Hello Lucy, Just to touch on your idea of Georgian windows etc, I'd be careful here.. It's a 60's house so I feel better to work with them as the style they are.. If they are not upvc then you could paint them a darker colour, I like slate colour windows....... Is the garage coming with it? If it is.. you could paint it a darker colour so it stands out less, a slate is a nice choice and would tie in with the windows if you painted those......

The other thing is that you could plant a nice Cherry Laurel bush or something lowish along the drive between the garage and your little drive, Some aggregate both sides could be nice with a large pot and something nice (on the house side)... Or you could have a central pot and a much larger plant, if you don't use that for the car........

With the window lights in the front door.. you could maybe have a iron detailing on the inside to create a nice finish.. Nothing too elaborate or spirally. I have attached some ideas which are not too distant to what you have.. Just so you can see how nice it could be, before you change it all.....

I'd perhaps suggest changing the door glass though and have a wall mounted letter box. So the door is plain glass... like the images, then paint the door surround and window lights to compliment the windows....

Moving on to the window dressings, I think this is an easy way to make the house stand out by getting some nice blinds.. Wooden Venetian with tapes! A nice creamy colour could lift... I'm also inclined to want to suggest a brick colour to paint the render on the first floor. So it ties in to the brick below and then looks complimentary..... Some ideas that are not too costly.. : ))

Thank you I was wondering about slate grey just wasn't sure if it would date quickly? No other houses down the road have this colour... We like to be different but don't want it to look too out of place if you know what I mean. We need a new garage door and would want that to tie in with colours of house. We also want our porch door to be a front door as don't want it hidden from street view.

Some greenery out front is def needed :-)

Found these,,,

Hello Lucy, yes these are good suggestions the bottom two doors.... My door choices were not quite what I was after but I do like the idea of keeping the light.. I was nearly going to offer you an image with a wooden door but thought maybe you wanted to keep the glass..

Well for me, I don't think slate dates at all.. I love it and darks are in right now- see how contemporary it is and stylish with your images...

You are right about being somewhat in keeping with the road, which is why I was suggesting keeping the style of window and just painting it.... I think nobody else has the slate grey, because I have not suggested it! ; ) ) ! -I can bet you... if you do yours.... you will see others following on! Don't keep up with the Jones's..... Be the Jones's!! : ))

Hi Lucy,

As a 60's building, the original windows whould have had a much more delicate frame and they would have been made of steel. You can still buy steel windows that comply to modern building regulations. The best known company is the following:

http://www.crittall-windows.co.uk/products/corporate-w20-range

Then you can choose whether to stick to the same fenestration that you have at the moment (and blend in with the street) or try something different. Also you can choose any RAL colour you like for the powder coated finish.

As for the door, I like your idea of going with a more traditional, 4-panelled georgian style wooden door. Just keep the same paint colour throughout.

Erica.

Hello Lucy, I think the bottom two doors are really the right idea that you chose.... I would not suggest a Victorian door such as the one shown in your second image, 4 panels with two glazed panels.... It's not a period house and the door would not suit in this case.. : ))

Thank you

Have had a chat with my hubby and we are not 100% it will b our forever home so we think it might be quite hard to sell if we make it stand out too much from the other houses on the street (it's a close) . So will prob go with white upvc windows and white/cream or light grey door.

This will leave more cash to get drive and garage door done and pos a lick of paint to tiles and walls.

He thinks the inside of the house is more important which is true but it definatly needs something as it is majorly depressing to look at from the street!

Thanks for your suggestions :-)

Hello Lucy... It's not depressing, you can transform it in an instant... The only thing I would leave you with is that upvc devalues properties. I would never recommend these... If you are thinking you will sell sometime in the future... I'd suggest getting proper wooden windows... The same goes for the front door... There are plenty of luxe for less options for inside the house which you can offset for having proper windows! The garage is not that bad and a good lick of paint will do it wonders... Solid wood windows and doors will really do you a favour going forward I think but... of course it's entirely your choice... : ))

The windows look OK- are you sure that you can justify the replacement?

