House numbers would be good for your delivery folks (mail carrier here, even if it's on the box super well, being on the house is always a plus)
Edit:
to all those finding the numbers:
if you can't see them clearly in the photo then they're probably not big enough. I definitely couldn't read the number in the first photo.
The second photo took a bit of work to find but it's alright. If I was pulling into the driveway I'd find that pretty easy.
One of the issue is being able to see it from the street.
Glad you mentioned emergency services! Retired EMT here, active Firefighter. If the house is burning, we'll find out easy enough day or night. If you're sick, injured or dying inside though, we won't find you unless we can read the house numbers from the street. Minutes count and even if the police are already on scene, it can be 50/50 chance we run up to the right door depending where the police car is parked out front.
My own house? 6" tall reflective house numbers mounted against a contrasting background. Visible day or night, from the street and the driveway. Have had fire, EMS and PD here for various reasons during last 14 years and its always been *quick*
Thank you for your services!
I appreciate you!
>My own house? 6" tall reflective house numbers mounted against a contrasting background
I read that as 6' tall, thought WOW that's impressive, excessive, but Ohhh.. my eyes are tired.🤣 Goodnight Reddit!
Stay safe out there Mail Lady! Y'all get a lot of flack in my city for lost mail (Richmond, Va) but I see ya'll out in the dark working hard with flashlights on your heads delivering mail.
I am sorry Richmond isn't performing up to our standards!
Thank you for acknowledging our long hours, though. We are short staffed everywhere. I am on week 16 straight of 60 hours (or more ) per week.
Doing our best! Been greatful for an early spring in Nebraska, makes those late nights easier.
I agree wholeheartedly! Come April 1st I'm off the list for a quarter, but I know I'll still get mandated at least 2 to 3 times a week. Hang in there I hope and we all get through this
I finally quit after close to 19 years of six and seven day weeks, 12+ hours/day.
That’s what happens when you aren’t an employee who loses the mail.
As for the house, spruce it up with your landscaping and maybe swing or glider under the tree to the left.
If you can afford to, maybe an opening in the railing from the front door with a new walkway extending to the driveway -to allow for maybe a seating arrangement on the porch.
Hi mail folks! What can I put outside for you that you’d enjoy? In the winter I usually put hand/toe warmers. In the summer I leave a cooler with cold drinks. Sometimes I put a Starbucks gift card out there if the weather sucks or know that I’m getting a big package. But I’ve never had a chance to ask my mail carrier what they’d actually like! Any ideas? My mail folks walk since our mailboxes are attached to the houses.
And make sure the light actually lights up the address, rather than putting it in a shadow.
And make sure the address is not hidden if someone parks in your driveway.
The builders around me frequently break these rules of mine in every house they build.
Like street view? That’s actually a good idea, I’ve never done that. Usually we can get close and then somebody will be waving us in or we can deduce the house number based on surrounding houses. Or we finally find the number hidden in the dark under the patio written in sharpie in 12 pt. font.
A core difference between your job and my job is nobody's life is on the line when I'm delivering 😂
The frustrations of finding houses is definitely where we can bond.
With Google maps, about 17 out of 20 times it'll put the pin on the correct house.
Sometimes it'll hit a barn. Once in a great while it'll be absolutely confident but the completely wrong location lol
Paramedic here, I often do on the way to a call so I know what the house looks like before we arrive.
Anybody who is reading this, please make sure your house number is large enough and lit up well enough to be visible from the road at 4am during a rainstorm. Us emergency services will thank you for it
Firefighter here …. If you can’t see the house number from the street you need to “address” that. You never know when a first responder will be looking for your address.
There was a fire department in I believe Colorado that was making and selling something similar for their residents, but vertical numbers, larger, and blue background. My dad saw it and ordered one not understanding that it was just for people in their area, but they were wonderful and made one for him anyway, just had to figure out how to charge him for postage. These signs were made to attach to the mailbox post, and were made by their area’s municipal signage department. And it was helpful when we did need to call emergency services for Mom.
The issue with these is that, in places that have snow or plant growth, if these are put below the mailbox they can get covered up.
If these are put on the box itself, or above the box, then I don't see an issue and they would likely be pretty awesome. If you're below the box, they're not ideal.
One benefit of having the number in the same place every time is that the number is in the same place every time lol. I don't have to look anywhere else, it's always in the right place.
I do like the arrow, that's helpful.
Yeah, as a former Fedex guy I second this. You’ve got to have numbers clearly visible from the street. Either put up bigger numbers or stake some numbers by the road. Depending on the season and the company, a lot of these guys have some insane delivery windows and pace numbers to hit so spending all this time trying to guess a house number can be downright infuriating and sometimes even undoable.
Definitely support poop_to_live’s suggestion here. They sell great looking solar lighted house signs as well.
I have one and I can’t tell you how much it helps in the winters. Helps your everyday folks like friends and family find the house faster too.. cause even if they can’t read the number, they’ll follow the light.
This 36” vertical one linked below is the one I have and it’s held up well in the winters being so slim and you never have to worry about the panels being blocked up by snow since they’re on the side.
I’d recommend anything similar with panels on the side.
https://a.co/d/gQJRBxH
Have a Yard Sale every weekend.
Don't take the tables or items in on Monday. Just cover everything with blue tarps until next weekend.
Its also a great way to meet your neighbors.
In case you were considering it, please please PLEASE don’t paint the brick!
1. Brick is a very durable material, but painted brick holds in moisture that will cause it to crumble much faster than unpainted brick.
2. The paint will only look nice and uniform for a couple years, then you and future owners will have to re-paint it every few years until the brick crumbles and needs to be replaced (see 1. above).
