Indianapolis-Area Idea Home 2007

We built Stonelake Farm in the new Viking Meadows development, amid a former horse farm's rolling hills, woods and ponds. We designed our home's exterior with plenty of historic architectural detailing for a feeling of age and permanence in this beautiful setting. We wanted to build a new dwelling with a soulful personality that, at a glance, gives the feeling of greeting an old friend. To that end, the outside of this home is as important as the inside.

EXTERIOR:
Detailing:

The overall charm of this farmhouse facade comes from the sum of its carefully chosen design parts.

Siding Synchronicity James Hardie's fiber-cement board siding (with wood battens), mixed with Hardi-shingles and off-white trim pieces, is a low-maintenance alternative to real wood and makes a classic design statement. Color-coordinated fieldstone on the house, landscaping walls and a postlight base accent the siding and bring natural, rustic texture to the overall design of our Stonelake Farm home.

Welcoming windows We chose simply designed four-over-one Jeld-Wen divided-light wood windows with exterior cladding to reinforce the farmhouse aesthetic, especially when we framed them with wood, barn-style shutters.

Pretty particulars Galvanized metal appears on the bracketed awning over the dining room window, on the utilitarian garage lights and on a cupola roof. No farmhouse would be complete without window boxes. Our sizable stone and wood versions, overflowing with hardy flowers from Proven Winners, are a homey touch. A split-rail fence section with an old-style lantern lights up the driveway, which itself keeps with history, thanks to brick paving. A covered flagstone front porch with an oversize, custom wood front door welcomes guests.

A second entrance near the garage has a new reproduction Dutch door, offering casual coming and going for friends and family. A bell cupola on the garage roof and a matching cupola on the main house top off the exterior's classic farmhouse look.