What to do with the exterior?
Rosemary Lakeru
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I have just bought this 1930's end of terrace- ex council house. The property has good front and back garden space but is in dying need of an uplift and curb appeal!!!
I was thinking to paint the exterior white,add a fence and plant some flowers, should i change the door colour?
I am open to any suggestions and ideas keeping in mind i have a low budget to begin with but will be able to invest more money with time.
Many Thanks!!!
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Exterior and front garden
Comments (25)The front of a house should be crisp and clean and elegant. That all important kerb appeal is created by simple lines and geometry. Give the hedge a radical trim, or even better take it out and put in something more structured like Hornbeam or Box that you can keep in shape. Introduce a tiled threshold that marks the entrance to the property. Have some wall washers either side of the entrance so that it's warm and inviting by night. Use some simple planters with clipped topiary to create a chic frame to the entrance. If you've got sufficient budget re-lay the pathway with a natural stone, or tile and give it a generous width of at least 1.2m to allow for planting to grow over. Create some simple planted borders along the pathway, again to mark the entrance to the house and introduce some softness. If you're looking for low maintenance remove the lawn and introduce more paving and some simple planting. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but planting takes much less time to maintain than a lawn. If a lawn is not mown regularly it will quickly become overgrown and scruffy. A lawn needs weeding and feeding, scarifying and aerating regularly to keep it looking good. Hiding the bins is also a good idea. If you can't keep them round the back then put in a wooden bin store, or hide them with some hedging. Here's a link to a blog post about designing a front garden: http://gardendesignuk.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/front-garden-design.html Here's a garden I designed in Woking, Surrey with a simple scheme that's really added some kerb appeal to this house....See Morewhat would you do with the exterior?
Comments (27)I'm not a fan of the porthole window as I think it looks like a lost afterthought. Why not consider introducing a strong portico entrance in it's place? Homes without a purposefully defined entrance always appear to be lacking in definition. Your current entrance seems like an afterthought to the side of the house, which leaves guests hunting or the doorway. A new entrance flanked by potted topiary would be a vast improvement which would not be cost prohibitive....See MoreFacade - 1930s Italian row house
Comments (7)So many questions 😊 I can only comment on what I would do, but of course it’s just suggestions. I think it deserves a proper front door, the shutter door looks a bit flimsy? Paint it to match the shutters of if it’s a very handsome ornate door leave it natural wood. The grey bricks at the bottom are rather nice so I would leave them as they are. The canopy above the door looks rather DIY do you think? It hasn’t been made good at all, rather like my dad’s terrible DIY(he was Italian)! You could replace it with, maybe a wrought iron one? Here’s some ideas I’ve found....See MoreExterior Garden Wall
Comments (0)We’re looking for ideas and recommendations of what to do with an exterior wall in our garden. The semi detached property faces north so gets early evening sun. We were thinking of a mirror but concerned it still might be too small....See MoreRosemary Lakeru
8 years agoRosemary Lakeru
8 years ago
lottiefenwick
8 years agoHi, Rendering would be lovely but just painting in an off white would give you a massive facelift and for very little money in comparison. I would try this first and see how you feel. Easy to do yourself to save money too (few tins of paint and hire of a tower)! There are plenty of ways to spend a huge amount of I refurbished a 1940s ex-council semi which had the same kind of unpainted pebbledash
Secondly the house needs some shape to look its best, so I agree that adding a porch would make a huge difference. This is a terraced house I refurbished (bit of a hobby) that had a shared porch and as long as you agree to pay for it, usually the neighbours are all in favour of home improvements. The trick I think in this situation is to make your house blend in with next door which is more expensive but worth it as at a glance you can't see where one house ends and another starts. Ok, so this is Victorian and a different style to your house but a modern style porch in a natural finish wood would look fab! Sorry to ramble, but I just think your house is lovely and so exciting to have a blank canvas!! Good luck. x
Rosemary Lakeru thanked lottiefenwickRosemary Lakeru
8 years agoRosemary Lakeru
8 years ago
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2 years ago
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