A local metal shop made the fab escutcheons
The mosaic tiles on the outside wall are from Home Depot
Reader Sarah is one creative woman — in fact, it seems we have a lot in common. We are both homeowners (both bought our first home at age 23), both have tackled fixer upper type houses and both of us studied art in college. One thing we don’t have in common — Sarah’s super cool house is round (I’m jealous). When she first purchased her home, the exterior was in sad shape. Sarah used her creativity and design skills along with materials that were readily available in her area and in her budget — and the results are amazing.
Sarah writes:
I’m 25 and bought the house — it was built in 1964 — when I was fresh out of college at 23. I was looking for a place to buy, but didn’t know that I would end up in my dream home. I went down …[the street]…to see a house that was for sale by owner and passed up the round house.
I tried to be interested in the house I was viewing, but broke down in the middle of the tour and said ‘what’s up with the round house down the street?!?’ They said no one had been living in it for a couple of years. I got in touch with the next door neighbor who got me in touch with the owner….
It needed A LOT of work. It was so dingy and had been redecorated in the early 90s so I had to bring it back to the 60s. There is also a problem pool in my backyard, so I negotiated and got the house for a thousand less than they had bought it in 1991.
The house was almost torn down too, before I wanted to buy it Walgreens wanted to buy the entire corner and tear everything down, but because one person wouldn’t agree the project didn’t go through (thank goodness!) the ‘we’ is me and my mom, she is the handy man of the family. We spent 3 months working on it before I moved in, and there are still plenty of projects to do! (it never ends lol)
Craziest thing…. Found another round house like mine from the same architect in Magnolia, Arkansas, last weekend and went up there to visit them! Such nice people and so cool to be in another house like mine. It was very twilight zone! They do not however have the same aesthetic as me, theirs is decorated very traditional contemporary with the beige and granite and you know…. But still very nice, very high end.
I’m sharing with you my front exterior makeover with emphasis on the door. I… have done lots of work using your site for tips along the way. The house is completely round, but still has the ranch feel. It was built in 1964 and the architect was Gilbert Spindel. The son of the architect said his father sold 25 of these house plans so there may be more of them out there! My goal is to find them all!
The front had wood siding under the porch area before. We took that down and put up concrete board and finished that off with a mosaic tile from Home Depot. I was surprised to find the tile of my dreams there, but it worked out and was a very reasonable price.
As for the door, we replaced a single door with two side lights, for double doors. The double doors were just two plain wood slabs, and we had our local glass company make the window boxes for us.
The dimensions of the windows are 5″ wide x 57″ high with a “cotswold” or “rain” texture. The glass lady tried to convince me not to pick this texture because it reminded her of a shower door, but I didn’t listen LOL. I like it, and I think it looks period.
The round escutcheon is just flat cut steel that a local metals shop cut for us then cut in half. The diameter is 22 in and we spray painted it bronze. The handles are appliance pulls that mimicked the design of the tiles. The door is either open and may swing open with the wind or is shut and locked. Not the most practical, but we must suffer for beauty, and we have learned to live with it.
The outside got a nice pressure washing and coat of paint. the paint is all Benjamin Moore. The green being Lewisville green, the beige is Barbados sand and the orange is Peach Sherbet.
The decorative concrete blocks were found in the backyard in a pile, so I used them to line my beds then repeated the diamond design on the garage doors with the same orange as the front door. I got inspired to paint my garage doors from looking at old advertisements in vintage home magazines.
The patio furniture is Homecrest found at an estate sale.
The house numbers are those plastic wall art panels that you see at every garage sale. I just painted the interior black and put my house numbers in the middle. these were all solutions because I couldnt find authentic or reproduction retro in my area or within my budget.
Sarah adds:
The house won a GE all electric award when it was built. Heated flooring, internal vacuum system, curtains opened and t.v. Swung out with the touch of a button. Of course none of those features work today! Shucks!The entire house is decorated with 50s and 60s furniture because I’m a garage sale freak! The bathrooms are original too one is terrazzo and the other is lavender!
I could talk and write about my house all day, I was an art major so this house is my ultimate masterpiece! LOL so I will end here… I hope sharing my reno tips inspires others with their home projects.