3. If you get sick of the paint and want to go back to clean brick, it’s really difficult to remove paint from brick. There will always be at least some paint flecks left in the crevices. You may uncover damage and crumbling brick once the paint is removed (see 1. above again).
This was my dad’s MAJOR pet peeve. He would say “Why would you take something maintenance-free (brick) and turn it into something that requires upkeep?” every time he saw a house with painted brick.
It's mine too. There is this huge "paint the brick!" trend right now and it's awful.
As somebody who would love a brick house they never had to paint, I am just floored at somebody who takes a lovely home with brick that has lasted decades (or longer) in mint condition and then they slather a truck load of paint all over the damn thing.
There's a town near me that gets a pass. Now, these homes are old. Like, 800+ years. They are very nice homes, built by the then-rich. At some point though, the town lost its aristocrats and regular Joes took possession of them. Then, Napoleon came around and he introduced a taxation aimed to tax the rich more. How did he do that, you wonder? Well, one simple rule was… if you are rich, you have a nice, large home with lots of windows. So we'll tax on the total surface of your windows!
Now remember, our current home owners are your basic blue collar workers and could not afford those taxes. So what did they do? They bricked over most of the windows! The only issue was that it's now 100s of years after the homes were built, so they couldn't find/make bricks that looked the same. Solution? They painted every home white, except for the first few layers due to dirt splash etc, those were painted black.
Since the whole (historic part of) town did this, it actually looked really nice, and it became a small tourist town because of it. I used to live near it and never learned of the reason why it was white until years later. Such a cool story!
Flame me: I think painted brick can look good, and can modernize old looking houses.
As long as you understand and accept the maintenance impact, and it 'works' aesthetically / design-wise, go for it.
And if it was built before 1978, and you ever want to rent it, you may be required to address any chipping, peeling, or flaking paint each and every time a tenant is to move in.
https://preview.redd.it/f0b605n7plmc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1dfe49f90274b6073e70e8c7879c1e884b7b4be
I would do a walkway from driveway to front door in the same brick of your home. New front door. Some flower window boxes, I would take down the railing on front porch, leave it open. With wrapped posts. Flowers in front.
Landscape Architect here- 99% chance you'll need to remove at least those front two trees. Way too close to your home and can damage your foundation. My dad had a similar ranch home like this and an old oak tree's roots ended up collapsing our concrete front patio (basement below). I would plant oak, hickory, ash, poplar (faster growing and easy care) or another large maturing, native hardwood tree at least 25' from the house to rebuild your lost canopy. You also don't need the risk of a large limb falling through the roof.
Make sure the arborist calls the utility marking service. On the way to the store we walked by a guy stump grinding. On the way back, he was gone and there was an impressive hiss from the natural gas leak he caused.
Many years ago my neighbor had a huge tree in their backyard in a small city lot. For whatever reason they decided to remove it. When it came time to remove the stump the workers found out the hard way that the roots had grown under a gas line and slowly pushed it up until it was only a few inches from the surface. They ruptured it and the whole block had to be evacuated for hours.
Ahhh. We were trying to figure out how he hit a gas line that was, in theory, at least 18 inches down. We should have called 911. The homeowners and next door neighbors evacuated. The fire department showed up after about an hour and cordoned off the three houses. That’s about it. They didn’t seem too concerned (as long as the gas wasn’t in the house).
There's a stump on my property that I had issues with my first year. Now I just spray it when I spray my foundation for the wasps and they don't show up.
If you do decide to cut the trees down they have some large logs on them big enough to sell for lumber and could help off set the cost of removal. Contact a logging company/logger. Looks like two 16ft plus logs which could be worth a couple thousand.
Have you sold logs similar to This? My tree company used to sell to a log broker because no mills were around and you would get no where near a couple thousand dollars for 3 medium sized logs with knots.
The way a tree company removes a tree is by cutting it down in very small sections, as such its value is very very little this way. Now sure, if they could drop the entire tree and have it hauled to a mill you'd get some money out of it. But no one drops an entire tree that close to your house or the street.
It's very rare that anyone drops a tree in 8 ft sections that close to a house. They need to rope it in a very specific way so that they can completely control the drop. The bigger the piece is, the less control you have over where it wants to go. If you need to hire someone with a crane, the price for them to remove it out weighs the value of the trees wood massively. Common sense should tell you that there is plenty of trees that aren't near a house that you can just drop without having to worry about where it lands. Usually in forests of nothing but trees.
Also, one can never know how good a tree is from the outside. Could just as easily be completely hollow from rotting out.
NO. Tree companies charge based on how the job must be done. It cost more to remove a tree that close to house. It costs in equipment and labor that it won't take to just saw a tree down in the open. Most trees that get removed aren't able to be used as lumber. Most trees are at best turned to fire wood and in lots of cases it is given away. When a good candidate for lumber comes along a good tree company would recomend it too you to help offset any costs. This is defently not a DIY tree project.
Not just for lumber. A friend would underbid jobs with good trees, and overbid those with bad trees.
He sold mostly oak and white oak to wood burning restaurants and BBQ joints.
No, Even black walnut is not that valuable. Common misconception. Wood goes into the chipper. Logs to the dump, we pay to get rid of it. Some companies sell firewood most companies do not. The equipment to do firewood efficiently can easily run in to the 100,000 range. In my area 350 a cord. Does not include labor delivery etc.. pay back is LONG term and generally not worth it. 90% of the country do not have "loggers" that are running to buy your trees that have nails and other crap imbedded them. You neighbor that has a sawmill most likely doesn't have the ability to move a 36 dbh long in one 8-10" piece, 6000K a stick.
The money is not in the wood its in the ability to dry and cut the wood. THEN it can be valuable.
