and a low one lets the paneling do the work. Live in it furnished for a few months before you decide about painting — I think the room will feel very different once there's a big rug and soft furniture in it.
i'm with the folks saying tie the trim and windows together first. with urbane bronze on the roof, i'd keep stucco in a warm greige, one or two shades off the stone so it reads like one palette. trim a touch lighter than the stucco, not stark white. then do the front door in a deep color like oxblood or dark green to pop. get big samples on the actual wall and check them morning and evening before you commit.
It looks like there's limited space to walk around the bed. I'd use the furniture that's across from the foot of the bed as the night stand. If the Dresser doesn't fit, I'd move it to be on the wall to the right.
The bed doesn't need to be centered on the light fixture/chandelier.
I'd go with the rattan too — with everything else painted white, it adds just enough warmth and texture without making the room feel busy. On the bed placement, I agree with partim: don't let the chandelier lock you in. In real life nobody notices whether the bed is perfectly centered under the light, but you do notice it every day if the walkway feels tight or the bed is crowding the window. Even shifting it a few inches can make the room feel more settled, and the rug will help anchor it once it's in.
#2 and #3 look pretty run-of-the-mill modern farmhouse, but maybe that's what you mean by "traditional modern farmhouse," which frankly, is an oxymoron. Dark houses look awful in real life, most of the time. Often, as shown in the bottom picture, windows are dark, not lit golden as in your AI pic #1. The result is just a dark, depressing blob. If you do go in that direction, the white of the garage door is too stark a contrast.
If you wanted to do something that still reads as "traditional, timeless and modern," but not as generic, I might do #2 with a dark navy for the trim and garage door and a medium blue for the front door.
I like the cream picture, but I'll note that AI changed the proportions of your garage.
That said, I think your house as is is crying out for more and better landscaping, not a new paint job. You'll notice that all of the AI pictures fixed the brown spot on the lawn, either gave you a defined path to the door or removed it, and most gave you some foundation plantings.
How abpout a sage green. Certainly timeless.
The front porch needs a post at the left end. The modern garage door should go, replace with paneled white, or blue, or wood. Can the driveway be changed, so that it isn’t leading straight to the garage door, but rather approaching from the left? Don’t make the garage the first (or only) thing you see as you approach. If you can, there could even be a row of shrubbery, or a gated fence, separating the garage from the left side.
Why two posts on the same subject? Paint the garage door the same color as the siding and the front door a brighter color leave it alone. Landscaping is the key.
I'd make the front door and garage door a medium natural wood and leave the rest the same.
I'd widen the center path and put some relatively low-growing shrubs (I like reblooming azaleas) to either side at the road edge. I'd put a small, flowering tree in the middle of the yard, off to the right hand side.
Paint as much of the gas meter you can brown.
Mixed foundation plantings are prettier than a hedge of all one thing. Is this a year-round home? That means you need a mix with evergreens. But if it's a summer house, you can do all flowering shrubs. Azaleas are often evergreen, but I have no idea if your site is suitable for them.
Grasses often look beachy. In Z9 you can do pink muhly.
This is little bluestem
When I expand the picture, I see a bench there, but it is dark and gets lost against the cedar. Maybe a white bench? If a bench fits there, then there may be room for a narrow planter box for a trellis vine to the left of it. Clematis might work. But don’t know how well they do in a planter box.
I
With the ideas already been given such as washing the siding and checking in with your local nursery, plus the idea that you have of beefing up the window trim should get you started in the right direction. I personally don’t think your home is so bad that it needs to be covered completely in landscaping.
I know can make things nicer than they actually are but take it for what it is - ideas. I like having a softer look to the landscaping so creating a berm on the left side with a variety of plants verses having a row of hedges will soften the look and add interest. Follow the look of the landscaping to the other side of house.
The meter doesn’t have to be covered just paint it the siding color so it blends in better with the home.
The columns could be wrapped with stone veneer and capped with a paver. Then topped with a solar light.
I don't understand the wood screen. I'm not sure it's going to be high-performance.
I'd stick to a very simple siding, probably just cream stucco. The wood screen thing is the feature of your facade.
The AI seemed to show gray roofing on one side of the second floor. That looks awful, IMO. Again, I'd stick to one siding. I'd enhance the house with landscaping.
Assume an existing house in the last pic with the foamcore model.
You've given your house a new hat. That hat could be removed and put on any house. There is no relationship to the main floor. I also count 6 or 9 different materials in the AI pic, too many.
You've all emphasized to minimize the pallet, here's the next iteration. There will be a 2ft concrete retaining wall + wooden fence with horizontal boards on the long side along a city sidewalk, which will be lined with shrubs and coniferous trees to conceal the front from the corner. The approach below will enable the back deck and a garage cabana to relate well to the house. Any comments pretty please and thank you very much?!
