I hate it. I quite like the smell and the look is quite nice (especially if over an ugly building). However the cons, and there are many, far out-weigh the pros. High maintenance, potential structural damage, insects (though I don't mind them too much) and worse - you may as well be building a network of ladders for mice and rats to get around. Ugh. On the structural damage - with old houses, it is essential that the pointing is regularly checked and it has to be redone from time to time. Even if the ivy doesn't cause damage by getting in through cracks, it still traps moisture and holds it in your porous brick walls for longer causing potential damage to brickwork and timbers behind it such as lintels and joists. Even at the very least it obscures the view of your walls so you can't check your pointing regularly and monitor any cracks (which you mightn't notice until too late anyway if ivy-covered). Ivy is just bad news for a building even if it does look nice. Edited to add one more thing, that I forgot - ivy spreads rapidly and aggressively (birds sprinkle the berries around) and smothers trees and other plants so it's not all that environmentally friendly after all.

Climbing plants - including evergreens although not Ivy - can successfully be used on buildings and can look beautiful. My two top tips would be to choose the plant well, make sure it is fairly low growing so you can control it and secondly erect wires using vine eyes, tensioners and wire so that the plant has a definite framework to grow on and you can keep it away from windows and doors. We use the Gripple system shown below.

Hi Adam, I agree with arc3d, this is going to be a huge job. Price will depend on where you are based. Choose a roofer carefully, there are a lot of them that will say 15k strip it of and then ask for more money. You are looking at new structural timbers, insulation, roof tiles, gutters, downpipes, lead etc. Potentially chimneys repointing. Roof ridge has a gorgeous detail but this may be hard to find. Kennel dormers are in a bad shape as well. You may need new windows. It is a very tall roof, so prepare yourself for high cost of scaffold, if you need a tin roof over it, that will cost thousands. And then internally all the ceilings and potentially electrics will need an upgrade as well, add decorating. Radiators also look like they could do with an upgrade. Floors are not looking that great either. This is opening the can of worms and could end up costing 60-80k even more if you are in South East. If you are in conservation area you may be restricted on materials and that tends to add more cost. I am also thinking if you are doing such a major renovation, if it would be worth it to look into how the loft can be reconfigured better to suit your needs. Perhaps you can add value that way and improve user experience. Good luck Suzanne & Joseph

Thanks for asking my opinion. For what it’s worth I don’t think the porch or the grey windows suit this house. I don’t mind the casement window style but think a pale or white window colour contrasts better with the dark brick. I still think the drive and adding a pitched roof to the extension will make the biggest difference. I think choosing a window style is difficult but something too fancy sits uncomfortably on the house. So I offer some choices I prefer. As far as porches go I think a pitched roof is unfaithful to the style of the house and a contemporary flat roof would sit better. However I worry that it will either crowd the window and garage door or be too narrow so I’m not sure any porch will work and would concentrate efforts on landscaping.