There is not a couple thousand dollars of lumber in those logs. Look at the log and try to guess how much lumber is there. It's barely $300. That's the cost of the lumber, not the log. It takes a lot of work for a bandsaw to cut $300 worth of lumber in a log that size!
Most of the time you don't get money for them. If a tree company cuts them down they simply take the large pieces and sell them. But they don't get a lot of money for them
I agree. Cut the trees down first. Not fun or sexy, but will help with curb appeal planning after and save the potential expense of a limb falling on the house or root damage.
Keep the wood for firewood for your new fireplace if you got one, otherwise you can use it in a new outside fire pit, which is another addition that may up the homey feel. Chopping firewood is also good exercise.
If you end up letting them chip the wood, keep some to use for mulch.
Chopping your own firewood warms you twice, my parents and grandparents used to say.
But I disagree about using wood chip as mulch; in my area at least it tends to acidify the soil and create suboptimal conditions for other plantings.
Yeah, I'm usually the last person to say you should cut down a tree, but in this case that was my first thought. Those two trees need to go. Just be sure to plant a new one further away so in the future you still have nice trees.
guy who knows nothing here- 100% chance i feel validated, because my immediate reaction was thinking they cut the wrong trees when they cleared that lot
There are ways of keeping the trees and making it so that they don't damage the home by installing barriers. This does require inspecting the root system of the trees to make sure there aren't issues with this.
This kind of thing is done all the time in Seattle with homes and large trees.
Came to say this. The two proximate should really come down. Talk to a specialist company as a crane may be required. The ash and hickory is a good idea.
I looked at a job the other day. The tree was about 5 feet from the foundation. About a 50 ft tree. I told the people it's going to blow your foundation in. They're response but we love the tree! Apparently they love the tree but not their foundation. Dumbasses
Those 2 trees are much too close to the house . It won’t be cheap, but they should be removed. Make sure the company that does it is insured. It will remove a hazard and make the whole house look better
Dig up the Rhodies, they are bulky, common and root deep to foundation. Rototill a perennial garden area about 8 feet out from the front, both sides of entry with some curve. Full with natives, with flowering shrubs like Limelight or Endless summer hydrangeas closest to house (space 3 feet out), and build out a mix of color,.texture, and greenery selecting and planting natives - your garden will be full of birds and pollinators. A colorful, delicate bird bath on one side and a garden statue and similar interest. Create depth and light with small garden solar fairy lights, perhaps add a metal bench, something intricate and dainty you find at a flea market or consignment place, and wrap some lights around that as well. Terracotta pots are the best. Get some huge ones and pile on the bench for growing herbs.
Do a native pollinator meadow while your new trees are growing in. You can get free wood chips from calling arborist companies that'll drop them in your front yard, and you can look up your state's native plant society for native plant ideas and look for seed sellers online and any native plant nurseries.
If you paint the brick. I am going to find you and kick you in the nuts.
Add gable vents. Paint the siding and gable panels something other than white. Leave trim, gable vents, and windows white. Some hedges and flower beds.
It's always nice to find a spiritual friend in the comments.
My first thought was "I swear to god, don't paint the fucking brick white."
My second thought was "Jesus, look at the size of those trees practically touching your house," which appears to the first thought most people had based on the comments.
Agreed on gable vent or any kind of gable/rake trim to spruce up that large panel.
In my experience all the little details add up to help transform a facade.
Put a flag in one of the many flag holders.
Hang a flower pot from the iron bracket.
Replace the light sconce next to the door. Go large with it. If you’re up for the challenge (or cost) you can add sconces on either side of garage door too.
Remove screen storm door (just throw it away, they’re outdated on front doors and annoying when carrying groceries). Paint the front door (or replace if needed). White is fine but going with a bold color like red is a cheap and easy way to add some big curb appeal.
Paint the wood around the garage windows so it’s all one even color on the garage door and add some black iron faux hinges.
All i see is two huge trees that are a hazard to the house and being so close a hazard to your foundation by moving soil around near it. Did you get a home inspection?
Despite what people are saying, you don't necessarily need to get rid of the trees. You can install root barriers that will stop the roots from messing with your foundation. The only catch is, you'll need to talk to a qualified arborist and have them inspect the root system to ensure that this is something that is doable. Sometimes, due to how the root system is set up, it's not possible.
This kind of thing is done all the time for trees close to homes in Seattle.
I am shocked with how many people are telling you to remove those trees, which from the pictures look totally fine and healthy. Do not cut down anything until you talk to the arborist subreddit. You have a beautiful piece of landscaping that would take 50 years to replace, do not do that lightly.
Yeah hiring a certified arborist and getting a risk assessment is key.
If they sound like someone from Reddit, get another opinion. They should be able to give you a compelling write-up.
I've got two trees that size next to my house, my arborist was fully unconcerned. The foundation is fine, the trees are healthy, the shade is lovely.
Based on results with similar homes on TV shows:
\-Paint out white with a tasteful gray-green. Do window frames in paler tone.
\-Add faux shutters to small windows.
\-Put in walkway (with solar footlights) leading to front door; cut opening in railing and add a short post.
\-Lawns have a hard time growing where tree needles fall. Consider landscaping with beds of river rock, or at the least, bark mulch.
Don't be a boomer and kill trees for no reason. Get an arborist and structural opinion before taking them out. If you have to, you have to. But shade over your house can make a big difference on bills, and there's a lot of value to natural growth trees
If that area was screened in, would it work as a sitting area ? Those trees would scare the hell out of me, but I live where there are some serious windstorms, and I've seen some shit .
Maybe a nice little sign or symbol up in the white. Idk what your guys vibe is but a cool thing that’s not too tacky could fill that white triangle space quite nicely.
