Really Ugly House Needs Design Ideas - Please!

[csintexas]

I have not heard of this problem before.

[kari_sinkko]

White... hmmm...

[SDR]

This brick "cottage" is just dandy, in my opinion. A brick house is a treasure. Of course it should not be painted. I could see the woodwork in a green, perhaps moss/olive. Not any blue or red or yellow, though almost any gray would do -- or ochre. But the greens make a nice contrasting harmony with the red brick. Black is another option. . .

I believe the windows give a clue that this is not an old house, but a conservative dsign by a modern architect. The motif of operable vs fixed glass, in an asymmetrical repeated pattern, was I think deliberate and should be respected.

Otherwise I agree with the comments of my colleagues.

Nice house ! Thoughtful editing, and landscaping, should be the focus, I believe.

SDR

[Coffeefiend]

How large of a renovation are you considering? I think that a small (one or two additional room) addition to help frame the patio would do wonders for the house. Also, I think you might want to have the roof flashing looked at where it meets the chimney.
For small, less-intensive changes, I'd consider some face and landscaping changes. You could add a stone veneer to the brick exterior without much trouble. Some landscaping could do wonders. You could use some interesting pavers for the patio or try some seasonal trees (that change colors with the seasons) to add color. I would at least add some coering material to the roof window area to unify the facade with the lower level.

[mx2]

I just can't let it go without saying...I am a proponent of treating materials based on their intrinsic nature. I wouldn't put marble tile on the walls and then try to paint it, for example. The brick and mortar wall is a classic expression of structure. The clay is red..ish. To paint brick has always been a horror in my view. If one tires of brick, there are other and better ways to treat the wall surface then just painting the brick and joints...my first suggestion would be to plaster the brick to the desired texture and then paint THAT surface. But of course this reminds me of those houses where you may find beautiful wood floors hidden under the nastiest dusty carpets....I would hope that you save the brick. Perhaps a simple low-pressure cleaning every once in a while and a re-pointing of the mortar where needed. Buildings, all buildings, require maintenance...

mx2.5

[SDR]

Stucco -- because the brick would be retrievable at some future time ?

There is a history of white-painted brick, in some places -- often with black trim. But I think it's a shame to paint any masonry unless it's been hopelessly disfigured already. We can't (apparently) afford to build solid brickwork any more. . .


SDR

[springtime]

same problems here

[mx2]

Stucco-plaster is the equivalent of playdoh in construction. It has not real shape or form that represents its nature, unless we talk about a pile of goop. For that reason, just as an interior plaster finish, if you want a plain painted wall...stucco and paint it. Could the brick be retrieved at a future date? Yes, at a great cost and more than likely the only time you'd know there was brick as the structure is if demolition was underway...and who knows how the client would feel at the time. My point is that, personally, I'm not a proponent for painting natural materials; ie., clay, stone, marble, etc...

To make the point, if you're willing to paint clay bricks, which the sole purpose for doing that is to mimimize the busy patternwork (tone down many would say), then one would be willing to slop goop over it, smooth it out and truly make the brick disappear...properly. Painted brick always makes me think the client was to cheap to finish the wall the way they really wanted it to look: modern.

And yes, brick is rarer these days and a gem in my humble opinion. My entire world here is stucco...with an occasional brick chimney here and there.

Out of curiosity, what is the history of white painted brick?

mx2.5