You're going to need to replace or patch the ceiling, so I'd tear it out so you can see what's going on and take a look while the shower is on. Remember that water will run downhill, so a tiny, imperceptible slope in the floor, pipes or underfloor may mean the water appears pretty far from where it originated.
I had an imperceptible slope in a bathroom floor in a former house and any leak/overflow from the toilet showed up right under the sink and the area around the toilet never had any puddles. Often, the problem is quite clear if you see it while it is happening, rather than waiting to notice a leak after the shower is off.
The other thing is that if you have a pinhole leak in the pipe, it might show up with higher water pressure from a shower, rather than lower pressure filling a tub.
I did check the valve and replaced the cartridge. Tested it for leaks prior to putting the new faceplate on with handle and it was dry. Also replaced the spout that has the pull up knob to shower. Honestly i dont love it since the internal parts are plastic and may change that out again when i find a better one. I will try some of the other test suggestions you have offered. I appreciate all of your suggestions, ideas and professional comments. I may even open up the access I cut out in the wall bigger and get in there better, move that insulation so i can see more at the bottom. Thank you
Good, that rules out the valve then. Opening up that access a bit more is worth it, you really want to see the bottom of the wall and the drain area when you run the shower.
I notice you have room between the sofa and the door. Could you put a bookcase or credenza there? And if you put a giant stuffed animal, like a giraffe, that would become the focal point.
Or an elegant rocking horse.
A long room can feel much less like a corridor if you break it into two smaller zones, even with just a rug and a low bookcase. I would also check the viewing height if the TV goes over the fireplace, as that can be tiring for everyday watching. Try marking the layout on the floor with tape first, it is far easier to adjust than moving a heavy sectional twice.
@bibleblessings Exactly. Furniture pushed against the walls is what turns a long room into a hallway. Pulling colors from the rug into throws and pillows is a great move too, it ties the pale sofa into the room instead of letting it float. If you want it even cozier, add a lamp in each zone so you're not relying on overhead light at night. Low, warm light does more for cozy than any accessory.
Your problem is you're designing an empty space. If you actually use the bar area, the shelves will be filled with bottles and glassware, so the marble backsplash will read as visual clutter. I'd just paint the wall behind the bar.
Your feature wall looks shoved into a corner and it competes with the shiny black column. I'd have one thing, either the shiny black column or the niche with the mirror.
As for the office, it really needs furniture, not more built-in "features". Here are some very different home offices, with a wood built-in.
Rather than go to AI, which is going to give you very generic pictures, I'd create an ideabook for your office and collect pictures you like. Tag it if, say, you like the desk in the pic above, but hate the rug and the gilded chairs.
Ditto for a fireplace. There are a gazillion fireplace photos. Here's one with a lot of texture to the wall.
This one is definitely unique
A fairly traditional one with some texture
Here's one that maxes the rustic look.
For the feature wall, a warm wood slat or textured plaster finish could add depth without competing with the black column, while a single large piece of art would help fill the empty space. At the bar, leaving the back simple and letting glassware and a few statement bottles do the work may keep it from feeling busy. For the fireplace, a natural stone or limewashed surround could add the warmth and character you want while still fitting the modern mountain look.
Your builder is not your designer,
You're building a massive home, we can not even read the plan.You get a pro kitchen designer, an interior designer, the builder/architect and all of you are now the TEAM.
That is the single best way to ensure continuity, form function, et all.
No crowd source here will be as valuable, will only lead to a thousand suggestions you can not digest.
Is this great? No......: )
I like niches, but it needs to be big enough for the stuff you'll put there. Most have enough for one bottle of shampoo and some soap, which doesn't work if you share the bathroom with someone who doesn't share your taste in shampoo or you use conditioner.
Getting a corner stool for your shower is not hard.
And these bars are very goodlooking, too! Thank you for suggesting them.
@badgergal I have been eyeing the Kohler barre, but think I'm leaning toward something different. @oldsue I've never in my life sat down to shave my legs--never would have occurred to me. I feel like that would be uncomfortable. I have picked a tile for the floor that isn't slippery. It might be less slippery than our current fiberglass tub.
I like #2 better. #1 limits the light in the bedroom and wastes a wall which could have windows in it on a closet.
I think it’s always good for at least one secondary bedroom to have an ensuite bathroom. It’s better for house guests and essential if you ever need to house an au pair or a grandparent. If fairness is a concern, each child can take a smaller bedroom and the ensuite can be a combination home office/guest room or tv room. I like plan no. 2 because you don’t have to walk through the bathroom to reach the clothes closet. That would really matter to me.
