How can I make our bland 1970's exterior more appealing?!
We purchased our first home together almost a year ago, and after working tirelessly, most of the interior has been revamped! But, it's clear we didn't buy our home for its curb appeal! For some reason, the previous owners of our home have decided to render over ALL of the brick (other houses in the street only have render on the upper half of the house). However, the bottom half of the house front is still brick, but has been previously painted a dark red colour that is horrendous and difficult to remove with a jet wash (we managed to remove the cream paint that was painted over it within around 20 seconds, so that shows how badly painted the house was!) So we are now left with a horrible dark red brick around the bottom of the house which looks a mess.
My partner and I are playing with a few ideas. Either render over the brick, so that everything is rendered, and then paint the exterior all the same colour. Paint the bottom bricks a different colour to the rest of the house; or, use some coloured cladding (a very neutral colour, maybe light sage, or blue etc.) to cover the bottom half and paint the rest.
I love the thought of painting our house a slightly different colour, as i'm not a fan of magnolia, however all of the other houses on the row are this colour, so i'm worried ours may look a little odd if we do!
I really admire Victorian houses, however I know that ours does not lend itself to using the same decor as those kinds of homes!
I would MASSIVELY appreciate any ideas you could give, as I'm running low! I have attached a couple of pictures, one from when we purchased the house (where the brick is cream) and one from streetmaps from when it was the horrible red!)
Comments (12)
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Need suggestions how to give the front of our 1970's house a facelift!
Comments (10)You've done a lovely job on the back extension, which seems to be a totally different property from the front. The trick would be to alter the front, making it more modern and in keeping with your new extension. 1. Replace the windows with more modern ones like at the rear. You'll probably find that the small upstairs window is on a landing and there isn't room to make it bigger. If there is room to the left of the front door as you face the house from the street, consider making this a floor to ceiling glass window and glass door combination http://www.urbanfront.co.uk/images/doors/Image/clearglass_jpg.jpg . The upstairs window should be aligned to the glass window below it. Match the front door to the garage door. http://www.thegaragedoorcentre.co.uk/UserFiles/Image/Hormann%20Front%20entrance%20Doors/anthracite_300.jpg The entrance porch roof can be replaced and extended across the front, up to the left hand window, with glass and steel similar to the lantern on the back extension. Lastly, the front could be landscaped with a path from the driveway through a contemporary, low maintenance garden. Since you have several Mediterranean type plants, you might consider that kind of look. Include a specimen tree to the far left and lose the overgrown shrub near the driveway....See MoreHelp! How to modernise / increase curb appeal on my 1970s dormer house
Comments (16)Hi Stacy. I think weatherboarding will work for the look you're after. Would you paint it all one colour? My only worry was whether it would all be a bit one dimensional and whether the boarding would make the ground floor look lower ( I've drawn it out though and it doesn't seem to make any difference but that could be my lack of drawing skills!) I wonder if you could add a porch with weatherboard like this with either side of the front rendered and painted? The porch doesn't have to be as complex/expensive as this with the steps etc. I've had a similar size ŵall rendered and it was about £150 from memory so the cost would really be for the porch. Can you or your husband draw? It may be an idea to sketch out various options (with colour!) to see what you like then get quotes on the various options http://linleydevelopments.co.uk/portfolio/bungalow-to-a-chalet-style-conversion/#prettyPhoto[portfolio]/1/...See MoreHelp with 1970s exterior
Comments (9)I know you said you don't want to go contemporary, but 70s houses upgrade really well with contemporary renovations because of their dimensions and shallow roofs I did a design for another post with a 70s house not to long ago... Before: After: Before: After: Full post: https://www.houzz.co.uk/discussions/5889905/turning-an-ugly-duckling-into-a-swan#n=4 Cladding and render are a good options for replacing the tiles. Also a good opportunity to upgrade thermal credentials....See More1970s house exterior opinions
Comments (18)Thanks everyone for your input so far, really appreciate your thoughts and ideas. Lots of alternative solutions that we hadn’t even considered. While ideally I would like to have remove the gable roof, from informal conversations with planners, it seems this would most likely need planning permission, which I don’t think would be worth the time and expense etc. But I am particularly drawn to the cheaper and easier option of painting the gable a dark grey to help it blend in with the roof. The garage door is a tricky one – I can definitely see the benefit of having it darker (again, not something we had considered) but it’s a fancy expensive electric roller door that most likely would not operate optimally if we painted it, and I’m not sure I can justify the cost of replacing it. As is always the way, of course, it’s a cost vs benefit decision. But yes, in the end, it is a 1970s house, so I think we do perhaps need to focus on making it ‘good enough’ and then enjoy the house for all it’s (internal!) benefits. Thanks again all....See More
alyper
7 years ago
Sonia
7 years ago
Lauren
7 years agoHi Laura,
I'd suggest something similar Catherine. An attractive porch and door would make the biggest difference. Painting the house white rather than the dated looking cream/magnolia would also update it (you may well find neighbours follow suit in time). Training some wysteria/climbing plant up and over the window would soften off the overall look.
Laura Garner thanked LaurenLaura Garner
7 years agoUser
7 years ago
User