Sarah has made some great design choices. The use of a neutral dark tile around the front door creates contrast from the lighter brick facade — which when combined with the orange door — creates an inviting focal point and directs visitors to the entry. Her use of repetition — the starbursts on the garage doors, diamond shaped address plaques and decorative blocks as well as the rounded metal on the front doors which echo the shape of the house — help to make the overall design feel cohesive. What a fabulous house!
Sarah laughs: “I like that the flowers look like they’re exploding out of my head… It may be a true representation of what’s going on in there!”
Sarah, the creativity and resourcefulness you put forth in your exterior restoration job is impressive. Kudos to you (and helper Mom) for a job well done. You’ve shown all of us that if you have a vision, a little ingenuity and some creativity that you can successfully restore a home on a budget.
The house looks fantastic.
Sarah, this is just stunning. STUNNING! I really hope you’ll share what you’ve done on the inside, too. Do you blog? Great design choices. And I’m jealous about your round house, too. What a find. Was meant to be.
Thanks! No I do not blog… Even though I’m young I’m computer challenged lol but hopefully Pam will be up to doing that for me, maybe another post all about the layout with pics of each room? We shall see! I need I little bit more time to perfect everything…
Hi Sarah, fabulous home and very creative solutions to your renovations they look great. Would love to see more pictures of the inside.
Have fun, John aka AtomicHipster
now you’ve got me wanting to see the inside, please
Okay we have got to see more of this house!!
Great job.
Funny I also studied art and bought my first house at age 23 that was a total fixer.
We should start a club — Art majors who love retro design and bought their first house in their early 20s…
But I’m an engineer and I wanna be in your club!
(One of the houses I’m gonna look at has 100% intact pink and aqua bathroom)
Engineers can be quite creative and good with their hands too! My brother in an engineer and he also bought a home in his early 20s and is fixing it up…
I love that house! The design of the outside is so perfect, it is obvious you are listening to the house and restoring its spirit. I am sure the house feels much happier with you in it, loving it and bringing back its beauty.
Central vacuum units are not that expensive these days, so maybe you can soon get that great feature working.
Thank you! Yes, my friend’s mom told me the same thing. She has the number of a guy in town that fixes internal vacuum systems so it’s on my list! Hopefully it can be restored!
Very lovely and I bet you have made the neighbors happy to have the empty house transformed so nicely.
Aww see, I really hope so but I’ve lived here 2 years and only know my neighbors across the street. The lady next door ran back in her house when I tried to say hi to her. I want jello molds and block parties!!
Hmm…maybe they don’t understand that you have helped their real estate values by fixing up an empty house? Sometimes old neighborhoods can be quirky until they turn over to some younger families.
AWESOME HOUSE! I want one. I have an idea for the front door so it doesn’t get caught in the wind. Get a self closing hydraulic arm (like on commercial doors). They make them very low profile and unnoticeable now, will install on the inside corner of your door frame, and will keep the door shut without having to lock it every time. Just a thought.
Wonderful house and glad you are embracing the round!!
Beautiful! I would also LOVE to see some interior pics!
I want to see the inside!!
More! More! I’d like to see what she’s done on the inside. I love that front door. What a great make over!
I’m in awe. The external transformation is amazing. Just…wow! Changing out the front door alone totally changed the look of the place.
I’d love more pictures!
I love what she did! And that her house numbers are so adorable for so little…perfect!!!
And I agree with others – we really need to see the inside:-)))
LOVE it! I’m always preaching frugal ingenuity to my clients when they’re looking into buying a home. Many times we find lower priced homes that need some tweaking, but with some creativity and know-how, you can do a lot. We have many 60s & 70s ranches in our area and I get excited everytime I see one with the original details, even more excited if I have a client that appreciates them. Fantastic job, Sarah, would love to see more pics of the inside!
Wow! I’m so impressed with what you’ve done and like everyone else want to see the inside too! And I’m curious about where your terrific house is? You are one impressive 24 year old! Congratulations on all you’ve accomplished and please keep us posted. Hats off to Mom too, she must be very proud!
I know Pam is kind of iffy about exact locations, so all I will say is southwest Louisiana.
Great job. Now I want to see the interiors…
How wonderful! I echo the previous posters, I would love to see inside.
This is just fantastic! You obviously have great artistic vision (and I love that the project was diy on a budget!) I agree with all the previous comments- we NEED to see the inside now.
Incredible makeover. I think all of us would agree we can’t wait to see your before and after pictures of your home. Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic Sarah! Really beautiful job and design. You are truly talented.
