Cottage Paint & Cottage Garden

A question earlier-posed has resulted in the suggestion that I start a thread on exterior painting of a cottage to complement cottage gardening, and this is that thread!

My house is a 1938 'American Eclectic' -- a post-Depression design with lower roof gables (a shift from the tall gables of the nearby earlier 20s Tudor cottages). I think a great deal about it has changed since it was built -- certainly the front windows were replaced with solid panes of glass (which we are replacing with 6-over-6 windows) -- and the front door was replaced, as well, most recently by us to get rid of the horrible 70s mock-Mediterranean thing that was in there!.

The house is currently a sort of pearl grey with smoke-grey trim and a black door. The roof is charcoal grey, green, pale blue and white tile.

We're painting it this summer, and we're thinking a period-appropriate green, but are open to other colors. Thing is, it does need to coordinate with La Folie in the backyard. The detached garage will also be painted the same color as the house.

Any ideas?

Here's the house in the snow, a front view. Not a great shot, but at least you can see the entryway.

And in the sun, another view of the color and the roof.

And this is the little cottage in back that needs to coordinate with the new house color. The current grey isn't an offensive juxtaposition, but the new color could be if we chose the wrong green or whatever color, or something.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=3553859

You mentioned getting 6 over 6 windows. Cottages would use 6 over nothing windows because they always look open even when the windows are shut, just one of the visual tricks they employ. Makes them look open on the inside and outside by the way, making you feel more open and roomy and place more inviting. The La Folie picture you included, notice how inviting it is in part because the windows look open ( maybe they are). That's the look you want if you're going cottage and 6 over 6 is the furthest thing from a cottages "Open and Airy" when they're shut.

If you like the La Folie, and I sure do, I'd color match it because its color scheme is fantastic. I think your biggest problem in the front is the trees which have grown beyond scale with the house and should be cut down or replaced with ones smaller or no trees at all. You live in TX, I live in Massachusetts I'm not familiar with your area and if there may be a reason behind them. I see many of your plants in front are to big for your house. If going for the cottage look, the entrance way IS the most important element of all. Cottages tend to try to make people walking towards the house go as slow or stop as much as possible. The walkway is usually surrounded by flowers, not just any flowers. They have herbs along their walkway (get behaved ones) people coming to your house will stop and taste them for a minute. They have fragrant flowers near the walkway so people coming will be hit with the beauty and wonderful smell of roses and other fragrant flowers. Then, you add some Red Hot Pokers (Kniphofia), Hollyhock, Delphiniums (you may have to skip the Delphiniums) which are show stoppers, people have to stop and look at them. Add in some fuzzy plants, people just love touching them. For the last add in a butterfly bush (which may be banned in your area for invasiveness) or a butterfly/humming bird garden and people stop to admire the birds and butterflies. Last, they add flowers whose seeds birds like so birds can be found singing near their house or they add a water feature to fulfill the sound. That's a way to overload the senses, with sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound as people come towards your house, and the longer they take the more you've succeeded.

Good luck, keep us posted!

Thanks for all of this! I agree with your comments -- particularly about the trees, though cutting them down is not an option. These are old, old magnolias, evergreen, with huge white saucer-shaped blooms in spring/summer that smell heavenly. They are much prized in this neighborhood (which established about 1912), throw a deep shade that lowers the cooling bill and, conversely, dump leaves in the garden year round that always have to be wrangled. But ... the scent of the flowers and the cooling effect on the house generally makes it worth it. And their presence in the front yard raises the house's value by what was, to us, a startling amount. (The realtor said, "Whatever you do, don't kill the magnolias.) Because the local historical society is so incensed by recent teardowns in the area that have removed some of the oldest trees (and have built houses so near the lot line that new trees aren't being planted), we'd probably take some local heat if we were to cut these.

And in truth, I love them. Out of shot there's a branch for a swing beneath one of them, and it is a very nice sit beneath that fragrance in an afternoon.