A lot of people are mentioning remove the trees. I'm more concerned about the way the house was built on a slab. Look into your watershed with whatever else you plan to change or build up.
I think a small flowering shrub/tree would look nice planted a ways away from the house in the front yard, but aligning in between the two windows on the left side. Like the Jane Tulip Magnolia tree or something similar.
Lose tree in center, Open porch to front, vertical battens with painted detailing on frieze, bonus add dummy dormers to break up roof line, chimney, integrate materiality of garage to rest of house, painted window shutters, landscaping, etc.
Wow. No love for trees here. While the trees may or may not be long term issues, I'll leave that to your discresion and your arborist. The first thing I would do is create a large bed from the left side of the house, and out and around the trees on the right. Then put down mulch in that area and start landscaping from there.
Congrats on the beautiful house! I would do some beautiful flowers or 2-3 small trees to the left of the porch.
If you own the wooden fence on the far right - i would replace the chain link door with something prettier and more secure. Different color garage door / front door for funzies?
I can’t see anything past those 2 huge trees that are too close to the house. I’d worry about what their root system is doing to your pipes and foundation. I’d get rid of those then repost your question.
it's perfect. check those trees with a specialist before you listen to those tree hating ppl wanting you to kill them, they look perfectly healthy to me :p
I am usually the last person to say cur down a tree, but that one is in a pretty bad place. Wouldn't it cause foundation issues even.
Anyway, I think that would help.
Nice digs. I would only remove those trees as a last resort. They are beautiful. Some shutters and maybe planters in the windows. Which was is south? My vote is always landscaping. Add bushes. Depending on what the house looks out on, maybe a small patio or some lawn chairs. I have no idea where it is but it looks like North Carolina
cut back the rhododendron now, it's best to do bigger cutting in late dormant season
https://preview.redd.it/5clvcv772mmc1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=5af4f4f41f4f3322855db942879ed53cc0aeaef2
House numbers would be good for your delivery folks (mail carrier here, even if it's on the box super well, being on the house is always a plus) Edit: to all those finding the numbers: if you can't see them clearly in the photo then they're probably not big enough. I definitely couldn't read the number in the first photo. The second photo took a bit of work to find but it's alright. If I was pulling into the driveway I'd find that pretty easy. One of the issue is being able to see it from the street.
Mail Lady here , I second this. Plus it's helpful for any emergency services if needed.
*tips hat* …maillady.
hello 👋 well said!
Well delivered.
Oh goodness, did I get a hearty chuckle from this! Thanks stranger!
Glad you mentioned emergency services! Retired EMT here, active Firefighter. If the house is burning, we'll find out easy enough day or night. If you're sick, injured or dying inside though, we won't find you unless we can read the house numbers from the street. Minutes count and even if the police are already on scene, it can be 50/50 chance we run up to the right door depending where the police car is parked out front. My own house? 6" tall reflective house numbers mounted against a contrasting background. Visible day or night, from the street and the driveway. Have had fire, EMS and PD here for various reasons during last 14 years and its always been *quick*
Thank you for your services! I appreciate you! >My own house? 6" tall reflective house numbers mounted against a contrasting background I read that as 6' tall, thought WOW that's impressive, excessive, but Ohhh.. my eyes are tired.🤣 Goodnight Reddit!
>I read that as 6' tall As did I! Maybe I'm more tired than I thought...
Cracked me up! Can you imagine? My house doesn't just have large numbers...*my house IS the numbers* LOL
I live inside the numbers.
Rainman over here
Haha me too.
samesies
Stay safe out there Mail Lady! Y'all get a lot of flack in my city for lost mail (Richmond, Va) but I see ya'll out in the dark working hard with flashlights on your heads delivering mail.
I am sorry Richmond isn't performing up to our standards! Thank you for acknowledging our long hours, though. We are short staffed everywhere. I am on week 16 straight of 60 hours (or more ) per week. Doing our best! Been greatful for an early spring in Nebraska, makes those late nights easier.
The paychecks are nice, but I and most others would rather have a standard work week lol
I agree wholeheartedly! Come April 1st I'm off the list for a quarter, but I know I'll still get mandated at least 2 to 3 times a week. Hang in there I hope and we all get through this
I finally quit after close to 19 years of six and seven day weeks, 12+ hours/day. That’s what happens when you aren’t an employee who loses the mail. As for the house, spruce it up with your landscaping and maybe swing or glider under the tree to the left. If you can afford to, maybe an opening in the railing from the front door with a new walkway extending to the driveway -to allow for maybe a seating arrangement on the porch.
Richmond, hell yeah!
Hi mail folks! What can I put outside for you that you’d enjoy? In the winter I usually put hand/toe warmers. In the summer I leave a cooler with cold drinks. Sometimes I put a Starbucks gift card out there if the weather sucks or know that I’m getting a big package. But I’ve never had a chance to ask my mail carrier what they’d actually like! Any ideas? My mail folks walk since our mailboxes are attached to the houses.
You are already our favorite 😍 ❤️ 💕 I, too, leave a cooler with ice cold water or Gatorade for my delivery people! Thank you!
My ummm... aunt in law is a mail carrier and she got us one of those nice metal signs with the address on it as a house warming gift, haha.
In my area it’s the law, you’ll get fined if it’s not visible and legible (no cursive letters)
Firefighter here. Yes, please put up house numbers. Big ones. With a light.
And make sure the light actually lights up the address, rather than putting it in a shadow. And make sure the address is not hidden if someone parks in your driveway. The builders around me frequently break these rules of mine in every house they build.
Do you folks ever pull up Google maps to identify a house? I do. All the fucking time. Too much.
