[sixty7flh]

well, I am making ALOT of headway in this place. I am living in it now!..
I need to address the bowed wall. appearance only. he must not have owned a chalk line! the foundation is not straight!
I have looked into the structural, even had out the building code guys. all o.k. there?
but it looks terrible! it is a two story, 70 foot run. I have some windows on the 2nd story nothing else. I was thinking of putting in a boxed chimney on the outside of the house/ wall. in the middle to BREAK UP the run.. my thinking is really you never see a 70 foot open run on a house ......any OTHER ideas?

 

[Willie T]

well, I am making ALOT of headway in this place. I am living in it now!..
I need to address the bowed wall. appearance only. he must not have owned a chalk line! the foundation is not straight!
I have looked into the structural, even had out the building code guys. all o.k. there?
but it looks terrible! it is a two story, 70 foot run. I have some windows on the 2nd story nothing else. I was thinking of putting in a boxed chimney on the outside of the house/ wall. in the middle to BREAK UP the run.. my thinking is really you never see a 70 foot open run on a house ......any OTHER ideas?

Just curious as to how far it's out... and in what areas? We do 70' - 80' homes all the time, and although some of the longer sections might sometimes look wavy from a less-than-perfect stucco job, I don't think I've ever seen a truly bowed wall. Too easy to catch that glaring a mistake at many stages of the construction.

What were the measurements when you shot it or pulled a line on it?

 

[sixty7flh]

this was something somebody else built.
it appears to be bowed, but when I pull a string it is off 7 inches at the other side. now that is just the square factor! there is a bow too! I don't know what he did! just trying to make the eysore go away. it is real noticable being that long a run and all open. any ideas? attempt at pics below?

 

[DangerMouse]

i should learn to read a post a couple times first, then perhaps i would have noticed when you said OUTSIDE wall... sheesh. the chimney would break up the line, yup.

DM

 

[Willie T]

Faux pilasters can do wonders in a situation like this. And you can get them in foam that can be painted or stuccoed.

This photo is WAY overkill for an example, but you get the idea.

Often a sharp look can be achieved by bordering the windows vertically, from ground to soffit with maybe 8" x 8" block pilasters or even just 4" deep x 8" wide contrasting color wood frames running the whole vertical distance.

Changing colors at different points along a long run is a great "eye-fooling" technique. It is the one long slab of a continuous color that often accentuates errors like this.

 

[Willie T]

If you went with pilasters, I would do those at the front corner and the back corner something like 8" out from the wall, and keep those in the center of the wall run perhaps only 4 or 5 inches off the wall. But use only two depths... one big depth at the ends and all the other pilasters all the same shorter depth .

Add some two or three foot shrubry to disguise/hide the siding line at the bottom.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

House with a garage underneath?

Is this the back of the house?
I'd be inclined to put a door out the back 2nd floor & build a big deck

 

[sixty7flh]

it is a side.. it has a 2 story deck in back.(oppisite end of garage service door) yes, the ENTIRE 25 x 70 is a garage with 14 foot ceilings! then a stairwell leading up to a 3bdrm 2 bth cathedral ceilings, etc... I sold it,,, he put on this big addition. BEFORE he closed. I ended up with it back. there are alot of issues though, no favor here, by me "getting" it like people see at first glance.. I am looking at over 50k and doing alot myself...

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Lattice panels with vines? climbing roses?

Are you staying there or selling it?

 

[sixty7flh]

maybe... keeping it..

I DID sell it, thought I was outta here! but I do not see any signs of selling it for at LEAST a few years now! I still do not have heat in the new side. will need something by fall! I was thinking about the chimney 'cause I could then put a woodstove in the garage as a supplement too.?

wanna buy it? it now is this.. a large duplex on 7 wooded acres.. one side completely done and rented for 750 a month. ( 3 bdrm ranch, full bsmt, etc..) very large 22x 32 deck...
the other side this 6 car garage and a 2400 s.f 3 bdrm, 2 bth,cathedral ceilings, etc, upstairs deck off mstr bdrm.. skylights....

everything is for sale ya know!!

 

[Willie T]

My God! That's great... for your renter. Rents here start at around a thousand for 50 year-old 2 bedrooms. One bath, no garage, no deck, no pool. Of course, no basement. And usually less than 1,200 feet.

 

[Clutchcargo]

Does the foundation follow the same line?

I think I'd have a look under that vinyl siding.

 

[DangerMouse]

HOW many 4'x8' sheets of 3/4" plywood were stacked against the inside wall for HOW many years?
that looks a lot like the back of my wood storage shed.... *blush*

DM

 

[Gary in WA]

When he added on the foundation to the back of the garage, he didn't string line it, hence the kink in the wall.

I vote for a wood-burner F.P. as you said, as close to the end of garage as possible. You need a heat source. F.P. is only bonus heat.

The fascia line follows the kink, too bad. F.P. should be to code, 2' taller than any roof or wall within 10 level feet.

The siding and chase is something you could possibly do. Be safe, G