I would like to tame and shape them, however. And it's a double-headed beast, because the one on the right is so tall it blocks the little hexagonal window in that front right gable -- a window looking out from a charming little garret room that I really do use (it's a TV room/nap room). I hate that the tree hides the gable window, but on the reverse, I do like looking out from that window into the wide blooms of that magnolia. From the inside, it's like having a bouquet in the window 3-4 months out of the year.

The house was landscaped the year we got it (2002), by a team who installed everything more in mind of low-maintenance than "cottage". I definitely agree that everything needs trimming and shaping. Particularly the bushes. We've added flowers, because our request was -- flowers, we want as many flowers as possible -- and when we came back from vacation, what we had were bushes. (They'd delayed the landscaping by 2 months, and when they did get to it -- in the high heat of July while we were gone -- all the flowering plants looked scraggly and apathetic, so they put in bushes instead. Augh.) But in succeeding years we installed flowers -- what you can't see in that shot is that there's also lantana (yellow), columbine (blue & white and yellow), snapdragons (pink, yellow, crimson, melon), salvia (blue), lavender, turk's cap (red), lamb's ear, verbena (pink & yellow), coreopsis (yellow) growing in that garden, at least in the part not fully shaded (out of shot).

At this point we're installing gardens in the backyard, painting the house, and then turning attention full blast onto the front yard. So many issues there, it's crazy, including some issues of theft. We just had someone come in and steal all the copper landscape lighting from the front, just for the copper, so ... ::bangs head:: ... now we're also replacing that. But not with copper, and not with plastic and ... ::bangs head some more::

We were thinking of painting the house a green somewhere on the same color chart as the green of La Folie -- maybe two shades of green in the same palette, a light and a dark for trim #1, with black or some other workable dark trim for trim #2. Most of the houses of our era in the neighborhood are Craftsman, Tudors, or other 30s and 40s eclectic cottages. Usually painted with two trim colors. Virtually the same floorplan in every house, but the exterior elevations shift by decade. The house next to us is a dark buttermilk yellow trimmed in a paler yellow/cream and brick red.

I'm glad you like La Folie! I labored over THAT paint scheme for six weeks before painting it, but that little house makes everyone who sees it bird-happy. It's just cheerful!
Funny when grown-ups all want to take a cup of coffee into a tiny house and sit in a rocking chair and look out, but when we have folks over, that's the first place they head, with someone else sitting on the little front porch. I guess we never get too old for a tiny house. :-D

Again, thank you for your input! Additional comments always appreciated and very much pondered!

-=Susannah

By the way, you are right, Marshmellow, La Folie's windows are open in that shot, but they are 4 over 1. We were going for six over six because that's what they were originally, apparently, but there are six-over-one windows in the neighborhood, too. I'm mindful of that open statement you made. Also mindful of echoing La Folie to some degree.

Thankee again!

susannah...i lived in dallas for 15 years...and when looking at your back cottage ...the way it was nicely done ...well, i pictured you living in highland park....or university park; you did a great job painting and landscaping your back so i am quite sure with that great talent you have a great eye also...so go for what YOU would love....; the thing i love about your little back cottage is that it POPs and just looks lovely with the spv and flowers....; wonder what the house would look like if you did it along the same lines as the cottage....it is a great look....

keep us posted...but your eye is great!!!

Hi, Susannah, Great project ahead of you. And cute little folly.

Just wanted to add that we had 2 magnificent old magnolias at our house in Pasadena CA. Zone 10. The historical-save-the-trees-society loved them, too, although they were planted 10 feet from the front facade. We had them thinned and 'limbed up' to let in some light yet keep the natural air conditioning. But it was very difficult to grow anything under them because they took all the available water for themselves. And we had a pretty good irrigation system. (The trees got bigger and the flowers withered.)

I do not know what the water situation is in DFW, but cottage gardens generaly require a lot of water unless one chooses plants very carefully and some from outside the normal cottage garden range. You may want to morph your scheme into something a bit more Texas friendly and look at native plants first. There are several good designers who have pretty good books on Xeriscaping in the cottage style. There were some fabulous xeriscaped gardens around craftsman cottages and bungalows back in Pasadena.