Wow, what a transformation! I love your entry. It all looks so period-perfect now. You have great vision – I would have been completely stumped by that wood siding and never have thought of tile.
There is a round house in my town, but it has a different roofline and a round carport instead of a garage. See here: http://tinyurl.com/a3jug2t
(Hope that works, never tried to link a streetview before)
Awesome transformation! I especially like the photo of how it looks lit up at night– kind of space agey and very cool!
Beautiful makeover. Please, show us the inside!
Sarah,
Your house & the work you’ve accomplished on it are stunning. Yes, please show us the layout & interior! And I hope you can restore the cool features to function again.
Our house has double closet doors that are held closed with a spring loaded ball catch at the top of each door. Inexpensive & unobtrusive, these may be a solution for your front doors.
wow, Sarah! All I can say is that entry is fabulous! The door itself is a masterpiece
Never would have thought of the smaller tile on the wall and it just unifies the whole look – watch out for leaks with the flat roof – coming from an area with flat roofs, I know from experience that they need alot of care – good job!
Yes! Flat roofs can be difficult but really all roofs require maintenance. Mine started to leak about a year after moving in so I had it coated with a high density foam. It’s then painted with a silicone paint in white to reflect the heat.
More more more more more more pictures please. This is the most excited (about a house tour) I’ve been for a looong time. Don’t make us wait till it’s perfect; the “in-process” pics are the most fun.
Sarah, you are a young design genius and radical investor! The double door treatment and mosaic surround go directly into my inspiration file, to adapt to my commoner straight-lined hacienda.
More! Let’s see the inside!!!!!
Absolutely gorgeous! Yes, we need to see the inside, PLEASE!!
Wow! What a great job! I am rehabbing a 1955 house and you have really inspired me! I also love the fact that you are so young and can appreciate the great style of the past! Thank you!
When do we get to see the inside? Loved the outside!
Looking at the pictures of your front porch transformation made my heart sing this morning! Absolutely fabulous! I’d love to see the inside as well. The round escutcheons give the whole thing a gentle asian vibe and I love the window cut outs.
Fabulous job on the exterior!
Love the Salterini bench and chair. We have the exact same bench on our front porch. Some friends picked it up for us at a garage sale. Great for afternoon coffee and talking with neighbors.
Wait! Homecrest you say? Hmm… The bench looks right but the chair that you and I have doesn’t really match the Homecrest base. Now I need to do some poking around.
When I looked up this set I saw there’s a lot of confusion between salterini and Homecrest bc of the use of similar legs. But I do believe this is the ‘Miranda’ set by Homecrest. Pam has a link attached that takes you to view their original catalogs I do believe.
nice work! it would be nice to have a look inside.
Sarah!
I think you are amazing. I too purchased a fixer-upper but nothing like yours. What architecture! I love people like you that can see beauty where others don’t. It takes a brilliant and creative mind.
I’ve heard all the silly jokes about my house and I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when I’m done!!!!
Best Wishes!
Beautiful!! I would love to see a close up photo of the garage detail, and of course, interior shots too!
Wonderful job. I’d love to see the inside of the house. We looked at a round ranch years ago and it was absolutely fascinating to walk through. We had never seen anything like it.
I’m trying to find all the round houses by the same architect as mine! Please send location!
Ditto 100x like everyone else said, would love to see interior shots. The front entrance make over looks like it’s original to the house – the night picture is stunning! Wishing you many happy years in your home.
Ok this is my favorite entryway ive seen , good job ,it looks like it was original!! I hope the inside is featured at some point!
Add my kudos to the list … that facade is GORGEOUS!! Good work! I’m in * love * with that house !!
Wow! A truly wonderful transformation. Congrats.
Oh boy, this house is amazing! Great job Sarah, I CANNOT WAIT to see the inside. I’m also a fixer-upper gal who bought my first house at 23, I’m now on my second house at 28, it’s a much neglected MCM ranch… bringing new life to old stuff is my favorite thing. Share interior pics with us soon please!
Oh man, I couldn’t be more jealous. My little town doesn’t have much in the way of MCM architecture. We mostly have your basic midcentury modest ranchers like mine.
Is the little half story accessible or is it just for bringing more light to the center of the house? It’d be cool to have a loft up there so you could look out over your neighborhood.