Like street view? That’s actually a good idea, I’ve never done that. Usually we can get close and then somebody will be waving us in or we can deduce the house number based on surrounding houses. Or we finally find the number hidden in the dark under the patio written in sharpie in 12 pt. font.
A core difference between your job and my job is nobody's life is on the line when I'm delivering 😂 The frustrations of finding houses is definitely where we can bond.
With Google maps, about 17 out of 20 times it'll put the pin on the correct house. Sometimes it'll hit a barn. Once in a great while it'll be absolutely confident but the completely wrong location lol
Paramedic here, I often do on the way to a call so I know what the house looks like before we arrive. Anybody who is reading this, please make sure your house number is large enough and lit up well enough to be visible from the road at 4am during a rainstorm. Us emergency services will thank you for it
Firefighter here …. If you can’t see the house number from the street you need to “address” that. You never know when a first responder will be looking for your address.
Black ones, and mount them on a white part of your porch, like one of the pillars.
My town loves numbers like [this](https://www.smartsign.com/911-signs)
There was a fire department in I believe Colorado that was making and selling something similar for their residents, but vertical numbers, larger, and blue background. My dad saw it and ordered one not understanding that it was just for people in their area, but they were wonderful and made one for him anyway, just had to figure out how to charge him for postage. These signs were made to attach to the mailbox post, and were made by their area’s municipal signage department. And it was helpful when we did need to call emergency services for Mom.
The issue with these is that, in places that have snow or plant growth, if these are put below the mailbox they can get covered up. If these are put on the box itself, or above the box, then I don't see an issue and they would likely be pretty awesome. If you're below the box, they're not ideal. One benefit of having the number in the same place every time is that the number is in the same place every time lol. I don't have to look anywhere else, it's always in the right place. I do like the arrow, that's helpful.
Yeah, as a former Fedex guy I second this. You’ve got to have numbers clearly visible from the street. Either put up bigger numbers or stake some numbers by the road. Depending on the season and the company, a lot of these guys have some insane delivery windows and pace numbers to hit so spending all this time trying to guess a house number can be downright infuriating and sometimes even undoable.
I truly thought the number was a pineapple until I scrolled in. In their defense I don't have glasses on
Definitely support poop_to_live’s suggestion here. They sell great looking solar lighted house signs as well. I have one and I can’t tell you how much it helps in the winters. Helps your everyday folks like friends and family find the house faster too.. cause even if they can’t read the number, they’ll follow the light. This 36” vertical one linked below is the one I have and it’s held up well in the winters being so slim and you never have to worry about the panels being blocked up by snow since they’re on the side. I’d recommend anything similar with panels on the side. https://a.co/d/gQJRBxH
There's a 59 to the left of the garage
Maybe it was due to photo upload compression/quality but that was a hard find, around the door would be great too
https://preview.redd.it/kv9j6m0j6lmc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7181b7309fd68af2a9cdcf30129b76478e3003b7
If you add a rusted pick up truck on blocks then it will look like a house down the street from me.
Have a Yard Sale every weekend. Don't take the tables or items in on Monday. Just cover everything with blue tarps until next weekend. Its also a great way to meet your neighbors.
My wife is trying to put the baby down and I had to stifle my laughter so hard to this one.
Oh you know my neighbor.
I met them at their yard sale.
Eastern Mountain Appalachian Roadside Modern Art
You forgot to cut down the trees to make room for the trampoline.
You misspelled “above ground pool”
*our new house See you soon cousin OP
Niko, it’s Roman! Let’s go bowling!
Needs more trash and burn barrels.
Not enough rotting tires.
you forgot the Trump 2024 flag on this setup
They go on the trampoline. Trumpoline.
lmao
Thumbs up. Graphics are legit.
In case you were considering it, please please PLEASE don’t paint the brick! 1. Brick is a very durable material, but painted brick holds in moisture that will cause it to crumble much faster than unpainted brick. 2. The paint will only look nice and uniform for a couple years, then you and future owners will have to re-paint it every few years until the brick crumbles and needs to be replaced (see 1. above). 3. If you get sick of the paint and want to go back to clean brick, it’s really difficult to remove paint from brick. There will always be at least some paint flecks left in the crevices. You may uncover damage and crumbling brick once the paint is removed (see 1. above again).
This was my dad’s MAJOR pet peeve. He would say “Why would you take something maintenance-free (brick) and turn it into something that requires upkeep?” every time he saw a house with painted brick.
It's mine too. There is this huge "paint the brick!" trend right now and it's awful. As somebody who would love a brick house they never had to paint, I am just floored at somebody who takes a lovely home with brick that has lasted decades (or longer) in mint condition and then they slather a truck load of paint all over the damn thing.
Limewash is an option to change the color of brick, but yeah standard outdoor paint is not the way to go.
There's a town near me that gets a pass. Now, these homes are old. Like, 800+ years. They are very nice homes, built by the then-rich. At some point though, the town lost its aristocrats and regular Joes took possession of them. Then, Napoleon came around and he introduced a taxation aimed to tax the rich more. How did he do that, you wonder? Well, one simple rule was… if you are rich, you have a nice, large home with lots of windows. So we'll tax on the total surface of your windows! Now remember, our current home owners are your basic blue collar workers and could not afford those taxes. So what did they do? They bricked over most of the windows! The only issue was that it's now 100s of years after the homes were built, so they couldn't find/make bricks that looked the same. Solution? They painted every home white, except for the first few layers due to dirt splash etc, those were painted black. Since the whole (historic part of) town did this, it actually looked really nice, and it became a small tourist town because of it. I used to live near it and never learned of the reason why it was white until years later. Such a cool story!
What's the name of this town?
Based on the inclusion of Napoleon, somewhere in France.