The other thought I had is that if you choose green paint for the house, you will have a lot of green going on with the green reflected light and shadows of the Magnolias coming through as well. This dark shadowy effect may be what you are after, but green may make your house disappear in the scheme. Green would work with your little Folly though, and I think it would be important to tie in the color schemes somehow.

Good luck with the project. I am definitely going to follow along, now that I've tossed in my 2 cents!

t.

Thanks for this comment, also. We have a genuine cottage-cottage (genuine meaning it looks like it came right out of a Texas storybook from the 1880s -- big wide porch and multiple dormers from bedrooms -- a farmhouse cottage-type look, built in 1913) about four doors down, and it is xeriscaped. That said, it has only one small oak tree in the front yard, near the curb, so it gets a lot of southern sun. But it looks fabulous.

DFWs water situation has been terrible for the past two years, but better this year because we've had a truly amazing amount of rain in April/May. That said, I like to think eco-friendly and long-term, and I want my neighbors in surrounding towns to be able to take a bath in August when we've been six weeks without rain, so ...

Currently everything growing under the magnolias is thriving. Even through the last two summers, which is pretty amazing, considering. Only thing I got was leaf scorch on a Japanese Maple, and it game back gangbusters anyway. But I was just out in the front yard and shrieked (literally) at how everything had grown in our last two weeks of storms. Not to mention all the magnolia leaves down. Whoa. A whole weekend of work ahead of us, if we don't have more electrical storms Sat/Sun.

I think a truly full-blown cottage garden -- in terms of sunbright flowers -- is probably out of the question in front, simply because we do have so much shade, but we do get a lot of cheer out of the lantana, snapdragons, columbine, turk's cap (beginning in July) & salvia. It's not a plethora of flowers, but at least there's some. I don't know much about xeriscaping in shade. I should study up!

The gardens in back are a different matter, and we seem to be having a great deal of success there. I walk down the path and butterflies erupt out of the Veronica, plumbago, verbena, hibiscus, salvia and lantana. A whole host of butterflies -- bright and bawdy as flappers scuttling from a raid on a bathtub gin joint, so something good is going on. It's a start anyway.

It's the house paint color that really makes me bite my knuckles at the moment. I take your point about the green. (We were thinking fairly light, but still ....) An alternate idea was yellow, but the house next to us is yellow, and somehow that doesn't seem a good idea. Hmmmmm --



This message was edited May 31, 2007 6:12 PM

Sussanah, If you like the butterflies, don't forget to plant some milkweed to feed the monarch caterpillers.... http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/seed_kit.html

http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/

Susannah,
I live in a suburb that is probably less than 16-17 miles from your area....I, too, suspect the Park Cities area is your home and know of the horrible McMansions that are destroying many beautiful neighborhoods. I have been attempting the cottage garden for the last 3 years and as you have discovered by July 1st everything goes dormant in an attempt to just survive.
Hard to keep everything alive when it is 100+ day after day. As to the color of the house....I'm for the lighter shades as well so those gorgeous magnolias don't just hide the house entirely. The yellow pallette is very extensive, does not have to be the same as your neighbors but you could probably compliment each other and it not even look simialar (sp. sure wish Terry could get a spell check in here). I would suggest Benjamin Moore paint because of our climate. It lasted 15 years on the last paint and we are in the process of repainting the same color for another 15 years. They also have such beautiful colors.
Most likely someone in the paint store could be of assistance in selecting trim. I'm such a nut for "Google". Perhaps you could find authentice color palettes from there. I'm not a purist and your Folie is to die for. I will be watching to how you select. Not an easy proposition.

I *LOVE* butterflies. Milkweed I don't have. I do have passiflora for the Gulf Frits, but no Milkweed. Guess it's back to the nursery today! Oh dear oh dear. }:>

Do you ever shop on line at High Country Gardens? They have a wonderful search engine for plants that might help you out with ideas for shade and butterflies, even if you purchase your plants locally.


http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/find/

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/99525/

I planted a milkweed today! So now all I need is an RSVP from the monarchs. :-D We do have butterflies by the scads, including one I can't identify (very dark with a blue round tail). I do love watching them!

