Another Cape Cod renovation surprise

A craftsman style front porch on a cape cod. The surprise is that although I'm usually a purist (i.e., don't mix and match styles), I like this.

I love these windows

I have no idea what it is about these four-pane windows, but I think they look great.

Cape Cod houses - an exception

In my original post on Cape Cod houses in the neighborhood, I posted this definition of the style:

"usually one-story. It has clapboard siding mostly (but not always). It has a low-pitched roof-line, with minimal fascia (roof overhang). The shape is usually square (but not always). The front door is usually in the center. There is seldom much in the way of ornamentation."

Here's one exception to the rule. A brick Cape Cod.  I can't tell you why, but I really like this little charmer.

Off-topic - automobile architecture

If you think the new Mini is small, compare it to the original Mini. Now that was really Mini!

Cape Cod renovation done right

I've done a lot of complaining about bad Cape Cod renovations, so here's one that I think is about as good as you can get.  They've completely altered it into a nice modern house in which the underlying Cape Cod is almost unrecognizable. You can see a little bit of the original house on the lower right of the photo above.

What's right about this house? Almost everything. The roofline is interesting. The colors are great (three great colors: the sage green body, the off-white contrast and trim, and the dark windows).

If you look at the two photos below, you can see additional views of the original, underlying Cape Cod.

Well done!

Cape Cod renovations - a slightly better second story job

Here's a second-story addition on a Cape Cod that maintains the look of the original. Is it beautiful? Certainly not. But at least it doesn't ruin the (minimal) charm of the original architecture.

The problem of Cape Cod renovations (in my opinion, for whatever that's worth) is that it's a very plain style, and unless you're willing to completely change the character of the house, there isn't much you can do when enlarging the house to make it more charming.

I'm sure this house is more "livable" thanks to the addition (and I suspect there's a view from the upper story), but let's not fool ourselves into thinking this is gorgeous. But at least the second story is in keeping with the style of the original.

Pride of ownership

Nothing says "pride of ownership" like tattered, sagging, awnings.