Home Addition Transforms Missouri Ranch
By: Cassie McDowell
A home addition can be a tricky thing to navigate. When Angela S. decided to add a second story and a garage to her home in Missouri, she struggled to envision what the end result might look like. After discovering brick&batten on Pinterest, she chose to enlist our help.
When it came to the exterior, we had no clue what would look good and tie in our existing brick ranch with the second story addition and garage.
Keep reading to learn how we helped Angela tackle her home addition project. We’ll show you what the home looked like before, share our designs, and reveal the finished product.
From a garage or porch addition to a new color palette or siding, we can help you visualize any updates to your home exterior. Whether you want a design for the front of your home or all four sides, we’ve got you covered. No project is too big or small for our designers to tackle. Learn more about our virtual exterior design services.
Our designers only use and recommend products that we know, love, or would use on our own properties. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
How do I add on to an existing house?
If you’re reading this post, you might be wondering how you can complete a successful addition to your own home. There are many different ways to approach a home addition, and partnering with a team of exterior designers (like ours!) will make the process a whole lot simpler. We’ll make sure the additions work well with the rest of your home and add to its curb appeal, rather than detract from it. With our photorealistic rendering of your home and desired additions in hand, you can begin your renovation process with confidence.
Ready to learn more about Angela’s successful home addition project? Keep reading for all the details!
The before
Angela’s home (above) was a small ranch-style, mostly brick building. She wanted to add a second story to the property, as well as a garage. She also wanted to update the existing structure and make it and the additions look like one cohesive home. Angela initially hired an architect to create blueprints for her new home (below), and while the drawings were helpful, she said they fell short of what she was looking for.
The architect we were working with was great at including the features we wanted in the home but didn’t have the technology to give us a vision of what actual materials would look like and where to find them. When we found brick&batten, I immediately knew we needed your help to tie the house together and make it look like it was always like this.
The design
In addition to a second story and garage, Angela had a few other requests for her design. She wanted the new look to reflect her transitional style, and she wanted to keep the brick on the first floor, though she told us she was open to painting it.
With this context, we got to work creating a customize design for Angela with two color palette options. Our design features painted brick and a combination of vertical and shingle siding on the second story and garage addition. We suggested removing the dated shutters and replacing the windows and front door. We also incorporated wood accents throughout and designed a landscape-lined walkway and driveway.
The first color palette option we provided Angela is a monochromatic one featuring Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace on the brick, siding, eaves, and trim. The second consists of Benjamin Moore’s Gray Huskie on the brick and siding and Chantilly Lace on the eaves and trim.
Angela used her free revision to see a few minor changes to our initial design. Our revision includes a different walkway and driveway and two light fixtures framing the garage door instead of one above it. The garage door is slightly different in the revised design, and the set of windows to its right is smaller compared to our initial rendering. Finally, we recommended a shingle roof in our revision instead of the metal one from our first design.
The process was so smooth working with brick&batten. I was quick to get a response to my questions when I first reached out. Once we decided to move forward, it was very simple to explain what we liked. They put it together exactly how I hoped it could look.
The process
Angela’s husband acted as the general contractor for their project. He sourced all the necessary materials and then sub-contracted the work. The renovation process took about seven months, excluding the year Angela spent meeting with her architect and working with local officials prior to starting construction.
Overall, Angela said bringing her brick&batten design to life was fairly easy and found the resource list included in her deliverable to be particularly helpful. (In case you’re wondering, every brick&batten design comes with a list of materials, products, and paint colors featured in the design, making it super simple to order everything and start renovating.)
Implementing the design was relatively seamless — brick&batten gave us the names of the materials used. While it was hard at times to have our everyday lives and routines disrupted with a toddler for the seven months, we are so happy we decided to make our current home work for us by adding on.
The actual after
Angela went with the lighter, monochromatic color palette option and followed her brick&batten design closely. From the painted brick and new siding to the garage door and wood columns supporting the awning over the patio, she implemented a number of our design recommendations. Even the curved walkway and landscaping closely resemble her design.
Angela said she and her husband are thrilled with how their renovation turned out. We’re also impressed with the tremendous transformation!
Sometimes we look at each other and can’t believe we have everything we want and need in a home to raise our children.
When asked what she loved most about her new exterior, Angela struggled to call out just one aspect.
It’s hard to pick just one favorite aspect of the transformation because we love everything about it. We especially love being able to host our family and friends with the extra space and functionality we have now.
A successful home addition
Angela’s renovated home looks nothing like it did before. A timeless color palette, garage and second-story addition, a new roof, and other carefully curated design elements totally transformed Angela’s exterior. But Angela and her family aren’t the only ones enjoying the new look. She told us her friends and neighbors are also impressed with the transformation.
We are fortunate to have great neighbors, and they have all expressed how wonderful our home turned out. Friends and family that hadn’t seen the house since before we started the renovation are especially blown away with how it looks now.
P.S. If you enjoyed reading this client story, check out all the other ones we’ve shared here.
Whether you want to add on to your home or refresh existing elements, a brick&batten design will make the process easier. We’ll help you visualize all your desired updates so you can be sure they’ll look cohesive and attractive. We’ll also provide you with a resource list featuring all the items in your design and links to purchase them. Begin your exterior design today.
Subscribe for more content like this!
