Guest Architect Bruce Wentworth
- A welcoming porch should include live plants and some furniture.
Great home design starts with great architecture! Today I am happy to introduce our first guest architect, Bruce Wentworth, AIA. Bruce has an extensive portfolio that shows his love of historic restoration through a broad array of projects; from bungalows (my favorite) on up to large scale luxury residences. Recently he has also started his website, “Ask the Architect“ which helps homeowners identify their own home’s period and style as well as answering questions about remodeling. His blog has great tidbits as well. Today, Bruce is sharing an exterior project that shows us the importance of curb appeal. I just love the transformation and the autumn decor is a bonus!
Enjoy!
~Lorrie
The original front door didn't really look like a front door.
Now it's bold and visitors know exactly where to go.
Curb Appeal
Our clients, whose property is gorgeous and has a wonderful interior, lacked curb appeal. The existing covered porch was uninviting, narrow and felt like a back door. Exposed brick walls at the porch looked rough and unrefined, old stone paving was cracked and loose, and a pair of glass patio doors served as the front entry but lacked ‘front-door’ status.
The color and the "flatness" of the house lacked interest before.
The new walkway reflects the style of the new entry.
This project was all about the details; the details of the architecture and the details of the arrival experience. Starting your journey at the driveway we constructed low stone square piers to announce the new flagstone sidewalk; each pier capped with thick flagstone for a substantial feeling, and built-in lighting illuminates the step. The sidewalk’s flagstone was laid in a diagonal pattern to create a rhythm as you progress parallel to the front of the house. Arriving at a turning point, the walk widens to a square and the paving pattern changes, designating its time to turn and face the porch. To make the porch feel more inviting the flagstone paving was extended beyond the porch roof line. This extra floor space allows visitors to gather and accommodates porch accessories such as benches or decorative pots.
I love the details on this porch: the round window, column and beautiful light.
The porch offers a new experience by covering the existing brick walls of the porch with flat recessed wood paneling with panel molding. The fake shutters were removed from at the porch windows and door to let the paneling do its work. New trim at the door and windows further enhances the details. The old glass patio doors were replaced with an elegant custom door flanked by sidelights that gives the house a new status.
The home’s new curb appeal puts it in sync with the quality of the overall residence and enhances its market value.
”Architect, Contractor, and Author, Bruce Wentworth, AIA, has worked in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area for over twenty years as the principal architect on over 100 historic and classic home re-modelings. Passionate about historic architecture, he recently put his survey of residential architectural styles in the D.C. metro area online at http://askthearchitect.org/. His work has been featured in many local and national publications.”
To learn more about Bruce Wentworth and to see additional projects, visit his website.
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Tags: guest blogger, outdoors and patio
