Don't laugh

[victoria593]

Is there any architectural theme for this 1965 house? If so, I'd like to enhance/preserve. Thanks!!!
http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=1130134&class=1&sType=0

[teamjdc]

Pretty typical ranch style.

[csintexas]

I would say that is a very nice example of classic American ranch style. I would keep it just like it is. A lot of FLW era influence there

[justellus]

Why would anyone want to laugh at this?

It's a quaint house with nice detailing, brick work, well taken care of yard, and apparently well planned interiors. The finishes, moldings, furniture in the interior all go back in time to maybe 70s or 80s era Ranch, with all the wood cabinetry in the kitchen and possibly appliances from the same era and some look like they could be newer. The granite counter-tops are very nice, as well as the ceiling hung wood panels and lighting system. The cathedral ceiling in the living room with the fireplace is a quaint Ranch as well, with nice large windows on both sides providing ample illumination. The ceramic tile floors are practical. The carpet and mirrored area in the bedroom is nice as well, as well as the nice back-yard and wooded area. The small pond circled by a stone patio and a nice bed of rocks is very charming as well From the front, the house is somewhat secluded, yet maintains a warm fell of invitation, typical of Ranch homes. The house does not appear to need any major maintenance, and appears well kept up. The real estate agent posted on the page looks very nice and probably a great person to deal with. The back side green garden area is small but nice also, and practical as an added back space for cold day weather. The house has everything going for it and cannot see how much needs to be improved, unless you would like to give it a more contemporary feel and look, with updated finishes on the interior, updated appliances and updated interior design, for which there is help with those of us who work with interior design as well. It is a matter of personal preference, as some tend to maintain the look and feel of these homes for decades, by simply keeping them up. Others may want to renovate with a more updated look. It is a matter of personal preference.

You mentioned you would like to enhance the house - in what way ? Or is this a statement of simply being open to ideas?

[victoria593]

Wow. What a great community of people. Terrific feedback. I love older homes because they hold the memories and pathways of people and times long gone. I like this home, and yet I also would like a lighter feel to it. The dark colors weigh me down a bit, yet I don't want to take it to the popular white/beige/nickel look. That trend too will pass. I think a well-considered approach where light colors are brought together with the woods to brighten. Perhaps a kind of "lodge" look???

[csintexas]

Well I have to admit that we don't go out of our way to sweet talk here, if your house wasn't nice we would have told you so. Maybe the living room beams being so dark are a tad oppressive. I suppose if I had my choice they would be natural but that would be hard to achieve at this point. Other that that -if for example the kitchen was a little dark you could add one of those tube type skylights, they are easy to install and brighten a room up pretty well.

A friend of mine just remodeled her 60's style pink tile bathroom into a "modern" Tuscan style. I am generally not a big fan of pink but the bathroom was cute and had a really cool original faucet that was unique and now it is blah.

[justellus]

A "lodge look" suggests in a sense either more wood, or more rustic materials, such as exposed panels of wood, stone, a wood floor, and changing the white walls over to a very light color wood. The cabinets themselves could be remodeled as well, with some lighter wood panel inserts. The white ceilings as well could be substituted for something more rustic looking perhaps. And the tiles above the kitchen sink, forming a splash border are fine, but I question whether they fit in with the overall feel of the house. It will depend on the new look this is changed to. Certainly the dark refrigerator must go, and in reality all the cabinets and wood work is a darker wood, so these could be substituted for a lighter color wood also. The interior door frames could be re-painted in keeping with the new colors, and maybe something done to the fireplace, to make it even more attractive, as the very large brick wall seems to stand in contrast to the very small fire pit area.

Much will be achieved also by placing the appropriate furniture into the context, and choosing the right color of curtains and floor carpets. All these elements combined should revive the space. In the cathedral living room, the timber frame beams could also come down as fake reveals on the walls, if one wishes to suggest a timber frame cabin type construction on the interior. A nice "antler" or ranch artifact on the wall above the fireplace would give it a more ranch appeal. But when I think of it, something could be placed there that is more suggestive of protecting animals. About the thermal values of the windows in the living room - you might want to make sure they are appropriate, as a large space like that with so many windows could be difficult to keep warm, if the panels are not fully double glazed with adequate thermal protection. One one side, there is the green room, so this area may provide some effective thermal shielding as well. From the photo of the green garden room, it does appear those back panels are double glazed with an air space in between. Some of the other interior windows appear small and high, which may make those areas darker... so these could be studied.

Some nice wall fixtures on the walls of the main living area would help as well. The doors on the back side of the living space, adjacent to the fireplace could use some nice alternating trim. All these walls could be transferred back to a lighter wood color as well. The interior or exterior doors do not appear well in the photos, but perhaps some of these may need changing as well. Other improvements can be made to other spaces in the house, but these do not appear in the photos. The back yard could use some landscaping work as well. The front may be improved some if some of the bushes and the largest tree blocking the left side of the front are trimmed down and the exterior is revealed some more.

P.S. As an anecdote, some nice ideas on sharing resources in our society, and a resourced based economy can be found in the structures forum (topic of a group called future by design. Not associated with this group, but find their ideas interesting).

[victoria593]

I have a much clearer vision about this house, and thanks to all.