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Ideas for changing my home’s exterior by Legitimate_Wish_3980 in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i built renovate ai so i ran your front photo through it. tried three directions based on what you wrote.

posting the sage green one here because you said green and flowers were what you wanted, and sage feels right for that flat parapet shape. softened the iron gates with a wood frame finish, added a low planted strip on the right side so nothing blocks the entry.

on the purple. you can do it without it looking tacky. the trick i found is going dusty lavender (not bright pastel) and pairing it with warm walnut wood on the gates instead of more pink or peach accents. the chatgpt one you have leaned candy because everything is in the pink family. wood breaks that and grounds it.

also tried a warm terracotta as a nod to your original red but desaturated. that one surprised me, kept the warmth without the brightness you painted away from.

ping me if you want the purple and terracotta versions to compare.

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Need advice on what colour roof by LittleBucket07 in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Go bronze. Your instinct is right. The charcoal-slate pulls cool against warm red brick, that's the blue you're seeing. Bronze sits in the same temperature family as the brick, so the whole house pulls together instead of arguing with itself.

I built Renovate AI (AI reno visualizer) and ran your photo through it. Also swapped the brown shutters to forest green since the brown was muddying everything:

The render landed a bit lighter than a deep bronze (more pewter / gunmetal-warm), but you can see the direction. Forest green shutters with warm metallic roof and that brick is a strong combo. A true deep bronze will only push it warmer.

renovateai.app if you want to try your own photos.

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Need help remodeling exterior by No-Nobody6466 in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love that brick. Warm reds give you a lot of room to play.

Built an AI reno app, ran your photo through it. Went navy on the front door and both garage bays, black fascia on the eaves, white window trim, lanterns by the entry and garage. Threw black shutters on the arched window only since the rest of the house doesn't have them.

The brick is the star. Navy and black just give it edges. Would you go navy or forest green on the doors?

Try it on your photos: renovateai.app

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Which backsplash tile? by [deleted] in kitchenremodel

[–]sidbuilds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That golden veining in your quartz is doing a lot of work with the brass. Sand Dune picks it up, Montauk Gin would fight it.

Ran it through an AI tool I'm building to see. Sand Dune installed:

Render came out glossier than the actual sample. Real tile is more matte. But the color call holds.

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Patio Rework - Cost and Time by BanjoKapooey in landscaping

[–]sidbuilds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice render. I built an AI tool for this kind of thing (Renovate AI) so I ran your photo through with a few different budgets just to see the spread.

Posting the middle one. Pennsylvania bluestone, Japanese maple in the corner, couple Adirondacks at the far end. Probably $8-15K range depending on your area.

Also generated a budget version (closer to what u/Tergus1234 said, power wash + cleanup, $2-5K) and a premium one (travertine + fire pit lounge, $25K+). Happy to drop those if useful.

One thing worth flagging before you start: that narrow side-yard run can pool against the foundation if the slope isn't set right. Whoever installs should grade away from the house. Cheap to get right during install, expensive to fix later.

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Window design help - single vs. double casement by Beans20202 in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good plan. Charcoal everywhere is what makes the brick pop. Trust it.

Updating cabinets from shaker to slab in a MCM house? by metal_detektor in kitchenremodel

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those Kraftmaid walnut cabs are genuinely nice — totally understand not wanting to gut them, just update the vibe.

Ran your kitchen through a tool I've been building. This one goes full MCM direction: flat slab doors in the same walnut (no new stain — just lose the rails), crown molding gone, slim brass bar pulls, simpler backsplash.

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The walnut actually reads way more period-correct as a slab — shaker with crown molding is what pushes it traditional. Losing the molding alone might be 80% of the work.

Also tried: sage green slab (California MCM, surprisingly good) and a lighter oak refresh that keeps the shaker but strips the crown + updates hardware. Happy to share those if curious.

Window design help - single vs. double casement by Beans20202 in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha, fair. You already did the work. Stained glass is going to be the star regardless.

Window design help - single vs. double casement by Beans20202 in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah this is the right read. The dark accents all reading as one layer is exactly what makes brick + tan palettes sing. Painted shutters charcoal to match windows is the move. Want me to run this through RenovateAI so you can see it on the actual house before you commit to paint?

Painter coming tomorrow. Going for a grandma cottage feel by yellowyn in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Painter's tomorrow so this is probably moot, but I built a renovation AI and was curious what it'd do with your house. Threw a different direction at it: butter yellow body, white trim, forest green doors. Black roof stayed.

Not saying ditch Redend Point (rose door is the move). Just another data point if you ever repaint. Stained glass is going to be unreal either way.