Plan 2 for me too — the hall-access laundry and the primary windows on two sides are the big wins, and a private primary toilet just works better day to day. Since you said you don't need more than one walk-in, I'd use that second walk-in space differently: a small homework/study nook or extra linen and storage would get used every day by a 12- and 14-year-old, where a second walk-in mostly wouldn't. I'd also try to balance the kids' rooms rather than giving one a full ensuite suite and the other a much smaller setup — for example, the larger bedroom or better closet for the child without the ensuite. That balance tends to matter more over time, both for living there and if you ever sell, than a second walk-in.
Why is the stairwell cold? Do you have a leaky door at the bottom of it? In general, hot air rises, so you'd expect a colder lower floor not to cause the cold air to be a problem.
Honestly I'd treat it like a window. Frame in a fixed pane of tempered glass or acrylic with trim, caulk and weatherstrip the edges, and you keep the light but lose the draft. Also check where the cold is really coming from, like a leaky door at the bottom of the stairs. If you start cutting or adding framing, have a licensed pro confirm what that wall is carrying first.
Mike, before you commit either way, I'd do a cheap test first — tape a piece of rigid foam board over the 58-by-34 opening for a few cold nights and see whether the room actually warms up. If it does, the opening is the main culprit. If it doesn't, the cold is coming from the stairwell itself, and that's where I'd focus, starting with the door and weatherstripping at the bottom of the stairs.
For a bedroom, I'd weigh sound as much as cold. Glass or acrylic keeps the light, but it does almost nothing for noise or privacy from the stairs. Drywall and insulation solve both, and it's a relatively small patch for what you get back in comfort. If you do decide to keep the opening, I'd only block the bottom 30 inches as a trial first — you'd lose some of the light, so it's worth living with a temporary version before you make it permanent.
Expect most professionals you deal with, rental agents, real estate agents, mortgage lenders, bankers, whoever to have no clue about any of the details of your visa status or what it means in legal terms. I'd start with the assumption that no one you deal with has ever heard of an O-1 visa.
You may need an immigration service or lawyer, I don't know. But, unlike in Europe where people seem to move to other countries easily, that's not the general rule in America. Again, it depends on where you are moving from and to. From London to a major city, possibly you'll find people who are have some familiarity with your issues. From New Zealand to the suburbs of a minor city, not so much. And if you're moving from a non-English-speaking country with documents in another language, that's another layer of stuff to deal with. Don't expect anyone you are dealing with to be competent in any foreign language, not even Spanish (with the possible exception of some heavily Hispanic parts of the country).
We once asked our American bank how to wire Euros to a landlord in Europe. They replied that most people take dollars. We shouldn't bother with Euros. You're going to get a lot of stuff like that.
@Alex Greene, I worked in mortgages as a loan officer for 5 years. In order to get a mortgage in the U.S., you need to be a permanent resident alien or citizen. This can take anywhere from 8 months to 10 years. Renting makes sense. Lenders also require 2 years of tax returns and employment at the same job before you can be considered for a mortgage.
Renting first sounds like a really sensible call, especially for a first move to a new city. Living in an area for a few months tells you so much you can't get from listings — commute, noise, how the neighborhood feels in different seasons, and which streets you'd actually want to be on long term. With a 1960s ranch, I'd also want to live in it before deciding on big work. Kitchens and baths usually matter most, but condition, layout, and things like plumbing and electrical can change the priorities fast, and those are hard to judge from abroad. Waiting until you're on the ground to pick a contractor and walk the house together should make the whole process a lot less stressful.
Re-reading the OP, it stands out that she needed less than half a tank. I’m curious how many gallons were delivered. Looking at my COD suplier, their price differential for less than 100 gallons is almost a dollar higher than the next tier, and the differential is fall smaller between subsequent tiers. With automatic delivery, someone may be subject to that high price, depending on their contract. It sounds like perhaps an early delivery triggered a smaller delivery at a high price. I would definitely balk at that, but even if they adjust it I’d compare their regular rates against others, and consider switching service..
Talk to your local government ombudsman or other such authority. The fastest way to get a refund or credit on your account is to have an authority on your side.
Many people have fridges that provide chilled water. That's the most common way of getting cold water in the US. If you have an ice maker, which the majority of fridges so, it's the same line, which is tapped into your plumbing.
How hot your hot water is often depends on the setting on your hot water tank and how far it is from your kitchen.
There's a company I recommend due to their very helpful humans, iSpring. I've had one of their systems for about 3 years (undersink filter & RO). They make counter top models and have 8 models on the linked page. At a glance, they're more sophisicated than I expected. Starting price is $449 but that one only chills to 50 degrees (some are only room temp but some appear to be programmable). If there's something that interests you, you will likely be able to speak with someone during reg business hours to answer any questions - located in Georgia. If you go this route, check the RO membrame specs. I chose my under sink model based on the lowest waste water made.
