The McGee Home Refresh Exterior Explained

Syd and Shea’s family home sits in a residential neighborhood outside of Salt Lake City that’s a mix of old and new. Though the McGee’s home is a new build, Shea’s ultimate dream for the home’s exterior is that it will look like it has been there for a long time. Due to time and budget constraints, the couple did the bare minimum on the outside of their home until they had the time and money to address it again down the road. While nothing was taken away, quite a few layers were added. Some of these layers are quite small (decorative vents!) but they go a long way in bringing time-honored charm and character to the home’s facade. Watch the webisode below to see Shea guide us through her design decisions and get more information about each added elements as you scroll.

Lime-painting brick is a great way to give it a patina and dimension, reminiscent of historical brick buildings. The brick and the wood siding to the right of the home are both painted in White Dove by Benjamin Moore. This wasn’t a new element of the home, but rather other details were added to further emphasize the time-worn feature.

Louvered shutters refer to the slats or blades that run horizontally on the shutter itself. Though it’s quite unlikely they’ll ever need to be used, Shea wanted the shutters to be operational. These are bifold, meaning they fold over themselves twice and when open, they will cover the entire width of the window. They are painted in Natural Tan by Sherwin-Williams.

Though some of the copper elements already existed, in the refresh Shea extended the copper porch roof and added double columns, as well as adding the amount of gutters coming off of the home’s roof. These copper elements are a great way to add character to a home. Shea is often asked if it bothers her when they age, but it’s quite the opposite. Shea had them sprayed with water shortly after installation to accelerate the aging process. The patina the copper provides adds instant curb appeal.

Adding stepped flairs (you’ll find them near the gutters where the wall meets the roof) and vents to brickwork can be done for purely decorative reasons. The three notches at the top of each peak add depth and dimension, an added layer of character to an otherwise flat expanse.

Brick walls already surrounded the front of the house, but to give it more time-honored character, Shea brought the walls up to a swooped shape. On the initial plans, Shea had limestone spheres sitting on top each, but after they were installed she felt like the house had on “too much jewelry.” Learning to embrace a pivot is instrumental in getting a finished product that you love.

While there was already bluestone on the porch, Shea had to cut it from the entire walkway during the initial build due to budgets. When it came time to refresh, Shea jumped at the chance to finish it the way she had always dreamed.

Shea has always been a fan of gas lanterns, the history of which dates back to the 18th century. While the beautiful design element didn’t make the initial build of the home, Shea decided to just go for it when refreshing the exterior.

The addition of a quaint oval window went a long way in adding softness and charm to the home’s exterior. It’s a simple change that brought loads of character.