The ‘pop up’ as I refer to it, is just my living room. The living room is at the center of the house and it has a 14′ ceiling instead of the traditional 8′ that the rest of the house has. Which is genius really. With that feature they could put the clerestory windows that you see instead of skylights so that the room would have natural light.
Then a circular hallway (fun to run around in circles) goes around the living and you offshoot into arc shaped rooms.
I absolutely love the lighting of the Porch area. it illuminates the entire Entry. Great “Drive By” Look. You did a Great Job!
Please, please, please keep posting pictures! We all want to see the inside! Love what you’ve done with the outside..
What a great job! That’s incredible! Thanks for sharing!
Another ‘great job’ comment. Looks fabulous. Can we see the inside one day????
Standing ovation! Wow, terrific job and for saving a unique house! The porch lit up looks like a painting…David Hockney-esque.
Just the other day I was thinking about a “roundish” house I remember from childhood in the next town..at least, the front porch was round…it was definitely ’50s-’60′s style. It was in the Chicago suburbs, but haven’t been back for years. I know there was a “mushroom” house…some unique homes, unlike the u*** boxes they throw up today.
LOVE the entryway with the stunning colors, and I cannot wait to see the rest of the house, especially your lavender bathroom!
FABULOUS!
Love the round house and what you did with the entry. I’ve been intrigued by round homes for some time, who was your architect? You mentioned you came across another of his/her designs.
The architect was Gilbert Spindle of Atlanta GA
So, Sarah this must be the other round house:
http://blog.prcno.org/2012/09/17/the-division-of-historic-preservation-needs-your-help/
My husband just told me that the SciFi author, Robert Heinlein lived in a round house in Santa Cruz..but, I think he designed it himself…it’s called, Bonnydoon.
Also, don’t worry about your neighbor, maybe, she has agoraphobia or something…I wish I had neighbors like you (instead of these scary jail ones)…I’d have you over for fondue & crepes…recently found the best vintage crepe pan like I had in the ’70s.
Yep! That’s the one in Arkansas that I visited, which was all thanks to that webpage. That is the house all redone… If you search the Internet more you can find the old mls listing and see the before pics. Ive gotten in touch with the LAHS i thought for sure i was the rumored round house in louisiana but turns out they were waiting for someone in the nola area to call! They were very surprised and happy to hear from me in swla. I unfortunately cant register my house as historic until 2014 when it becomes 50 years old. Oh and thanks so much for the invite! I looooove crepes!! Yum
How cool that your house is going to be on the historical registry in 2014. I love how they want to preserve the special history in your state. It saddens me that out here there have been so many famous architectural places mowed down or left to disintegrate…I’m reading the book Googie Redux by Alan Hess and so many vintage ’50s-’60s places that even I remember are gone or unrecognizable. Last night I was thinking about buildings in the round and remembered a school my daughter went to is round (and, funny that I always got lost & turned around in it and kept going in circles! lol)…it was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright (googled it and happy to see it is listed as historical). Then realized my own grade school in the Midwest was round! Both schools built in the ’60s.
Oh no you’re not alone. A lot of awesome buildings and homes have been destroyed in my area too. What’s worse is that the yanks came at the turn of the century and wiped out our cypress groves to build their Victorian homes then they just tear down those homes and it leaves you asking yourself ‘was this all really worth it?!’ I have a book on historical houses from my city published in the 1960s. I tried to go drive by all of them, unfortunately quite a bit of them were gone… Replaced for parking lots…
I didn’t want to look for fear of developing a major case of house envy. After letting it sit for a few hours, I tempered my desires and was ready. ZAMAZINGNESS!!!! And I adore the crewel work.
Great job with the doors. I had the same double doors in my 1969 split level but had to replace them for security reasons. Still have one for the garage back door thankfully.
Sarah, I love your house!! If you have the time, I would love to see pictures of the interior–the fact that it’s a round house with so many different features has my head spinning!!
And cudos to you for saving the home from the ravages of the south! Bugs, heat, and humidity are no friends of homes.
Great job, Sarah! Very creative door solution. I was just browsing through the Fannie Mae houses in Florida and stumbled upon a round house on their site, it is in Pahokee a small town on Lake Okechobee. Is it similar to yours? Its hard to tell from the exterior photo, due to the vegetation. But maybe you can tell from the interior layout:
http://www.homepath.com/listing?listingid=34055496
OMG atomic Amanda!!! You found another one!!! I think I’m planning a trip to Florida! My parents are thinking… Vacation home!…
This is the coolest house! I’d love to see the lavender bathroom; last year I bought a lavender bath set ( tub, toilet, and inset sink), and am wondering what kind of tile to use with it.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Sarah and this house. It’s amazing what she’s done with the place!