We got used to having water and ice in the door in our former home, but not anymore. For cold filtered water we just keep a full Brita pitcher in the fridge now.
You need to simplify and unify your highlights, so they are all the same and go with the wood in your gable. If I did anything, I'd put vertical wood in the red area and horizontal wood in the green area, all to match the gable.
While I don't happen to love your siding on the balcony, your house would look better if you replaced the striped stuff around the window to the left of the door with the same as the balcony and replaced the black marble under it with the same.
All the windows shuold be the same color. If the reats are dark brionze or black, that window should be as well. No teak wood alu profile.
I think your problem is you have too many different feature sidings. You have the beige and reddish striped ones to the left of the door. You have the black marble below that window. You have the brown and beige on the balcony and the wood in the gable. None of the beiges go with your white siding. I'd simplify and unify. Personally, I think your house is elegant enough without any highlighting, but if you want something, pick one that goes with the wood in the gable.
Also, we don't know what you mean by "highlight wall" since the balcony and the first floor window are not the same walls.
You look like you live in place where it's easy to grow a lush garden and you have a lot of paved area. I'd pull up some pavers on the left and plant some lovely flowering shrubs. I might put a kidney-shaped garden island in the middle of your paver ocean, if you have the room.
Most woods go in most rooms. Pick what you love and don't fuss over it.
Wide planks in a bedroom are totally fine, even a smaller one. Fewer seams actually make a space feel calmer and bigger, not smaller, and being half covered by a bed doesn't change that. The bigger thing in a loft is the subfloor and the direction. Run the boards along the longest wall or toward the main window so the room stretches visually. And since it's an extension, confirm with your builder that the subfloor and moisture levels suit engineered boards that wide. If that checks out, go for the floor you fell in love with.
If you have little space for a door to open and you don't access the water heater often, I'd go with a piece of thin plywood (which you can paint) held in place by magnets. Make it a bit shorter than the opening for a natural vent.
Hi, Just an idea, How about a louvered door? They are liight and easy to install. You may want to frame it out with a 1x4. Good Luck Woodbutcher
Since yours is electric, I would not worry about a vent for combustion, but I would still build it so you can get at everything fast. A light louvered door on a simple 1x4 frame works well, and I would keep it easy to lift off or swing fully open. Just leave clear room for the shutoff, the relief valve pipe, and the drain if you have one, and do not box it in tight. That way a swap later is a lot less painful.
The island is huge and there's little space between the sink and the cabinets is what is a very large kitchen. I'd consider shrinking the island. The kitchen is very white and beige. You could punch is put by painting the walls a bright color r painting the bottom cabs. Or just bringing in color with chairs and other furnishings. I knew someone who had everything red in a rental with a white kitchen --- a red stand mizer, a red toaster, a red coffee maker. It added a pop of color without touching the kitchen.
If the former owners don't take those stupid signs, I'd ditch those, too.
Given that changing the island might be a big investment, I'd live with the kitchen for a while to figure out if the island's size is as awful as it looks. You might find the narrow distance convenient.
I want to warm it up. Replace backsplash and paint island and cabinets and replace hardware just
Love all the suggestions here. Also would like to replace kitchen table, chairs and table in sitting area and portrait
I get why you don't like it, but really, it's fine for your house and not worth bothering with. Focus on what you love about your house, not what you hate.
Wow thank you. Very interesting idea!
Hi everyone - I’m new to Houzz so I’m still learning how to use this. THANK YOU all for your ideas. I could never have made this progress on my own!
When a mansard roof covers half of the house, as yours does, you shouldn't put asphalt shingles on it. None of them are attractive. I'd treat it as siding and put cedar shingles on the vertical part. Around here, there are lots of Italianate houses with mansards that were once decorative slate with patterns made with color or scalloped slate shingles. The ones with the original slate look great. The ones with asphalt shingles look bad. The ones with some form of siding look good.
Your contractor is right that lighter shingles show dirt, so I'd stay with a medium gray like Pewter. On a steep roof you see the shingles head-on, so the less patterned ones look calmer and closer to slate. Ask your supplier for a few full-size sample shingles and tape them to a wall outside, then look at them in the morning and in late afternoon sun before you order.
I lean the same way as Lyn and Tovizy here — the medium slate/pewter direction. On a mansard the roof is such a big part of the front of the house that a calmer, less patterned shingle reads more refined in person and in photos, and it lets the brick and stone do the talking. The busier blends can look great up close as a sample but tend to read a little restless across that much steep slope. If you can, prop a few full-size samples up on the roof itself and look at them in morning and late-afternoon light before you commit — that view is very different from a small swatch indoors.
