Fixing a French Cottage

[@adamuptegraft3848]

Beautiful redesign

[@BrentHull]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@panamericaco]

I lived in Strasbourg, France and the mesmerizing beauty of it is what got me so interested in what exactly makes some houses beautiful. That's how I found this channel. The rear of the house looks stunning, definitely captures the French charm.

[@BrentHull]

Nice. Thanks so much.

[@emrsngs]

Beautiful !

[@BrentHull]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@harp_stutts]

Love the back, and that staircase would add a ton of charm to the entry. Front seems a bit awkward with the addition but makes sense to unify the roofs. Thanks for the video!

[@BrentHull]

Noted. Thx.

[@tc9148]

Magnificent changes. So creative to transform the house into a true French cottage. Love how you capture all the essential details.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for the kind words. Glad you like the details.

[@Captain-KTS]

Great looking home Brent even before your mods! Agreed on those windows, casement all the way! Cheers Kirk

[@BrentHull]

Thanks, Kirk!

[@KentuckyGirl]

The open staircase was a great 'fix'.

[@BrentHull]

Nice. Thx.

[@miketackabery7521]

What a great challenge! I'd a never been able to come up with what you did. I always learn something from these Wednesday design videos. Thanks Brent!

[@BrentHull]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

[@danielstover3029]

Well done. OK, here we go. This property and house is already very charming and delightful to look at. However, that being said, if a property and house could possibly have a wish list, you have truly brought that wish out into the light. Going back to the very best of the past brings forward the most beautiful things to the present and future. What a beautiful project and another great lesson and video. Thanks for sharing! 😁👍👍👍👍👍

[@BrentHull]

Thanks, I agree, it has a lot of potential.

[@jelsner5077]

Well thought out, sensitive suggestions.

[@BrentHull]

Nice. Thx.

[@thetubekid]

I think the rear addition would look much better if the second story was the mansard roof with dormers. I dont think you can do the patio with that approach but it would look less overwhelming. The front works but the mass might be too long for that large a roof to work. I guess it depends on how important the interior space is there. If it is useable than could be worth it. If not, while the mansard roof in that front section isn't ideal either, it competes less with front entry.

[@BrentHull]

Noted. Thanks.

[@cottagekeeper]

Bravo 🥰

[@BrentHull]

Thank you!

[@paulmanley4811]

Not sure the recessed porch on the upper addition fits the. French style. They. tend to do what is on the front of the house, french doors unto a metal balcony protruding from the house. Admittedly though, not as functional as the recessed porch you chose. Otherwise, great design. Inside stairway change is terrific.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks so much.

[@cborecky]

Were the double-hung windows original from the 1920s? Or are they replacements? If original, I'd be very tempted to keep them.

[@BrentHull]

Some are, some aren't. Thx

[@broederbond60]

You captured Catherine Denueve.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks so much.

[@RonRobertson-lafrance]

I do like your ideas. Did you consider adding those little "bulls eye" windows in the main mansard roof in the back? Generally mansards would have a dormer or the "oeil de boeuf" protrusions, and it feels like it needs something, and a regular dormer would be too big, I think. Also, the windows all look too short compared to windows in France. Don't know if it's practicable to make them taller or not, as the ceiling heights might not make that work. Possibly just narrower so that the proportions work and not look like English windows grafted onto a French building. Or, just changing to the casements might be all that's needed since the horizontal divider might be giving the illusion of too-short windows (as the window in the back looks OK except for that pre-existing bay window). I think maybe the new roof out front should have the exact same angle and come to the same point at the top as the other visible ones, not have that flattened part. That looks wrong to my eyes. One fun thing is that often the end points of the roofs in France have a metal ornament finishing off those points (like a point, or a round ball in tin or lead, or even a round what looks like a jouster's spear that's been shortened with a ball on the end). Could that tower roof be made taller, it seems a little stubby. The front garden proposed is excellent. Hope I'm not coming across as over-critical, just seeing a few things that might be helpful.

[@BrentHull]

THx for sharing. Good input. Cheers.

[@DrMJJr]

This is my personal architectural style, and I love French Provincial of the 1920s. The double hung windows have got to go, casements are really the historical precedent and adding the steeply pitched roof to the front addition is consistent with the rest of the home. I think adding the 2nd story to the back would be appropriate but while I don't like the mansard adaptation to the main ridgeline but I understand the necessity given the front of the home. A Juliet balcony or something similar is very nice for the new bedroom.

[@BrentHull]

Noted. Thx so much!

[@gabrielbatiz8168]

The rear idea is good but the roof lines in front are 10x better. Use them in the rear.

[@BrentHull]

Noted. Thx.

[@JeepMurphy]

😊

[@BrentHull]

Thx.

[@gabrielbatiz8168]

The rear idea is good but the roof lines in front are 10x better. Use them in the rear. The mansard roof lines do not match front high pitch.

[@BrentHull]

Ok. thx.

[@mab49696]

how much do you charge for these consults?

[@BrentHull]

Reach out to my team, [e-mail]. They will share details based on what you need. Thx.

[@Chauvinbuilders]

Ive stolen so many of your idioms i feel the need to give back. You mentioned how the rear addition was corky. One could say, the rear addition is "unsympathetic to the original intent". I'll listen for it in the future lol

[@BrentHull]

Ha, noted.

[@marvinhaines9297]

Not a fan, Mr. Hull! I feel like the original eclecticism is fine - after all, this is a period revival house. I actually don't mind the double-hung windows. You turned the front elevation into a "snout house" by raising the roof to what I and many others would consider a ridiculous height, and in doing so, took away emphasis from the doorway. As for the rear elevation, the number of different window/void types is overwhelming. It's also silly to have a mansard roof with no dormers. The recessed balcony is downright weird and would never make sense on the interior.

[@lmtliam]

Yes, and the living space in the upstairs portion of that new addition at the front would be practically useless. It's just too narrow. A third window equal in size to the two either side of it would work fine for the rear addition, instead of the balcony, or maybe break the rule about diminishing window heights in upper floors by bring those windows down to floor level and adding a railing across them. If the windows really are French-style they will open inwards, creating an internal veranda.

[@BrentHull]

Noted.