Need help on landscaping & paint colors for brick ranch!

7 år siden

We will be selling our house in the next couple of months. Looking for ideas on what to do before we sell. Obviously everything needs to be trimmed, but how much? Should we take it down below the windows? The front bed has rock mulch, but lots of weeds. Should we pull up all the rock mulch & put down cedar mulch? Or leave it & just pull the weeds? Mulch around the base of the trees? Also planning on painting the front door, shutters & trim. Any ideas on colors? We were looking at a red door with black shutters & trim? Also thinking about replacing the mailbox & post? Maybe putting some sort of flower bed around the mailbox? Bad idea? Also thinking about painting or staining the fence. Our budget is small, $500 for the whole yard including the back. Help!

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apaquin25

7 år siden

1. Have all the large bushes pulled and plant smaller plants. You can't cut off enough of those bushes while keeping them alive and having any green left on them.

2. Rock is fine, but definitely pull weeds.

3. Leave the base of your trees alone - they grow better and healthier when not mulched.

4. Don't paint your door red if you're leaving the brick as is. Pull a lighter color so that it stands out more.

5. If you don't replace the mailbox, you should at least paint it the same color as the post.

6. Leave the fence as is

7. Your budget will be eaten up very quickly by landscaping alone - you may want to rethink listing so soon and save more, or just come to terms with the fact that you may not get top dollar for your house.

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(16) kommentarer

Elaine Doremus Resumes Written
7 år siden
Yes, absolutely take the bushes below the windows. That's a security concern as well as an aesthetic one. That's the only help I can give, however, if you're working with a realtor, they should be able to give you a lot of assistance in this area.
mybrickranch17 thanked Elaine Doremus Resumes Written
PRO
JudyG Designs
7 år siden
Sidst ændret: {last_modified_time}7 år siden
First, have the front walkway resurfaced.

Exterior · Mere information

Trim the foundation plantings…down under the windows.

Remove shutters, as they do not fit.

Paint front door the exact white of the storm door.

Mow the lawn before an open house.

That’s enough. New owners will do their own thing.
mybrickranch17 thanked JudyG Designs
emmarene9
7 år siden
The tree in center needs limbed up. It is not so bad now but when it leafs out it will block the view of the house. I am presuming you will go on the market in spring.

Remove shutters.

Paint the door white as mentioned above.

No need to bother with the mailbox.

Pull weeds and clean out grass growing in cracks of walk.

I do suggest removing the big shrubs to the right and left of the front door. The remainder can be trimmed.

Plant annuals to right and left of door when house goes for sale.

Mainly, the house needs to be visible

. For now it is hidden.
mybrickranch17 thanked emmarene9
mybrickranch17
Forfatter
7 år siden
What about painting the door black? Or maybe blue? I'm just not seeing the white. Also why remove the shutters? Because they are too small? Would a different type of shutter or size look better? What color would you paint them if we left them on? Most houses in our neighborhood have some type of shutter. We were planning on pressure washing the sidewalk & getting rid of the grass, I can't see spending $ to reseal it. We were thinking black mailbox, maybe a white post? We'll try trimming everything up this weekend & then see what comes back before pulling stuff out. Thanks for all the ideas!
PRO
JudyG Designs
7 år siden
If your storm door is white, paint the front door white. Otherwise it looks like you have a picture frame around the door, which makes the door look smaller than it is. Paint the side lights and muntins, white as well.
mybrickranch17 thanked JudyG Designs
mybrickranch17
Forfatter
7 år siden
Ah ok that makes sense! Hmm could we paint the trim on the storm door? Or maybe totally remove the storm door? The lights are brand new so I don't want to paint them :/
apple_pie_order
7 år siden
With limited budget, the emphasis should be front curb appeal, overall neatness, and the view from the kitchen window.

Remove the two large shrubs next to the front door.

Trim the other shrubs so that their tops are one foot below the window sills.

Trim the back of the shrubs so that they are one foot away from the wall.

Paint the shutters the same color Wedgewood blue, they fit the neighborhood style and that color combination with red brick and white trim is a classic. If you are lucky, there will be extra paint in the garage to help you save money. Paint the front door white or blue with matching screen door and surrounding trim (can't see it clearly in photos).

Remove all the weeds, reuse the rock mulch. Spend $50 -$100 on blooming plants right before the open house. Don't skimp on cheap six-packs, go for the gallon sizes plants instead.

Here's a photo showing blue shutters, off white trim with red brick exterior and nice size of the foundation plants.
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decoenthusiaste
7 år siden
Sidst ændret: {last_modified_time}7 år siden
I spent two years cleaning rock mulch out of one bed. It is too big a chore to tackle if you are on a short time frame, so let the buyers do it. However, my trusty Toyota car and a big length of chain made short work of the shrubs. DIY that chore yourself. If you've had a long dry spell, wetting down the ground well and deep will help get ALL of them up, and they ALL need to go. They look like a continuous maintenance issue and that's a turn off for buyers. As for paint, the cleanest look you can get will be to paint all the window and door and other trim a slightly warmer, creamier white than you've already used on the house. The warm brick needs a bit warmer white, IMO. I'd change the white downspouts to match the brick background. Paint can do that as well. Then you can paint the door and storm black (and the downspouts might look good in black.) You should splurge on new entry hardware to spruce up the facade, and removing the storm (even if you just store it for the new owners to have the option) would brighten the front. Don't worry about the fence unless you find after all the other work, you have $$ left over to paint it. New owners may want to replace it themselves. Photo here is inspiration for a black door, brass hardware all surrounded by white.

Suburban DC - Cahill Residence · Mere information
PRO
Art of the Garden
7 år siden
If you are going to make some garden boxes, I have just what you need!

http://www.houzz.com/pro/artofthegarden
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M-Brace Raised Bed Braces, Carrot, Set Of 4 · Mere information
apple_pie_order
7 år siden
@mybrickranch17: do any of these ideas work for you?
mybrickranch17
Forfatter
7 år siden
We are really liking the Wedgewood blue & cream idea, still haven't fully decided yet. We decided to leave what's there & see what comes back in the spring & we can always pull it later. Spent all weekend trimming, still have more to do but here's the progress....
apple_pie_order
7 år siden
The house looks completely different already with the shrubs trimmed way down from the front door and the windows. Lot of work to make that happen. I'll bet it is brighter inside, too.
PRO
User
7 år siden
Wow, with the work you've done it already looks great!

I would add some contrast by painting the shutters either black or deep navy blue. I agree on painting the door white or have door and storm door same color (like suggested earlier). I would also add some decorative house numbers and brick out your mailbox to match your home.

Hope this helps and thanks for sharing your progress!
mybrickranch17
Forfatter
7 år siden
Thanks! Yes it was a ton of work! So much brighter now, made a huge difference!

We were just talking about adding house numbers. Where on the house would you add them?
apple_pie_order
7 år siden
House numbers under the light. Test size with some cut from newspaper or masking tape. They should be readable from the street, no fussy script, just simple numbers in black to match the light fixture and provide high contrast against the brick.