I'd do clear. It's a great floor.
@freedomplace1 im referring to the light strip in the border surrounded by the 2 darker strips, its maple and it doesnt take stain well....that why it looks blotchy rest of wood take it fine! and i agree the border too nice to kill it with stain
Thanks for clarifying, Billy. I thought maybe there were some damaged floor areas out of the camera view. As far as I can see, the floor is pristine... looks to be in amazing condition. And the light strip on the border issue you mention is something I would have never noticed, had you not pointed it out; and to tell you the truth, I still don’t see the blotchiness you mention, it must be very minor. In any case, I just see the beautiful border. I’m glad you’re not going to cover it up!
Blue goes well with tan. Charcoal not so much.
I plan on getting an 8 by 10. My room is 10 by 14.
An 8 × 10 can be a sensible starting size in a 10 × 14 room. If the 10-foot side runs with the room’s 14-foot length, it leaves roughly 1 foot of bare floor on the two short sides and about 2 feet at each end before furniture changes that balance. The more important check is the seating footprint: tape out the full 8 × 10 and make sure the sofa and both chair front legs sit comfortably on it without narrowing the main walkway or interfering with the movable poufs. What is the sofa length, and how much clear passage do you need beside the seating group? A straight-on photo of the taped outline with the sample would make the final proportion much easier to judge.
It's very tough to find the closet in that plan. That said, I like the idea of a centered door and clothes racks on either side. That lets you have one half for one spouse and the other half for the other. It saves arguments. My spouse crams his side in what looks to me like an utter mess (although he'd argue it isn't). My side is organized.
It's a major consideration in renting or owning in Ontario where it was legalized under Katy Perry's boyfriend.
We considered buying a condo for our daughter in a university town. One walk down a hall was enough to nix that idea. Barking dawgs--you can't prohibit pets--and pot smoke. Wonderful!
Before legalization, one of our rental properties morphed into a grow op. WE found out when the tenants left--having ruined the basement kitchen with flooding, stuffed the drain lines with cuttings.
I was tempted to call the coppers, til an electrician friend advised the consequences: "So, Mr. Worthy, your deal with your tenants didn't work out so well?" Then an inspection by an electrician and registering the property as a former grow op, damaging resale.
...
Now we only worry about equalizers.
Garrett, if you are still around, I totally disagree with Rachiele custom sinks. Leave the sink where it is to have a large island with no interruptions. Great for parties, a large serving service, craft projects, games, etc. Love my large island work surface.
I like the tan leather.
freedomplace1: love the racy chair! Good idea. Thanks
MY sofa but it is a bit mossier in person
You need to start with measurements. AI is really great at pretty pictures, but it has no sense of proportion and will happily expand a space to get the right look. Can you actually fit something in that space? Particularly, what distance does a firepit have to be from buildings, plants and other flammables?
For privacy, you may want a tree on the other side of the path. We need a picture of the whole house from the road.
Shade in morning implies beating sun in afternoon/evening. Pavers might reflect light and heat into front windows. Removing existing shade would probably intensify the western exposure on that area of the house. South Florida, right?
I recommended dark navy for the foundation, but you could coordinate it with the door. For example, if you do sage (which another poster suggested, but I don't endorse with your cool, white house) you might go with a dark olive for the foundation. A dark forest green will be most likely to disappear into your landscaping when you have some. That said, a dark navy won't stand out.
Thank you, wonderful ideas! I am saving these!
The panelling is beautiful and with those windows, it doesn't make the room dark. I would not paint it. I might paint the fireplace surround a warm cream instead of that stark white.
You need to start with furniture. I lived in rental homes for years and putting my furniture in them made the place seem like mine. I've lived in my current house for 10 years and we painted only one room when we bought it --- the two-tones of purple plus fuschia tween-dream bedroom. I used to be a fan of warm white walls, but my house's strong colors seem like home, now.
I'd start with the furniture and curtains and leave the wood alone for now. It's in good shape, and once a sofa and rug are in you'll know if it still bothers you. Paint can't be undone on wood, so waiting a few months costs you nothing.
Don't worry about cohesiveness. No one will focus on your floors anyway. So much of this is just terms dreamed up by HGTV because they needed to say something.
I'd lean into the variation rather than fight it — homes from that era almost always have mixed woods, and it looks fine when one wood clearly leads. Let the hickory be the main one upstairs, and for the lower level I'd pick a wood-look tile that's clearly lighter or darker than the hickory, not close enough to look like a miss. Same upstairs: a painted vanity would break up the honey oak better than another oak vanity trying to match it. Repeating a warm tone in rugs, textiles, or a few wood accents helps tie the levels together without everything having to match.
