Have you seen a house with plenty of potential, but less-than-stellar looks? These are the ugly ducklings of the housing market. According to architect Wilson Fuqua, perhaps all these crooked, flawed homes need are some figurative braces. These will help re-align the good things about the home.
Jump for Fuqua’s unique perspective on turning a home from awkward to elegant!
Some houses are like children and need braces to correct their crooked teeth. These houses are everywhere.
You know the kind: They have bright orange, used brick, with a faux colonial door surround, odd-sized windows that don’t quite line up with dormers bigger than Texas. They were not brilliant when they were built, daughters of the 60s, 70s, or 80s. So they sit, and sit, and sit on the market with good location, but just awkward, a little nerdy. Often these houses are too expensive to tear down, but lower than the market square footage price.
Just rethink some awkward design moments on the front: redo a porch or door surround, point and paint ugly brick, re-landscape and move a few walls, open up, reallocate space for better enjoyment. Take out the cheap built ins, stair rails, cabinets, counters, tiles.
And then you’ll have a beauty queen, all from the magic of an architect! Thank you for sharing your perspective, Wilson!
