Facade Enhancement
Alot of things make up the facade of a property. Starting the farthest out and working in:
Wires that attach to the house - you likely have an electrical connection, a telephone connection and at least 1 - 6 cable connections. Yes, I have counted 6 seperate wires attaching to a single building. How those wires are run to your property and to your neighbors can make a difference in the Design of the Streetscape of your block and the value of your property. Wires can come from the street or maybe the alley in the back. Wires should come in perpendicular to the street, not at an angle across your neighbors air space etc. You should only have the connections you need, trying to minimize the duplication etc. Wires go the property and then wire is used INSIDE the building to run to various rooms.
Sidewalks are part of the facade and part of the streetscape of the block. Some people have very nice sidewalks. Some people don’t. Not only does it affect your property value but the value of the whole block. Talk to your neighbors with bad sidewalks. You can save money by all doing it at the same time if everybody needs it!
Street Trees - I recently walked around just about the entire western half of the NbNW Neighborhoods to get the Tree Inventory started. There are some beautiful mature trees….and there are some trees that might cost you your house and your kids college money if it comes down and takes out your neighbors house. PLEASE take a look out the window at the trees that are 36-42 inches wide that are leaning heavily toward your house, the neighbors house or the street, split trunks, all the growth on one side…..DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!! Get those looked at by a tree person as soon as you can.
Satellite Dishes - yes, they get rid of the wires and I like that part. What detracts from the facade is when the dish is placed in the easiest possible place for it to make the connection. Dishes belong on the roof - not on the porch or just outside the bay window. How about 1 to a building rather than one for every receiver you have?
Porches/Steps/Doorways/Exterior Lighting - most of the properties in the North by Northwest Neighborhoods are probably at least 75 years old. They have some nice architectural meat on their bones. Don’t dumb down the property by stripping away that detail. Go the extra mile and do it right. Concrete steps should get replaced with poured concrete steps, not wood, not prefab concrete steps that don’t match. Railings should get replaced with what was there originally, not deck sticks for a suburban deck, not plastic. Doorways, I’ll take some pictures today of some doorways I have in mind. You tell me which enhances the value of the property.
Bay Windows - The right windows can make a giant difference in the qualify of life. They can save you money on heating and cooling as well as virtually eliminate outside noise. Double and triple pane windows with argon gas and varying glass thickness can literally repel sound. Restoring the woodwork on your bay window and painting with a multi-colored theme in historic colors can do alot for the value of your house. If your neighbor across the street does it, it can do alot for your view.
Go outside today. Take a fresh look at your block through a visitors eyes. What do you see that can be improved. You would be amazed at what happens when one person does something….other people start doing other things and suddenly, it looks alot better.