Since the levels are separated by stairs, you have a natural break to change materials, so I would treat the stair nosing and landing as the transition point rather than trying to blend the floors. A wood-look tile downstairs works well in a humid area, and because it is a different material, the honey oak trim can stay without looking like a failed match. The thing I would keep consistent across all three levels is one trim color and one metal finish, since that repetition is what makes the different woods feel intentional.
They don't belong to the same house. The window is much wider in one pic than the other. Further, where is the oven in the pic with the built-in bench. A realistic kitchen layout will have a floor plan with measurements of both your space and the cabinets and appliances. The AI thing you did is absolutely useless for figuring out what you can actually do with the space you have.
" Return to sender, address unknown. No such number, no such zone". Elvis
Option 1 is our selection but as others have said, the option 2 does not match dimensions. A floor plan should be provided to give proper assistance.
That brown doesn't go with the fireplace rocks. I'd keep it all the same color.
Flooring needs to work with the stone
Furnishings need to work with the stone and flooring
Wall color generally serves as the backdrop for the other beautiful elements in the room - fireplace, furnishings, art, decor. Select that color last if it is serving as the backdrop.
Design is design and although most of us know fashion design rules, we fail to recognize how the same rules apply to interior design.
A tall, slender girl can wear a white shirt tucked into a pair of black pants.
A shorter, heavier girl wearing the same outfit will draw the eye sideways making her look shorter and wider.
A sharp two-tone paint split does the exact same thing to a room with eight-foot ceilings. It creates a harsh, disruptive belt right around the middle of the space, cutting the vertical height in half and making the room feel squat and visually chopped up. To make a lower ceiling feel tall and elegant, you want the interior design equivalent of a long, uninterrupted vertical pinstripe or a continuous monochromatic outfit. Painting the entire wall a single, cohesive shade creates a seamless column of color that allows the eye to glide effortlessly from floor to ceiling, instantly lengthening the room's proportions and giving it the breathing room it needs.
^^^ What @Jennifer Hogan said!
You could have poured concrete walls and a stone veneer. That said, most egress windows are barely visible, so it's not a place I'd spend a lot of money.
^^^, or really at the end if the day a design element. You typically do not want to draw any attention to it other than being sure no one falls into it.
I am guessing the curved preformed wells are made so there is no seam for possible leakage...
I've used only the ribbed style, but suggest you do an integrated step ladder style for easier escape when needed.
Gray is dreary. I'd stick with your current wall color.
Yes- and several didnt work great. To gray or too much contrast- i know my dh wouldnt care for a drastic change.
One thing is for sure, the Houzz community gives direct feedback. lol I appreciate that.
I’d try ivory bedding with a muted burgundy throw and cushions to bring some contrast while relating to the blush carpet. Before replacing the curtains, hold a larger fabric sample beside the bedding and wall to see the whole combination.
Our video shows one bedroom in three different decorative schemes and might help you picture how colour, lighting and accessories can work together: https://youtu.be/nEcPGozCbFY
It looks like a milkweed to me. There are lots of them, so you should find a site that IDs them.
There are 3 tuberosa varietes that I know of, tuberosa, interior and rolphsii. There may be more. Flower color ranges from red to yellow with some beautiful 2 toned, colored flowers. Some tuberosa varieties can handle growing in heavy clay
I believe the Dutch were hybridizig Asclepiaa tuberosa in hopes of developing an attractive cut flower.
Asclepias tuberosa subsecies interior
Asclepias tuberosa subspecies rolphsii
There may be more tuberosa entities, but I lost my online flora, I need to reinstall it.
Mine are all orange so likely Asclepias tuberosa subsecies interior (https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/plant-profile/ASTU/subordinate-taxa). They have bloomed for at least 3-4 years but never produced any seed pod heads. Maybe they need just the right temp and rainfall to go to seed. Oddly, none of my common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) flowered or produced seed pods this year.
I know nothing about Texas, except that it is hot.
Your $50 to 100K number will not change much as honestly the labor and equipment will be the bulk of that. I would go with the original plan with the perf metal and suck it up, that's why planning on the front end is key.
Sorry to hear about your builder — that makes an already complicated finish a lot harder to pick back up.
Since the frame is already up, I'd try to shrink the scope before you price it as one big job. Ask an architectural metals / fabrication shop (rather than a general contractor) to bid just fabricating and fixing panels to the existing frame, and get two prices: the original perforated aluminum, and a simpler flat perforated panel in the same finish. The labor and lift time will still be a big share, as millworkman said, but a panel-only bid will show you exactly where the money is going.
