We need help with our 1965 fixer upper exterior. How do I unify the walk out basement with the main level? Will it involve painting brick??
Members of our facebook group for midcentury home owners were happy to help.
Below are some examples of members thoughts on the topic. These are only a few of the thousands of tips that are shared in our exclusive Facebook Group dedicated to midcentury modern home owners. If you own a midcentury house and are not already a member, join us now!
- “I’d explore adding height to the side stepped walls, enclosing the open end and developing the space as a courtyard. The new enclosure walls, maybe well detailed cedar could be used to unify it all IMHO..”
- “Maybe some breeze block for enclosure walls?”
- “I really don’t think that brick is anything special…just run of the mill red brick. I’d sooner try to save that wallpaper!“
- “Remember, ‘A doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.'” Frank Lloyd Wright
- “With the contrasting black, the limewash doesn’t look so bad and I’m not typically a fan of it.”
- “I would paint the brick to match the rest of the house. Are the brown soffit and garage doors cedar? I feel like they don’t compliment the black. As for the courtyard area, I would leave them open, and put in a patio, a few chairs, and some pots.“
- “There’s a masonry paint. You might be able to match it with what you currently have (if this is what you want). Otherwise, you can choose another masonry paint to change the bricks to.”
- “Please don’t use latex paint. A neighbor of mine did and it looks stupid. I’m in a suburb of Denver and the troglodyte also painted the Bronco mascot on the house (as if using latex paint on brick on a MCM wasn’t bad enough)…It just looked ridiculous.”
- “Masonry stain is the way to go. Paint can ruin brick in the long run. Several people have shared their use of masonry stain & I think it looks a lot better, more natural & less damaging to the brick than paint.“
You’re probably going to hate hearing this, but… I can see how the house originally looked in my mind, where the brick is continuous, and the slate patio is intact. The reason you think it looks odd is because it’s in an advanced state of deterioration. In actuality, it would look pretty amazing and “just right” if it were properly restored. You have the choice to restore, or not to restore.
- “As a preservationist, I would slather the brick in paint stripper, cellophane it off for a few hours, and try the power washer again. If you can get it off, you’re going to be thrilled at how it looks. Imagine adding more slate to the patio, and having the existing stones power washed and re-laid. Regarding the leaning walls, those too can be tied-back to straighten them out, or rebuilt from the existing veneer. A lot of brick walls aren’t solid brick all the way through. Doesn’t mean it is inferior or not worth preserving or salvaging.”
You can read more tips about this topic and offer your own suggestions here.