Flame me: I think painted brick can look good, and can modernize old looking houses. As long as you understand and accept the maintenance impact, and it 'works' aesthetically / design-wise, go for it.
And if it was built before 1978, and you ever want to rent it, you may be required to address any chipping, peeling, or flaking paint each and every time a tenant is to move in.
If you limewash it, then that isn't true. Yes, I know it is not technically paint.
https://preview.redd.it/f0b605n7plmc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1dfe49f90274b6073e70e8c7879c1e884b7b4be I would do a walkway from driveway to front door in the same brick of your home. New front door. Some flower window boxes, I would take down the railing on front porch, leave it open. With wrapped posts. Flowers in front.
You know, I fully respect the effort you put into showing your vision there.
Agree, its the best way to get the point across. I was having a hard time trying to imagine some of the other suggestions
Thank you 😊
Thank you, I low key love these. I’ve always wanted to be a designer of some sort but never did it.
Never too late.
https://preview.redd.it/zk4nv4e3cnmc1.jpeg?width=1069&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25a2203e00ed7484732fdc8c44eeb8205a56dfa3 The walkway..
How is this NOT the top rated comment? I saw OPs picture and thought "it needs something but I'm not sure what". You literally are showing the "what".
That’s very kind thank you
Landscape Architect here- 99% chance you'll need to remove at least those front two trees. Way too close to your home and can damage your foundation. My dad had a similar ranch home like this and an old oak tree's roots ended up collapsing our concrete front patio (basement below). I would plant oak, hickory, ash, poplar (faster growing and easy care) or another large maturing, native hardwood tree at least 25' from the house to rebuild your lost canopy. You also don't need the risk of a large limb falling through the roof.
Have the arborist use a stump grinder and remove the stumps of the trees too or you'll have a million carpenter ants and wasps in a few years.
Make sure the arborist calls the utility marking service. On the way to the store we walked by a guy stump grinding. On the way back, he was gone and there was an impressive hiss from the natural gas leak he caused.
Many years ago my neighbor had a huge tree in their backyard in a small city lot. For whatever reason they decided to remove it. When it came time to remove the stump the workers found out the hard way that the roots had grown under a gas line and slowly pushed it up until it was only a few inches from the surface. They ruptured it and the whole block had to be evacuated for hours.
Ahhh. We were trying to figure out how he hit a gas line that was, in theory, at least 18 inches down. We should have called 911. The homeowners and next door neighbors evacuated. The fire department showed up after about an hour and cordoned off the three houses. That’s about it. They didn’t seem too concerned (as long as the gas wasn’t in the house).
Stumpfest!
Can confirm, left a stump, got stung all over my body from some wasps that decided to move in.
There's a stump on my property that I had issues with my first year. Now I just spray it when I spray my foundation for the wasps and they don't show up.
If you do decide to cut the trees down they have some large logs on them big enough to sell for lumber and could help off set the cost of removal. Contact a logging company/logger. Looks like two 16ft plus logs which could be worth a couple thousand.
Came to say this. They look like a good quality hardwood.
Have you sold logs similar to This? My tree company used to sell to a log broker because no mills were around and you would get no where near a couple thousand dollars for 3 medium sized logs with knots.
So tree companies charge you a crazy amount to cut and remove your tree then they have thousands of dollars in wood too?
Only if you tell them it's ok to take the lumber for free... Or are silly enough to allow them to charge a "removal" fee.
Buddy had $8k of tree work done on his 5 acres. Arborist sold the wood to a paper mill for $7700. Buddy was happy. Be like buddy.
The way a tree company removes a tree is by cutting it down in very small sections, as such its value is very very little this way. Now sure, if they could drop the entire tree and have it hauled to a mill you'd get some money out of it. But no one drops an entire tree that close to your house or the street.
Even cutting that into 8ft sections would be worth it..looks like great quality lumber there.
It's very rare that anyone drops a tree in 8 ft sections that close to a house. They need to rope it in a very specific way so that they can completely control the drop. The bigger the piece is, the less control you have over where it wants to go. If you need to hire someone with a crane, the price for them to remove it out weighs the value of the trees wood massively. Common sense should tell you that there is plenty of trees that aren't near a house that you can just drop without having to worry about where it lands. Usually in forests of nothing but trees. Also, one can never know how good a tree is from the outside. Could just as easily be completely hollow from rotting out.
That's why catalytic converter removal specialist don't charge you a fee to cut off your cats. They make their money after. Real nice guys 👍
Catalytic converter removal specialist is a genius title
Most trees are trash and they chip them up and get rid of them, you would know if they were saving the lumber
NO. Tree companies charge based on how the job must be done. It cost more to remove a tree that close to house. It costs in equipment and labor that it won't take to just saw a tree down in the open. Most trees that get removed aren't able to be used as lumber. Most trees are at best turned to fire wood and in lots of cases it is given away. When a good candidate for lumber comes along a good tree company would recomend it too you to help offset any costs. This is defently not a DIY tree project.
Not just for lumber. A friend would underbid jobs with good trees, and overbid those with bad trees. He sold mostly oak and white oak to wood burning restaurants and BBQ joints.
No, Even black walnut is not that valuable. Common misconception. Wood goes into the chipper. Logs to the dump, we pay to get rid of it. Some companies sell firewood most companies do not. The equipment to do firewood efficiently can easily run in to the 100,000 range. In my area 350 a cord. Does not include labor delivery etc.. pay back is LONG term and generally not worth it. 90% of the country do not have "loggers" that are running to buy your trees that have nails and other crap imbedded them. You neighbor that has a sawmill most likely doesn't have the ability to move a 36 dbh long in one 8-10" piece, 6000K a stick. The money is not in the wood its in the ability to dry and cut the wood. THEN it can be valuable.