Two things I'd settle before ordering anything: first, keep that downtown view slit open exactly as planned — a screen that preserves the view will read much better in person than one that closes the house off. And second, make sure the LED halo wiring and any mounting for it is run before the panels go on; adding it afterward is the kind of thing that gets expensive fast.
If the full screen still comes in too high, phasing it — the most visible / most-needed privacy section first, the rest later — is a reasonable middle ground, and it lets you live with the light and airflow for a while before you commit to closing more of it in.
I like white with medium blue trim. It gives the place a pop of color.
Thank you so much for the great advice. can uou recommend any warm creamy greige or putty colors that you have used and look good? i am leanimg toward DE pewter patter for siding and trim, charcoal sletch for facia and eves and stone craft for font door. I am leaning tward keeping all trim tonal with siding color.as well as garage door. the house has a lot going on with the wiod siding (back half is all stucco). i want to create a more calm feel. thank you!
A house on my street is SW Tony Taupe - its a bit warmer so doesnt go purple like a lot of griege houses (one on my morning walk is lilac till about 10am) - color is very personal, but for me it’s a nice natural linen color
Any real life tips for transplanting saplings? I’ve googled but real life tips and tricks can be helpful.
I’m used to clay dirt from up north but the dirt in my new state of AR is clay that is so compacted, plus hasn’t rained in literally months, and it’s rocky. This dirt gets sticky when I add water to it. Planting in this area will be challenging for sure but we’ll prep dirt and do the best we can.
I'm not sure my advice will be worth much. Dry, compacted clay isn't a soil I've ever dealt with and I'm not clear on where you are in fall. In Maine, we've already had our first frost. I've found the local extension to be very helpful, answering emails promptly. You might try them.
My summer place has very rocky soil and I plant small, bareroot trees and plugs. I've transplanted very small saplings successfully. The smaller the transplant, the less digging and the less likely I'll hit a very big rock.
With those low ceilings, I think a color-drenched deep green would be awful. You have no overhead lighting that I can see and not a lot of windows and natural light. I'd go with a warm cream.
Another thought- a kitchen table - rectangular - could double as dining seating and added preparation area. The above proposed floor plan seems to devote a lot of space to a dining area, at the expense of a living area with space for art studio.
I would lean into the color drench, but in a softer mid-tone green rather than the deepest shade, so the small space still feels cozy instead of closed in. Keeping the trim the same color will help the low ceiling feel less choppy, and warm layered lighting will matter even more with only one small window. Since your paintings will be the focal point, a muted green should let them stand out beautifully for Thanksgiving.
I'd move the fridge to the corner. Do you use the table? It looks to me like it is crowded by your hutch. I'd consider that as part of the renovations. If you have plenty of storage space in your cabinets and hutch, I'd consider removing some cabs to put the fridge on the wall with the cabinets. Then, you could put the hutch in the corner and have more room for your table.
Agree with @Diana Bier it is helpful to know the scope -
for me, if i was renoing i would want to address the dishwasher and dryer situation for resale down the road
You might be able to turn the fridge and place on that wall where the bench is and maybe even fit a nice true pullout pantry cabinet beside it.
That's a really big sofa. I like the color, it's the only color in the room. I'd add a red Bukhara carpet.
Yes to changing the color of the sofa. You can always add color back in through accessories
I would have put the bed closer to the street. I like #1 the best, in part because the likelihood that your palms will stay the so neat and the same size, as AI has shown is pretty low. In my experience, palms will lean.
Number 1 - as long as one palm is taller than the other.
#1, hands down. As long as, like shirl said, one palm is larger. That arrangement looks professional and polished.
No photos in evidence
Talk to an architech.
" This could be a substantial alteration "
Not "could", WILL BE!!
Linea's point is the one I'd build a purchase decision around: treat this as a feasibility question before you fall in love with the price. A roofline change like this is rarely just a new roof — it's framing, drainage, and often interior ceiling work — so get an architect and a roofer to give you a realistic range before you remove any contingencies, and price that into your offer rather than paying full price and hoping it works out afterward.
Two things I'd weigh specifically here: in snow country, a low-slope or flat section adds snow-load, drainage, and ice-dam worries that the next buyer will have too, so a hip-roof conversion, as Beverly suggested, may be the safer long-term play even if it isn't the look you first pictured — it also removes that valley, which is the leak-prone spot. And check whether the change needs a permit or HOA approval before you close; that timeline alone can decide whether the house is worth pursuing at that price.
Traditional systems are reliable… but also dumb as hell 😂 mine used to water during thunderstorms like it had a personal vendetta.