I think we may have found the palette. Though I'm not certain we'll go with Sherwin-Williams paint, we did find the original color tables I used last year when I painted La Folie, and we drew a possible palette for the house from there --

a very light, pearly pale green called "Relish", trimmed in a grey-green-tinted white called "Opaline", second trim a darker green called "Basil", and the door an even darker one called "Rock Garden". The basil matches the green of the magnolias very nicely, and the light wall paint seems to enhance the plants well. And we *know* it will combine nicely with La Folie, since Relish is a couple of lightness variations above La Folie's color on the same color table. This way, we have the advantage of matching the cottage AND a green that won't make the house disappear behind the garden -- also, it falls in the range of historic palettes for this neighborhood and the era of the house, which is a good thing on a couple of levels.

I'd post a picture, but since monitors vary so greatly, I imagine what I post won't necessarily be akin to the colors as they exist in life so ...

as of 06/02, this is what we're thinking. However, we haven't heard back on a date from the paint contractors, so much could change before then. Last year I finalized the palette on La Folie 5 times before I ever actually bought the paint and put brush to bucket.







This message was edited Jun 2, 2007 9:55 AM

This message was edited Jun 2, 2007 11:40 AM

Well -- got the palette and now we're waiting for a visit from the painting company and an estimate. It's a big job -- the house, a screen porch, and a detached garage that has an additional playroom added onto the back, so ...

now it's time to hold our breath, pen poised before writing a check.

Any tips about working with painting contractors? Any caveats? We have researched the company of intended use as thoroughly as possible on the Internet, but still plan to check for anything alarming on them out of the BBB.

Might talk to the salespeople at Sherwin-Williams. My brother is a general contractor for specialty stores, etc. They used only Sherwin-Williams. The sales at S-W would be staking their own reputations if they recommended a dud.

Expect to get more or less what you pay for. Never take the lowest bid because they are probably leaving out something that they will charge you extra. Careful about paying by the hour because it can really stretch out if that is the case.

My father and all of my closest male relatives have always been in the constrution/developing business. I should have been......wrong generation.

Great to know -- thank you! I've got queries in to three companies; two have contacted me, one has not (yet).


How long does it take to paint a house, usually? Our house is technically one-story, but it does have the attached screen porch and a bigger-than-typical one-story garage (detached). I have no idea how long the process takes, though if I remember right, the house next to me, when it was painted by someone who was flipping it -- took maybe four days with a crew of about five.

That said, within a year the paint was peeling off that house, and now it looks TERRIBLE. And it was only painted three years ago.

O.o., that's not what we want!

The actual painting goes fairly fast. The prep work is extremely important. Should be scraped, inspected for rot to replace anything, thoroughly caulked and depending on the condition, some areas will possibly need to be primed with something such as Kilz. The more expensive paints are not as likely to need two coats but don't be surprised if it does. S-W has a paint they have been advertising that says it will never need painting again. I find that hard to believe. If they offer a guarantee it will be for product only and not the labor. Labor is always where the money comes in. You are hiring a craftsperson. Too many people think painting is a breeze. It is the painter that comes in behind everyone else in construction and makes it all look good. A professional paint brush goes way up in the double digits. You are in effect paying a craftsperson not for just their expertise and experience but their tools. A cheap brush will take 3 times as long and do a crappy job as a good brush in the first place. He also has the appropriate ladders and scaffolding. Some commercial jobs call for spraying but that is not always a good choice for a home. If he is worth his salt, he will delicately cover your landscaping and not break and destroy everything in his wake. Make it plain to begin with just what you expect and if they say it's not possible....try someone else. Boy! I sure am windy today. These are just a few of the points. Did not answer your question directly because there are way too many variables. To actually put the final coat of paint and trim. Maybe a week for 2 guys. That's after all the other and they should be able to give a guesstimate based on their experience. If they are hired on contract they will build in time to cover unforseens, If by the hour ???