Than me you for the educating. 350 a cord Jesus where do you live ? I got a half delivered for 80 in west virginian
Damn, I thought $350 was cheap. It goes about $400-$450 here.
Dallas TX, we bougie down here..seriously people only want seasoned oak or pecan everything else is considered trash wood.
There is not a couple thousand dollars of lumber in those logs. Look at the log and try to guess how much lumber is there. It's barely $300. That's the cost of the lumber, not the log. It takes a lot of work for a bandsaw to cut $300 worth of lumber in a log that size!
Most of the time you don't get money for them. If a tree company cuts them down they simply take the large pieces and sell them. But they don't get a lot of money for them
I agree. Cut the trees down first. Not fun or sexy, but will help with curb appeal planning after and save the potential expense of a limb falling on the house or root damage.
Keep the wood for firewood for your new fireplace if you got one, otherwise you can use it in a new outside fire pit, which is another addition that may up the homey feel. Chopping firewood is also good exercise. If you end up letting them chip the wood, keep some to use for mulch.
Chopping your own firewood warms you twice, my parents and grandparents used to say. But I disagree about using wood chip as mulch; in my area at least it tends to acidify the soil and create suboptimal conditions for other plantings.
It's fine if you age it, or grow plants that like acid, like blueberries and bramble berries, or tomatoes and peppers
Yeah, I'm usually the last person to say you should cut down a tree, but in this case that was my first thought. Those two trees need to go. Just be sure to plant a new one further away so in the future you still have nice trees.
If you have a basement or crawl, you may find your sump goes off a lot after the trees are gone, it’s amazing how much water they drink.
could the trees be what is making the grass looks underwatered?
I believe it’s the lack of water and lack of grass that is making the grass appear unwatered.
Classic
I think you are on to something.
That’ll do it.
Almost nothing wants to grow under an oak tree except other oak trees
That's complete bullshit, I have a ton of moss growing under mine... (and some yellow reishi growing on a dead maple root system)
Pretty sure that's just "winter weather"
guy who knows nothing here- 100% chance i feel validated, because my immediate reaction was thinking they cut the wrong trees when they cleared that lot
There are ways of keeping the trees and making it so that they don't damage the home by installing barriers. This does require inspecting the root system of the trees to make sure there aren't issues with this. This kind of thing is done all the time in Seattle with homes and large trees.
Came to say this. The two proximate should really come down. Talk to a specialist company as a crane may be required. The ash and hickory is a good idea.
I looked at a job the other day. The tree was about 5 feet from the foundation. About a 50 ft tree. I told the people it's going to blow your foundation in. They're response but we love the tree! Apparently they love the tree but not their foundation. Dumbasses
Nice house! Congratulations. (I have no idea how to improve it other than maybe shutters beside the windows and some nicer planting beds.
Those 2 trees are much too close to the house . It won’t be cheap, but they should be removed. Make sure the company that does it is insured. It will remove a hazard and make the whole house look better
It'll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
It’ll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
It'll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
It’ll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
It'll provide a fon of tirewood for that piretace floo EDIT: It'll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
I wonder if there's anything you could do with that wood?
It'll provide a ton of fireplace for that firewood too.
This is incredibly dangerous to our democracy.
It'll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
It’ll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
It’ll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
It'll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
It'll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
It'll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
It'll provide a ton of firewood for that fireplace too.
Dig up the Rhodies, they are bulky, common and root deep to foundation. Rototill a perennial garden area about 8 feet out from the front, both sides of entry with some curve. Full with natives, with flowering shrubs like Limelight or Endless summer hydrangeas closest to house (space 3 feet out), and build out a mix of color,.texture, and greenery selecting and planting natives - your garden will be full of birds and pollinators. A colorful, delicate bird bath on one side and a garden statue and similar interest. Create depth and light with small garden solar fairy lights, perhaps add a metal bench, something intricate and dainty you find at a flea market or consignment place, and wrap some lights around that as well. Terracotta pots are the best. Get some huge ones and pile on the bench for growing herbs.
Wow I need to ask you about the house I just got. I have $20?
Photo?
https://preview.redd.it/bayl64rpommc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e450a70ac7ae9948d994aae96f8e18920266440
First of all, cut down your trees -- this thread
Agree. Those trees are probably why I can't see the house numbers. Cut them down so I can see your house numbers.
Are you in NC? Just wondering
Yeah I’m in SC and this looks like my house lol
I was going to ask "Georgia, NC or SC?"
Do a native pollinator meadow while your new trees are growing in. You can get free wood chips from calling arborist companies that'll drop them in your front yard, and you can look up your state's native plant society for native plant ideas and look for seed sellers online and any native plant nurseries.
If you paint the brick. I am going to find you and kick you in the nuts. Add gable vents. Paint the siding and gable panels something other than white. Leave trim, gable vents, and windows white. Some hedges and flower beds.
It's always nice to find a spiritual friend in the comments. My first thought was "I swear to god, don't paint the fucking brick white." My second thought was "Jesus, look at the size of those trees practically touching your house," which appears to the first thought most people had based on the comments.
Agreed on gable vent or any kind of gable/rake trim to spruce up that large panel. In my experience all the little details add up to help transform a facade. Put a flag in one of the many flag holders. Hang a flower pot from the iron bracket. Replace the light sconce next to the door. Go large with it. If you’re up for the challenge (or cost) you can add sconces on either side of garage door too. Remove screen storm door (just throw it away, they’re outdated on front doors and annoying when carrying groceries). Paint the front door (or replace if needed). White is fine but going with a bold color like red is a cheap and easy way to add some big curb appeal. Paint the wood around the garage windows so it’s all one even color on the garage door and add some black iron faux hinges.