See if you can get repairs done and spend the money landscaping the front and improving the kurb appeal

Trust me we wouldn't be doing them if we didn't need to...they are full of condensation...with two young children we want it sorted by winter.

Hi lucy. Won't don't you get the house mocked up with slate grey windows and maybe the bottom 2 of your door choices before you make a final decision? personally if I was spending all that money I would want a transformation although I appreciate you need them for practical purposes too

So I've added the grey windows and doors still not sure... Spoke to another window company and they say everyone is doing it at the mo but this is not a modern house so they are not entirely sure it will work.

would you paint the whole house white? Would that work? It's not a period property and it's not a modern house what is it? Estate agent said it would make no difference in value of the house so that's a bonus. Just don't want to put them in and regret it.

I know this house is different but struggling to find the same sort of house that has been done up and modernised

Hi Lucy. I can't find images either. Here are 2. The first needs a bit of imagination:) the 2nd is a dramatic transformation but is a semi. I've attached the link so you can see the before shot http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/2011/06/14/a-remodelled-1960s-semi/. I will keep looking! With your posted pic I think I'd go for a dark grey door and white render all over

I love the fully rendered White House I just don't think we will be able to afford it...the full side would need to be done and we may possibly extend on the side 5+years down the line....

could we get away with a lick of fresh paint on top part of house? And paint tiles slate grey? I'm starting to think that unless we go whole hog with the outside the grey windows just won't work :-/

Wow That looks great! Will defo consider this when we have the cash! How much and how long did It take to do the whole lot?

Think we have decided to go with this door either with composit sides or just frosted glass panels.

Need to keep the windows white as we are not sure if we will be able to afford cladding/rendering at any point. Spoke to a windows guy and he initially suggested grey frames but then google earthed the street and said our house will stand out massively as every single house on the close has white windows. He did say we could take of tiles and clad for around 2k which is do-able In time but No single house has been modernised so will stand out like a sore thumb. Boring but safe option to stick with white I think. Hopfully tiding up the front drive and adding some plant pots will soften the exterior to my ugly house :-(

thanks for your help guys great sugestions just wish we had the cash to do it! Hopfully will be moving in 6weeks!

Instead of using paints have you considered an exterior Venetian Plaster?

Venetian plasters are among the easiest wall finishes to maintain. They can be made to a variety of finishes, textures and colours that will last many years without fading.

This material is great for providing a facelift to any property and can greatly reduce maintenance costs.

We love all things mid century and this property has a lot of potential. Like others have mentioned, it's a mid century property, if you treat it this way, it will look great. Windows and the proportions of the fenestration (vertical and horizontal frame lines) will play a vital role in how the property looks on the outside and also the amount of light you receive inside. A porch could work here, but do not be tempted to copy your neighbours with a tiled example, instead go fully modern with a flat roof and chunky timber door and sidelight window. This will not be any more expensive (see Dan Brill's Long House in Winchester below).

With regards to the windows, the current proportions work well and if you are replacing them for new at £10k you may be able to get them replaced in aluminium frames, this will further reduce the thickness of the frames and make them look lighter. You could also think about changing the colour to that of a darker grey. Aluminium frames come pre coloured, but uPVC will need to be spray finished, but this too can look good if done well. The main element to consider is uniformity and the ensure that the property is updated as a whole.

Hope that helps and good luck with the refurbishments.

I can send a photo of what we did.

I think the key is the render and changing the windows. The door is great and has the grey frosted glass but very bright inside. Good luck with your project.

It depends on size of house of course, but quotes we got ranged from the ridiculous to very reasonable. Allow about £25-34 per m2. You don't need to go for expensive render systems. Just the sand and cement and then paint it.

This is what the exterior looks like so far.

We have been approved planning permission to extend single storey, front and side With sky lantern.

we are set on a flat roof with wildflower and sedum.

Considering keeping the tiles.

front door will be moved forward and there will be a window on the left.

Not sure what the new render should be for the extension? Brick ? Trying to keep all costs down but Still have a Clean and contemporary finish...... I realise now I should have been braver with the windows! Tut tut!!!

Approved elevations

Approved floor plans

Hey how did you get on lucy?