Beyond help?
jamjohn
8 years ago
Hi! I live in one of those unattractive 1960's townhouses and am trying to figure out if there is any chance of improving the kerb appeal. Aside from the driveway any thoughts on what could be done with the house? Many thanks!
Could I pull something like this off? Perhaps something with cedar cladding?
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minnie101
8 years agoI think cladding would work but i'm not sure I'd go for cedar against the red brick. I'd also go for the cladding laid widthways to make it feel wider
it might also look good rendered white just between the brick pillars with grey windows? (Think it might work!) Do you own that strip of land where the bins are? Just wondering what a row of cypress or something tall would look like to distinguish between yours and next door if you went for something completely different
jamjohn thanked minnie101jamjohn
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Old fire
Comments (11)It is really just a matter of removing the clutter around the grate and giving it a good cleanup. It is quite an interesting feature and will stand well on its own. I would remove all of the objects around it and clear out the grate. The modern stand of tools needs to be replaced with a simple set that matches the style of the fireplace. Not sure what the round item to the left is, but I suspect it might me a lighter of some sort. It and the jug seem to feel comfortable but the rest of the items need to be removed. As suggested above, a careful application of the appropriate blacking will do wonders, but even before that I would call in a chimney sweep to clean the flue and make sure it is in working order. Even if you do not plan to use the fireplace it is a good idea to know what the working status is. I imagine this is meant for coal burning, though I would not take my word on that. I have a gas fire with imitation coals that "burn" quite realistically. You can get them at a fireplace shop and they do indeed look like coal. You could use those if you do not plan to light them, or even use real coal to fill the grate. When I restored my fireplace and set in a coal basket I was lucky to talk to an old fellow who knew just how it should work. If you can't find good advice from a shop or chimney sweep then it would be fun to do do a little research at the library to find out how the fireplace was used and how it should look with proper accessories. I think you will be pleased with the result....See MoreHave you helped your children out with home improvements?
Comments (0)According to recent research by Plentific, it was found that 27% of property transactions in the UK in 2017 were funded by 'the bank of Mum and Dad'. Beyond the buying of first homes, a fifth also resorted to parents' funds for general home improvements, and a further fifth received physical help when carrying out DIY work. But do any of the above statistics resonate with you? A you a firm believer in helping your children get onto the property ladder, do you have a tough love attitude, or do you find yourself somewhere in the middle? And, if you haven't and don't intend to, where do you draw the line? Have you helped fund home improvements, or assisted with DIY jobs? Get debating below!...See Morehouse front revamp
Comments (29)Black front door, inside side pink... that gets my vote :-) There are door bells that have a camera which connects to your phone and it will video (and save if you opt for that, costs a little bit of money each year) and let you know whether there’s someone at the door, even if they don’t ring the bell. We have one. I can see and talk to the people who are on my driveway even when I’m not at home. They are not hugely expensive. But its style is not in keeping with the style of your house, so possibly not for you. Just thought I’d mention it anyway. You can define the area that it needs to ‘guard’. Not sure how small you can set it to though. Might get a bit annoying if it tells you every time someone walks by the house ;-) Ours is a Ring. Works well as long as you’ve got a good internet connection....See MoreIdeas how to design long tapered garden with mature tree in sight line
Comments (7)Thank you @minnie101 for you advice on the horrible neighbour, unfortunately, these people are beyond help, rationalisation will not get through to them. They are very insular and do not respect anyone. It has been very horrific experience even before the renovation and we are yet to even live at the property! Purchased it 2 years ago and started the renovation this Feb, we are currently renting opposite the renovation. Anyway, it is a very long story for another forum, but it has got to the extent of verbal threats of physical attacks.. *sigh*... anyhow a long long story...but appreciate your help in any case. For both you and @Sonia please see photos..of the garden.... you'll have to excuse the overgrown grass and weeds as these area are going to be lowered and levelled. But this will be where the sitting dining area will be. The fence is tapering inwards, you can see the existing shed (we are getting a new one as the roof and pieces of wood disappeared, and thinking of relocating this, but it blocks them from standing on top of the pond) and the mature magnolia just behind and next to it. That yellow block is insulation and that has blocked them looking into the dining and lounge area temporarily. This view is from what is going to be a kitchen area, so basically an open plan kitchen diner. This view is centre as you come through the door into the kitchen diner room. Looking from the left bedroom window. We've already replaced all the fences and planted trees past the orange fence. Looking from the end of the garden, we've already repositioned these apple trees to here as these area will be a vegetable growing area. Midway we were thinking to have a BBQ/chillout area (to the left) as that where the last ray of sun will be. But again, the neighbours standing over and looking..so repositioning of the shed will have to be moved further down? or should we plant evergreen conifers ~3m high to stop them? Looking from the side of the magnolia tree, you can see the house is angled weirdly with a very narrow alleyway to the left where the fence sharply tapers. Thank you.......See MoreJonathan
8 years agojamjohn
8 years agojamjohn
8 years agominnie101
8 years agoI found these pics which may help a little
I think the cedar works well with the dark grey windows? Or 2nd pic, grey fascia and windows but with white cladding?? Or just grey cladding and fascia? I don't mean to change the wIndows btw, just paint if you went that option. Re rendering, there's not an awful lot to render as it's mostly window. Maintenance thereafter should also be very quick so cheap?
jamjohn thanked minnie101- PRO
User
8 years agoThere are loads of great options for cladding a townhouse like yours, it all depends on budget of course :)
Pic above shows Cedar working well with brickwork, but I'm not sure about how the white pic windows would look against them. depends if you are looking to change them too?
If you are, black/grey frames look great with weathered cedar cladding...
Have you considered painting or rendering smooth the brickwork in either black/grey or white? A crisp white edge with cladding looks brill.
If you are keeping the white windows you could consider a different colour cladding...
And a large cladded door could add an extra something...
Good luck, it's an exciting project!
jamjohn thanked User jamjohn
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agojamjohn
8 years ago
Nicola Jack
8 years agoIs it tile hung? Can't really see, looking at the picture. Be a shame to lose that period feature.......and I do think that is what it will come to be seen as! I'd always lived in Victorian and Edwardian houses until I downsized to this little estate by the sea four years ago. I resisted to start with.....but just love living in a bright sunny house with big windows and no damp!
jamjohn
8 years agoNicola Jack
8 years agoYes. Mine's tile hung in a greeny-grey colour. However, I think there might be a problem in getting them in finding them in inches rather than metric. I was lucky enough to find a stash in my garage and sometimes neighbours come begging when they've lost one! They could be having me on, though! Of course, that wouldn't be a problem if you re-did the whole thing. From your picture it looks as if you've got that delightful little frilly bit of decorative lead (?) under the Windows as I have. Deep joy! You don't want to lose that! Have you got woodblock flooring on the ground floor and floorboards upstairs too?
jamjohn
8 years agoYakub hussain
7 years ago
PROeDEN Garden Rooms
4 years ago
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4 years ago
Aaron Harris
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoHello all, just read through this thread. Great information and variety of comments and advice. I am interested to know how the owner is getting on with the exterior.
I have had an offer accepted on a similar 1960s end of terrace townhouse in London. I am going to be changing the windows and insulating in between the windows. I thought I would update the look of the property without going to extreme. I would like to retain the mid century look and thinking of using some kind of geometric timber shingles as a nod to the 60s but with durable modern materials. Perhaps either timber (don't like silvered cedar) or hex cladding tiles or even brown zinc like scales!
Ideas for cladding
Dave Ward
3 years agoE D
3 years agoAaron Harris
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoAaron Harris
3 years ago
alex9922