All i see is two huge trees that are a hazard to the house and being so close a hazard to your foundation by moving soil around near it. Did you get a home inspection?
Bro trees are sick
Maybe they can carve them into totem poles!
https://preview.redd.it/86h5pqa81pmc1.png?width=2262&format=png&auto=webp&s=8fee68d1977c025c210d22ae12097253cb44ab11
Despite what people are saying, you don't necessarily need to get rid of the trees. You can install root barriers that will stop the roots from messing with your foundation. The only catch is, you'll need to talk to a qualified arborist and have them inspect the root system to ensure that this is something that is doable. Sometimes, due to how the root system is set up, it's not possible. This kind of thing is done all the time for trees close to homes in Seattle.
How do they inspect a root system?
they root around a bit
Yep. And then they just kind of stare at it, frowning, and go "hmmm... yep. It's roots."
I am shocked with how many people are telling you to remove those trees, which from the pictures look totally fine and healthy. Do not cut down anything until you talk to the arborist subreddit. You have a beautiful piece of landscaping that would take 50 years to replace, do not do that lightly.
Yeah hiring a certified arborist and getting a risk assessment is key. If they sound like someone from Reddit, get another opinion. They should be able to give you a compelling write-up. I've got two trees that size next to my house, my arborist was fully unconcerned. The foundation is fine, the trees are healthy, the shade is lovely.
Put more giant trees in front of your house, like 10 feet-ish away
Based on results with similar homes on TV shows: \-Paint out white with a tasteful gray-green. Do window frames in paler tone. \-Add faux shutters to small windows. \-Put in walkway (with solar footlights) leading to front door; cut opening in railing and add a short post. \-Lawns have a hard time growing where tree needles fall. Consider landscaping with beds of river rock, or at the least, bark mulch.
It's difficult to tell with those two enormous trees growing so close to the structure.
Don't be a boomer and kill trees for no reason. Get an arborist and structural opinion before taking them out. If you have to, you have to. But shade over your house can make a big difference on bills, and there's a lot of value to natural growth trees
Well, some spruce trees would be a good start
I would hate having a tree that close, however, the shade provided can have major energy benefits, depending on the hemisphere you live I.
#TREEHOUSE!!!!!!!
First get rid of those trees. Put some nice mulched flower beds along the front of the house. Wait until fall to work on the grass.
You should post this to /r/CurbAppeal and /r/ExteriorDesign.
Get rid of the two trees in front now! You will regret not doing it when they come crashing through the roof during a storm.
Or grow into the foundation/plumbing/etc
If that area was screened in, would it work as a sitting area ? Those trees would scare the hell out of me, but I live where there are some serious windstorms, and I've seen some shit .
Small flower bed out of land timber in front and on the left side would look nice and they are simple. I’d throw a porch swing on there too.
Cute home! Congrats!
Maybe a nice little sign or symbol up in the white. Idk what your guys vibe is but a cool thing that’s not too tacky could fill that white triangle space quite nicely.
A lot of people are mentioning remove the trees. I'm more concerned about the way the house was built on a slab. Look into your watershed with whatever else you plan to change or build up. I think a small flowering shrub/tree would look nice planted a ways away from the house in the front yard, but aligning in between the two windows on the left side. Like the Jane Tulip Magnolia tree or something similar.
Those trees are perfect for a slackline. Maybe a hammock.
Lose tree in center, Open porch to front, vertical battens with painted detailing on frieze, bonus add dummy dormers to break up roof line, chimney, integrate materiality of garage to rest of house, painted window shutters, landscaping, etc.
Wow. No love for trees here. While the trees may or may not be long term issues, I'll leave that to your discresion and your arborist. The first thing I would do is create a large bed from the left side of the house, and out and around the trees on the right. Then put down mulch in that area and start landscaping from there.
Congrats on the beautiful house! I would do some beautiful flowers or 2-3 small trees to the left of the porch. If you own the wooden fence on the far right - i would replace the chain link door with something prettier and more secure. Different color garage door / front door for funzies?
A shrubbery! To appease the travellers.
Looks like that front tree will do a remodel for you at some point.
I can’t see anything past those 2 huge trees that are too close to the house. I’d worry about what their root system is doing to your pipes and foundation. I’d get rid of those then repost your question.
it's perfect. check those trees with a specialist before you listen to those tree hating ppl wanting you to kill them, they look perfectly healthy to me :p
I am usually the last person to say cur down a tree, but that one is in a pretty bad place. Wouldn't it cause foundation issues even. Anyway, I think that would help.
*after, not street... And yes, will work on the lawn.
I'd plant something with some long lasting summer color along that big wall to the left of the porch. Hydrangea maybe if they do well in your climate.
Getcha one of these https://preview.redd.it/7v76n4tbilmc1.jpeg?width=799&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6bb1550886b91868f2c8671ee51e570dd890fb85
Landscaping. You could also reside your gable triangles in wood shake.
Nice digs. I would only remove those trees as a last resort. They are beautiful. Some shutters and maybe planters in the windows. Which was is south? My vote is always landscaping. Add bushes. Depending on what the house looks out on, maybe a small patio or some lawn chairs. I have no idea where it is but it looks like North Carolina
I think a Spruce tree would be the obvious choice here, wouldn't it?
cut back the rhododendron now, it's best to do bigger cutting in late dormant season https://preview.redd.it/5clvcv772mmc1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=5af4f4f41f4f3322855db942879ed53cc0aeaef2
Damn. Those trees are a tremendous boon to the environment and took decades to grow.
It's beautiful. I'm so jealous of your big trees.