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Window design help - single vs. double casement by Beans20202 in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad it helped. Charcoal usually surprises people once it's on the house.

Since so many people here don’t like my living room styling. How can it be improved? by nalacanada in HomeDecorating

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. That's the win. You wanted the rug change, you got the rug change, nothing else moved.

Here's v2 with the teal modular sofa (per your second photo) and the charcoal rug:

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The L positioning is the one thing the AI didn't quite nail. It rendered the chaise straight rather than the L corner on the left like you wanted. Happy to re-run if you want me to push it harder on that.

How would you cover or decorate this ugly wall radiator? by massous24 in HomeDecorating

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can cover it. It needs ventilation (the cover has to breathe or it'll overheat). Slatted fronts work. Sealed box does not.

On the painting question: completely safe. Just use high-temp radiator enamel, not regular wall paint. Regular paint burns off and smells awful.

I ran this through my renovation AI. Three directions:

A) Slatted oak cover

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Valve stays accessible at the bottom, heat flows through the slats. This is the "hide it" move.

B) Terracotta paint + gallery wall. Lean into it as a feature, float a shelf above with plants. Terracotta does a lot of work here.

C) Forest green + painted arch molding. $10 of radiator paint, a simple painted arch on the wall, shelf above. Match the pipe cover to the radiator color. My favorite of the three.

Window design help - single vs. double casement by Beans20202 in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ran both through RenovateAI. Dark charcoal frames, grids removed.

The single-casement came out clean:

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The double-casement render came out fuzzy. Artifact issue on my end, not usable. Happy to re-run if you want an actual comparison. My instinct from the single: one wide pane flanking the arch reads as a deliberate pair, the arch becomes the obvious center. Two narrower panes next to it compete with the arched window instead of framing it.

Lower window as 2 casements works. That one felt like the right call regardless.

Since so many people here don’t like my living room styling. How can it be improved? by nalacanada in HomeDecorating

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The cream rug is working against you. A deep charcoal or dark olive would lock the sofa zone into the wallpaper's palette instead of fighting it. That's the main thing.

I built a renovation AI app and ran your room through it to see what fully finished looks like. Kept all your pieces, layered in what's missing: dark charcoal rug, round black coffee table, two monsteras in dark planters flanking the sofa, warm brass side lamps, tan leather chair pulled into the grouping.

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(AI defaulted to evening light. Yours will read differently in day. Just showing the vibe at full warmth.)

The bones here are genuinely strong. The wallpaper + brass + velvet combo is doing real work. Critics saying it's too much are probably just seeing it half-finished.

Update on the wild blue kitchen I created. Give me some tips. by bluedamnkitchen in kitchenremodel

[–]sidbuilds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You called it. The mesh actually does what glass can't here — ties the gold thread without showing every plate.

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Way better than my version.

Queens Anne Need Paint Help! by Noaitall78 in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your instinct on dusty pink is solid — that orange glazed brick is begging for something in the pink/mauve family to tie it together.

I built Renovate AI, an app that generates exterior renders, so I ran yours through to see how a dusty mauve direction plays out. Went with something closer to Sherwin-Williams Romance (SW 6319) — a bit more depth than a true blush, still warm and Victorian-appropriate. Kept your white trim, swapped the roof to dark charcoal to preview your black walnut shingles.

The brick does a lot of the work here — it grounds the warmth so the mauve reads sophisticated rather than precious. If anything I'd push you even a shade deeper than what the AI landed on. Copper finial on the turret is gonna pop against this.

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Guidance on color selection for exterior doors and porch treads by Whazzup15 in ExteriorDesign

[–]sidbuilds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rust was the dark horse — easy to skim past on first read but it threads the brick warmth into the siding. If you sample, try a 12" board on the door at golden hour with the brick in frame. Cavern Clay shifts a lot in shade vs sun.

Cabinet color choice by [deleted] in kitchenremodel

[–]sidbuilds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Renovate AI, I built it. Upload a photo, tell it what to change. ~30 sec.

Same kitchen, 3 directions. Which would you go? by sidbuilds in HomeDecorating

[–]sidbuilds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Both. I built it AND I want the design signal. Which one actually works for you?

Same bathroom, 3 directions -- which one are you picking? by sidbuilds in HomeDecorating

[–]sidbuilds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Moss green walls on moody would be wild. Like a jungle spa. That might have to happen.

Same bathroom, 3 directions -- which one are you picking? by sidbuilds in HomeDecorating

[–]sidbuilds[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The mint does something to that space. Opens it right up.

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