How many people will use it? And for what purposes? Are you going to watch TV? I'd be inclined to put in armchairs, not a sofa. I'd make sure at least some of the dining room chairs are upholstered and coordinate, so they can be moved in for a bigger gathering.
the proble is this puts the sofa only about 4' from the fireplace.
As a fellow renter, I'd keep everything flexible rather than buying a big sectional for that room. Painter's tape is my best friend here: tape out the 30–36" walkway around the stairs first, then tape the sofa footprint so you can see what breathing room is left before spending a dime. With a 17' x 16' space eaten up by the stairs, doorways and fireplace, I'd float a loveseat plus a couple of lightweight chairs on casters instead of a full sectional — you can pull the chairs into the conversation area for guests and roll them out of the walkway when the bedroom door needs full clearance. And I'd skip putting anything under the pull-down TV; a small C-table on wheels next to each seat beats a bulky coffee table in a room where every foot of path matters.
We put a click-lock vinyl flooring over decaying linoleum with an unheated and under-insulated crawl space in a summer house. I'm sure there are wood underfloors. It's been fine. The linoleum wasn't a problem, the new flooring isn't, either.
That said, I would do a budget comparison, as I suspect refinishing hardwood floors will not be more expensive then the laminate. The other thing is that if the store doesn't recommend your plan, they won't give you your money back if it fails.
2" xps installed under the joist with taped seams (zip tape and rolled) or encapsulate everything with spray foam. All exposed wood structure needs to be wrapped and sealed to protect from condensation. Wood will act as a wick and wick up moisture. Air will also carry and transfer moisture.
If you have real hardwood flooring currently in your home will suggest that you refinish. True hardwood flooring will almost always beat laminate.
Unless it's an electric fire, it will need a chimney/flue or other exhaust pipe. Where will that go?
French doors into the room would be lovely as well!
Go with Wall #1, but be careful with the furniture layout. If you put the fireplace there, you'll likely need to float the chairs in the middle of the room so you aren't sitting directly in front of the doorway. Wall #2 might be easier for seating, but Wall #1 will look much better from the hallway.
The house looks busy because of the skeletons, not the tree. If you want advice, you need a picture closer up without seasonal decor.
Interesting, "revival Cape Cod" and "modern farmhouse" must have been coined by the same person. BTW, semantics aside, you have done a lovely job with your reno. Keep that maple tree.
Thank you Judy
You have a lovely home!
If you get beds without a bottom, you can rototill your soil beneath the beds, so roots can grow into it. Now, the extent to which this will happen depends on your soil. In my sandy soil, it's not a problem. In dense clay, it might be.
I would not take AI's word for the best raised beds. Of the metal beds, NYT's Wirecutter, which is independent, not paid, likes Vego and Birdies. Raised beds aren't cheap. You may be able to find something local and wood. My local, independent hardward store sells wooden raised beds.
Wirecutter also likes Oldcastle planter blocks from Home Depot, which you have to buy wood planks to make your bed. These corners are $4 each, but the wood is going to bring your cost much higher. I have these. They work well, but might be difficult to mow around. I have mine in gravel.
"I'm probably a bit biased since my past experience with container growing has not been very productive."
Container growing isn't the same thing as raised bed growing.
I'll admit I was dubious, but my 4' x 4' x 1' test box overall was a success, and I was able to jam a lot in there. Like I said, I'm varying the heights of my boxes in the new garden.
We all have different experiences. For the life of me, I can't get winter squash to grow well when trellised, and I've tried multiple times, yet others swear this is the way to go {shrug}.
"Container growing isn't the same thing as raised bed growing."
You're right Porkchop, when reading DrCindy's post mentioning rasied metal beds I was wrongly picturing those large metal tubs that a neighbor of mine who uses those extra large metal tubs. Beds are bottomless so that's a more favorable growing situation.
I'd go with a lighter blue. You can do a lighter, slatey blue, like windy blue.
What a marvelous space. We had a billiard table in our living room for many years. It kept guests busy while I put the finishing touches on dinner, and all generations can play together, so we knew our teenagers’ friends. I would encourage wipeable and scrubbable surfaces throughout the room because cue chalk goes everywhere. The beautiful hardwood and incredible backlit onyx give all the pattern needed. So: eggshell (at least) paint for the walls; don’t use wallpaper because a cue on a forceful backstroke can tear or streak it. I agree with Jill about wanting a velvety contrast with the onyx, but you might consider eggshell in the bar area and satin everywhere else. I think the room needs a cue rack. And I know you didn’t ask, but I’d say a room this spacious deserves a really grand Christmas tree, perhaps on the other side of the fireplace, for visual balance and to avoid pool cues.
Thank you! There is a cue rack on the opposite wall of fireplace. It’s a fun room!