This helps in huge ways, so I'm glad you've written at length. Thank you! Just heard from the third painting company, who's coming out tomorrow to give an estimate. I'm better prepared to know what to ask now.

http://www.ehow.com/how_110416_hire-contractor-plumber.html

Just googled "How to hire a paint contractor"

The above site has some good suggestions.....and legal points for your sake.

I was always fortunate....most of the people have worked for my dad or brother for 20-30 years....they are like family and I never had to consider these things for my residence. My father passed away in 1993 and boy did things change.

Painters come tomorrow!

>gulp<

Palette: a light, pearly green for the house itself, pale ivory/yellow trim, darker green trim (called "basil") and very dark green for the doors ("rock garden"). All coordinate with but don't duplicate La Folie.

They're estimating three days of prep and three days of painting. House and garage. So this time next week, it should be done!

Maybe.

Can hardly wait to see....the combo sound wonderful. I'm so in love with La Folie. Your taste is impecable will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Here's the butterfly garden this morning. Mr. Hibiscus is showing his mojo. We had about six varieties of butterflies hovering in there yesterday -- very pretty yellow swallowtail toward the end of the evening.

I've been lurking... and I love the palette you've chosen! I think the pale green will set off your landscape beds without making the house disappear. Your trim colors are pretty tame, but that's not a bad thing... and you can always repaint the front door or the surrounding trim in a contrasting color for a bolder look.... but by the time you add to the front landscaping, I think you'll end up with plenty of visual "punch!"

Sounds gorgeous - as is your butterfly garden!

Well ... the head on the power washer broke this morning, so we're bumped back a day on the paint job. (I've never had a contracting job run on schedule yet -- ever!)
But meanwhile, the dogs all get the freedom of in-y/out-y in the yard now, and Puzzle sure does enjoy the butterfly garden. She's a sun ... shade ...
water ... sun.... shade ... water girl.

Well, the house is primed and waiting. We've had two sudden small thunderstorms here, and things slowed down a bit this afternoon -- but theoretically painting begins tomorrow. :-)

Here the house is waiting. Meanwhile, the tree guys came back and did more limbing up, etc.

http://iws.ccccd.edu/ccharleson/images/temp/house3.jpg

And the moonflower began to bloom when the thunderstorm darkened us awhile ago.

You are going to be SO happy! It all sounds terrific! I can hardly wait to see it.

My house is green! My house is green!

Pictures when they're finished. :-) Yellow trim and "Rock Garden" green doors yet to do.

Yay. Painter also finished my house yesterday. Repainted the same color so it wasn't a surprise. Can't wait to see your pictures.

I do love what pale yellow trim does to a minty green. Warms it up without making it acidic.

We're getting there. The doors and trim are being done now.

And of course, this calls for some serious gardening time out front, once it's done, to celebrate the new palette. :-D

It's a work in progress -- the trim isn't fully done. This is shot at an awful angle, but the sun's so bright in the rest of the yard that I couldn't see to compose a better shot!
One fun note: the green trim is exactly the color of the green leaves on the green and purple whatsis bushes in the front yard landscaping. (I don't remember what the bushes are called, you can see them in the pictures of the house above.) A neighbor said: Wow, did you take in a leaf to match that trim?

Uh ... (no) ... yeah, sure we did.

I love seeming smarter than I am. }:>





This message was edited Jun 15, 2007 4:24 PM

Here's the house -- is done! On my computer this picture looks fairly mint green, but the actual color isn't mint. It's just a pale sort of lettuce-y green, trimmed in a very pale butter yellow and darker green.

After all that grey, it's cheerful! But it's crying out for new colors in the containers on the stoop, so that's the order of the day tomorrow. :-)

So CUTE~!

very lovley...i have been dying to see it so glad you photoed!!!

Blooming this rainy, cool day in the garden.

Butterfly garden's Ixora and Bougainvillea.

Two of the littlest Poms are blooming, too!

Also in bloom ... the hibiscus are still showing off. :-)