Garage Confusion
Jocelyn and Jeff Gordon love their 1936 farmhouse in Brownsville, OR. “But I’d like the garage, which was tacked on in 1956, to look more original to the house,” Jocelyn says. “And visitors aren’t sure which is the main entrance.”
To solve these issues, architect Michael Soraci of Agate Architecture in nearby Eugene proposed giving the garage a gabled roof with dormers that matches the main roofline, and replacing all the moss-prone asphalt shingles with standing-seam metal. White board-and-batten siding would further unify the addition with the original house.
Handsome Revamp
So we asked architect Michael Soraci of Agate Architecture in nearby Eugene for some design solutions. First up, to marry the garage to the historical house, Soraci would give it a gabled roof, with dormers, that matches the main roofline, and he would replace all the moss-prone asphalt shingles with standing-seam metal. White board-and-batten siding serves as a backdrop for new divided-light-style windows outlined in black. A walled patio and Craftsman-style entry door upgrade the street-side facade, while a side door flanked by flowers ushers visitors in from the driveway. Says Jocelyn, “We especially like the way the garage balances out the house and makes it look more substantial.”
The homeowners, Jocelyn and Jeff Gordon, have loved their 1936 farmhouse in Brownsville, OR, but one thing has always bothered them. “I’d like the garage, which was tacked on in 1956, to look more original to the house,” Jocelyn says. “And visitors aren’t sure which is the main entrance.”
Cheerful Color
A cheery paint job and brightly colored flowers point visitors to the side entry door.
Finishing Touches: Stone
Striking accents and natural textures enhance the farmhouse’s simple Craftsman style.
Limestone-look veneer—complete with embedded “fossils”—grounds the new patio walls. RoughCut in Moonlight, from $7 per square foot; Eldorado Stone
Stone veneer is far easier to work with than full-thickness stone construction. The pieces are relatively lightweight—ranging from 8 to 15 pounds per square foot—and their flat rear surfaces simplify mortaring. No footing is required, and there’s no cure time, so you can keep working without waiting. The real craft is in fitting each stone carefully in relation to the others—that’s where the artistry comes in.
Finishing Touches: Wall Light
A nautical-inspired lantern with a seeded-glass globe lights the way in just-right vintage style. Harwich Dualux 10″ Outdoor Wall Light in Textured Black, $160; Houzz
Finishing Touches: House Numbers
Cut from a single piece of steel and made to order by a father-daughter duo in Austin, TX, these digits amp up the cool factor. 2.0 Address Plaque, from $150; Urban Mettle
Pro Tip: When mounting metal house numbers to your exterior, keep in mind that some metals can stain certain woods—particularly brass on redwood or Douglas fir. For the best corrosion resistance, use stainless steel or ceramic-coated fasteners instead of galvanized ones. If you’d rather not drill holes in your door, Lexel adhesive caulk cleanly fastens numbers to wood and is highly durable.
Finishing Touches: Front Door
A bracketed shelf gives this wood door a traditional Craftsman look. An engineered core boosts stability. 6201 Shelf Glass Panel door in Hemlock, from $320; Jeld-Wen
Thanks to: Architect Michael Soraci, Agate Architecture, Eugene, OR