Sarah you have such a great eye.
I also really love that the living room is central in the house and round, as well… I could go on and on about the layout alone. Anyway, congratulations! You have made your house look awesome and I, for one, can’t wait to see what else you’ve done.
My family had those exact diamond wall decorations – from a company called Home Interiors I think – and I think they are still hanging in my family home. If they are, they will now be my new house numbers!! I love the tile around your front door. Would never have thought of doing that. It looks fantastic. I’d love to see the inside!
You did the architectural gods honor when you saved this house. Your choices on the entry are amazing, and the Homecrest makes it *complete*.
I am aching to see the inside — I trust it’s more enlightened than its Fannie Mae cousin (I laughed out loud at the address post they thoughtfully included in the real estate pics).
(and side note: I have that same crewel flower picture — it’s more ‘right’ in your home, though)
Love the front doors (& architecture!)!
Sarah…what a great job you’ve done! You and your mother must be a great team! Please, please, please post pics of the interior as soon as you can. We’re all chomping at the bit to see them!
It looks amazing! That traditional door that was on it before did not work at all. I’m so glad it was saved from a Walgreens, yay for the person who resisted. So where can I see the rest of the house?!!
The renovations did wonders for that entryway! Now I just want to see the rest of that odd and fabulous house!
I, too, would LOVE to see the rest of this amazingness!!!
I LOVE your round house!!
Sarah…what a small world. I have driven past your round house many times through the years. I think I first discovered it in the late 70′s and was always curious about it.
We should get together and compare notes. I have a very unique1959 tri-level about 3 blocks away from you. Pretty sure it’s the only house in SWLA with a “butterfly” roofline…and part flat roof.
“before” pictures of mine are here; http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwicmcm/
Still a “works-in-progress”.
I’ve driven by your house too! (…and taken photos
). One of these days ill just stop by and see if you’re home, then we can trade house tours lol
Sarah, We are preparing a National Register nomination for a 1952 round house in Eads, Colorado, and came across your story. We’re trying to document the relative rarity of round house designs and it was interesting to learn of Gilbert Spindel. What city in Louisiana is yours located? Thanks, Tom, Denver, Colorado
Tom, I don’t ask readers to list their cities if they don’t want to.
Oh it’s ok, I love to talk house with people. I’m in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Tom, I found your info online. Ill be getting in touch with you.
Sarah, Do you have a copy of the floor plan? I saw a Gilbert Spindal called “Geodesica” at the Jacksonville, FL Museum of Science & History, but the floor plan was unintelligible. It’d be really nice to see how it was laid out.
So, if you have the floor plans, and if you are willing to post a link, that would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
No I do not, but I know who has them… I’m working on it and eventually will try to share that with everyone.
Love your house. I’m house hunting and would love something like this! With your house numbers, did you remove the middle design to put the numbers on, or did you just put them over the top? Its a fantastic idea.
Those plastic plaques were made in a variety of different ways. The ones I had, simply had a flat image of flowers in the middle so I just painted black over them.
What a stunning, dramatic and creative transformation! And how wonderful to see another “Geodesica” round house by Gilbert Spindel! I bought mine in Jacksonville, Florida from the original owners in mid-2002. It was built in 1959 and was the featured “exhibit house” on that fall’s Parade of Homes. By all accounts it was a sensation in its time — and, based upon the reactions and comments of folks who see it and visit inside, it still is! And it’s so fascinating that you have discovered two more versions. I think we’re now officially on a round house treasure hunt — where are the others, I wonder?
I love it! The colors are perfect and are just what I am looking for…but, I just searched the Benjamin Moore website and neither Lewisville Green or Peach Sherbert was found. Can we confirm the names exactly?
Thank you!
Hello, Google helped me confirm the colors. They are actually Lewiville Green and Peach Sorbet !
Hello-
I’m stealing the house number idea. I was hoping you could tell me if the plaques were covered with anything to protected them from the elements. Plus, did you just glue the number over the uneven picture or did you somehow shave off the emblem before adding the numbers. Thanks for your help.