I’m confused…are you keeping the cage…or not?
No, all of the white wood around the house is going to be removed - but later in the project. We are using it for security reasons right now.
Got it! So all of that will come down later in the project. I think that will improve the house in a huge way!
cb, I wouldn’t worry about not being able to expand the deck. Given finances and bureaucracy, that was the right call. It will be beautiful when you’re done.
Agree with the above. Potential buyers will not know what they didn’t see. IIWY, I would concentrate on sprucing up the curb appeal of the traditional ranch home, which is what you have. Then, wow potential buyers with what you have done inside. All that new square footage in the former garage will substantiate the added price of the house more than the deck.
Did I miss a post that the expanded deck is off the table?
I feel like in a place like San Diego, it’s all about the outdoor living. I think having a usable outdoor space with a view would be worth far more than the deck will cost.
ETA: apparently I did! It’s a shame the city makes it so hard. It would have been spectacular.
I am curious how the neighbors have managed to do what they did.
I think having the greater indoor space will more than sell the home, especially if you have the gas hookup, so they can have the grill on the existing deck and you make as much of the outdoors attractive and usable as possible WITHOUT letting the bureaucrats make you CRAZY!
For many/most areas around here, the only way to legally have a grill on a deck is to run a properly permitted, inspected natural gas line. So it’s probably good that the NG line is still going to happen.
Good decision to not do the deck. It sounds like you would be trapped in a paperwork nightmare. Good staging and you are good to go.
The expanded deck has been abandoned for this round of permits.
I have a full set of detailed engineering plans.
I am going to address it again when we get closer to market. If we don’t think our house will sell (for example a lot of inventory not selling) we may decide to expand the deck.
Too bad about the permit maze for the deck. That’s crazy.
But, I agree with everyone else: You are still making this a spectacular house.
Coralbrook, I saw this WSJ article about the upscale trend in modern ranch style homes:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-ranch-house-reinvented-1437062184
There are some fantastic rooms and simple landscaping ideas, particularly in the Escena - Palm Springs home / kitchen.
Im struggling for ideas how to transform the curb appeal for this project
Around here, it is trendy to have wood horizontal slatted fences in the front of the house enclosing an entry courtyard. These are often paired with the glass garage door you are planning to use. Sorry I don’t have any images but it is very popular and contemporary looking.
I think getting that cage gone will help. If there is a front entry door, I would make that gorgeous. I’m unclear whether any landscaping is possible there because I don’t know what is behind the cage thing.
I would do a cool fence with horizontal slats - kind of Japanesey feeling to give some feeling of privacy and containment without restricting views.
Coralbrook, if you can get some better pictures of the front elevation of the house, along with the space available for front landscaping, that might help us. Although with the cage in place, I can’t envision what the house really looks like without it.
Given what I imagine is the relative simplicity of the front of the house, I think you should go Zen and simple for the landscaping – with large limestone blocks and river rocks in between – for the space between the garage / sidewalk and the house. Minimize need for watering – that sort of thing.
I wish I have an online picture of what my H’s colleague did for the entry to her house. She also had only a small area between the sidewalk and the entry to her house. She went with a Zen approach; it was simple but had great presence.
Curb appeal ideas. Simple, large pavers with a few drought tolerant plants and good attractive outdoor lights.
http://www.houzz.com/photos/35992768/The-Little-Glass-House-contemporary-landscape-santa-barbara
Might it be possible to rebuild or enhance the wooden “steps” out front to make them appear more substantial and more squared off (with an edge instead of just a single layer of decking)? Filling in that front yard and adding some landscaping will make a big difference; now it looks rather makeshift. It might even be worth investing in a trio of very tall planters to enhance the front entrance area. How about replacing the current wood steps with cedar (or whatever is used in CA) and using the same natural wood for the horizontal fence mentioned above so there’s an integrated look? A cool front door light would be a good addition.
What @DeniseC posted here is, in part, what I was trying to describe: