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Help with window colour and porch cladding ideas, photoshop?

HU-474501672
last month



Hi everyone, I'm new to houzz and need some help please, ideas and photoshop images if anyone does that? My lovely old home is an ongoing project. I now need to decide on new window/door paint colours asap, but also am thinking of cladding or rendering the porch as the brick is horrid, so want things to compliment each other and the building, and also fit in better with the surrounding buildings. My neighbours have the same old stone exteriors but have square windows and glass covered porches so have gone with hard wood cladding on some exterior walls, along with anthracite grey windows which looks amazing against the granite stone, very modern. However, mine has cathedral windows not square, so I am unsure if anthracite and cedar wood cladding will translate as well on what is essentially more a cottage style of building. I've tried to view options by doing it in photoshop but am new to that also so am struggling with putting cladding in. The house is very modern inside (bonde oak, stainless steel, glass) and the courtyard at the rear is also very modern (sand coloured render, grey furniture, copper additions, firepits). Suggestions please anyone? Help with photoshop pictures to view anyone?

Featured Answer
  • Laura
    last month

    Please don’t do the same as your neighbours. To me it looks like a barn converted into a nursing home

    Comments (14)

    • Sonia
      last month

      What a beautiful house. Sorry I’ve never tried photoshop but I do think painting the windows in a soft taupe, grey green or pale grey will look stunning against the grey stone. A couple of pics below. With the porch, do you mean stone cladding to match the house? I do feel rendering it to match one of the greys in the stonework will work. There are some clever photoshoppers on here so hopefully they can help!

    • HU-474501672
      Original Author
      last month

      Thanks Sonia, and yes I was thinking a grey green, like Agite Grey or Taupe/stone. I would like to have the cladding in hardwood timber but not sure that will work with the paler paint, render may be the answer. Thank you

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    • Laura
      last month

      I actually think the brick porch compliments the rest of the house well - matches the brick work at the window and chimney. I just think it’s needs to be softened with some planting.
      As to the windows, I think something softer than anthracite, like Sonia has suggested

      HU-474501672 thanked Laura
    • siobhanmcgee90
      last month

      What a beautiful characterful building. I agree, the porch picks up on the detail above the window and chimneys. I think the windows are lovely and Sonia’s suggestion is great re colour. There appears to be some water ingress on the right corner of the house and it looks like you need to do some repointing in places. The old front door could do with a coat of paint. A nice vibrant colour would be nice.

    • Jonathan
      last month

      Personally I think the brickwork and gutters need attention first. I also think the driveway goes too close to the house and wide boarders would give you the opportunity of softening the house with planting.

      Separately I think the red brick porch matches the chimney and above one window so I don’t have a problem with the brick- I suspect you feel it has less presence than the rest of the house but that is likely to do with its proportions and because it’s on the side of the house with fewer windows. Your approach depends on whether this is the main entrance now.

      Personally I would make the big old door on the front the principal entrance, I would signpost it with a proper path, planting and big lights each side of the door or a lantern above and smart paintwork to the door. I would then obscure the small side porch with planting and since you don’t like the red brick you could clad it with oak or paint it dark green or black to make it disappear.

      If the red brick porch has to be your main entrance then you need a wide path, sentry like planting to direct visitors to this door, great lighting to find it in the dark, and then I would add window frames and door frames to make this humble addition grander.

      As far as window colour for the main house…… in my opinion although stone colours or brown/greys might compliment the stone this approach is successful on houses with big grand windows where yours are narrow- in fact when you see this shape window it is often much bigger on old schoolhouses or church’s. Since your windows are one of the best architectural features of the house I think it would be a pity to make them disappear- for this reason I like white with a bold colour for the front door. Or you could choose a cottage colour such as a pretty blue. But since you have taken a contemporary approach for everything else consider painting the windows in a loud brash colour such as a burnt orange, egg yolk yellow or peacock blue in order to celebrate them and help increase their perceived size versus the stonework.

    • PRO
      colourhappy
      last month

      I 100% agree with Jonathan's comment above. My first thoughts were yes, a muted colour would look 'tasteful' but the windows are so unique you could afford to be a bit edgier. I think they should be light (possibly white) or saturated. I snapped this house in St. Ives last year, the acid yellow works so well against the grey and stone. If the windows were white I would consider Arsenic for the door (Farrow and Ball) or Little Greene Citrine.









    • HU-474501672
      Original Author
      last month

      Thanks so much everyone, not sure why but I cant seem to reply to comments apart from this one. The photo is a little out of date but the only one I had, so I have nipped outside to take an up to date one, along with the neighbouring houses so you can see how they have been coverted, (see below)....which is why I was considering wood cladding the porch as mine looks out of place against them, we are right across from each other. The water ingress and pointing has been addressed (mostly) and yes, the main door is now the big one, not the porch. Temporarily white as the door colour and windows is what we are considering changing, however very bright colours is out as we are on the curtilage of listed buildings so they won't be allowed Im afraid. The wood store in the photo will likely be apinted to match whatever colour everything else is. Unfortunately I also have limited flexibility in regards to paths, planting etc as the driveway that is surrounding is owned by neighbours, and as it was an old MOD building there is tarmac right up to the house, and drains underneath the tarmac. I have put gravel and granite kerbing around instead to try to soften the 'tarmac to the front door' look, whilst deciding what else I can do. My house as it is now below, and neighbours below that.



    • Louise Burke
      last month

      I've been following this post with interest to see what opinions people have on it. 

      Personally I think it is a charming, characterful and special old house. The windows are it's jewels and the red brick porch is built with materials used elsewhere on the facade and add a quirky bit of personality and colour. 

      Consider yourself to be a lucky custodian of this property and look to preserve it's individuality by restoring not transforming, externally at least. 

      Keep the windows light,  maybe a soft white rather than brilliant white and possibly the doors the same now you have replaced the old wooden one. If you were to go with a grey or stone coloured paint, like Jonathan says "the architectural detail will be lost" and the house will look drab. Likewise if you were to clad, render or paint the porch. Try to minimise the use of a whole collection of different materials used externally. 

      It was interesting when you posted a picture of your neighbours house. Do consider the fact that they have the benefit of a lot of surrounding greenery to brighten and soften the look they have chosen for their property. 

      I do agree with others comments that some planting would look amazing immediately around your house however if this is not possible maybe you could get a good effect with simple slate troughs. Large enough to take something of substantial size and impact mind. 

      By the way, I wasn't surprised when you added the point about nearby buildings being listed as I had previously thought yours could have been in that category too.

    • HU-474501672
      Original Author
      last month

      Haha, yes a developer got hold of those and converted them. They weren't interested in developing the one I bought for some reason...maybe because it was considered too much of a mish mash of styles/materials. I like it, it's quirky!

    • PRO
      colourhappy
      last month

      I think the wood cladding on your neighbour's house is sympathetic but the grey is a bit at odds with the stone. To make something stand out it either needs to be different in 'value' as in darker than what it's next to or lighter, (light windows on darker or vice versa), or, more colourful. So you could go with a blue black. Something more colourful than anthracite, slightly bluer?

      HU-474501672 thanked colourhappy
    • Sonia
      last month

      I won’t say anymore except that your house is beautiful and I do feel gentle country colours would be best. It needs nothing more. On Houzz you cannot attach a comment to someone else’s, you can only add to the bottom of the comments. Quite annoying really!

      HU-474501672 thanked Sonia
    • PRO
      Bespoke Glazing Design
      last month

      Indeed - grey green or pale grey would look fantastic.

    • minnie101
      last month

      Lovely house. i think a soft white works best for the windows to give some contrast and highlight the windows. Whilst I suspect the log store is new i would covert the porch to a log store, which should avoid any confusion, and add planting where the log store was (perhaps some brighter green plants). I like the brick but you could just paint them or render in either the stone colour or something really dark or clad the porch and accelerate the ”greying” weathering process so it blends in.

      Given the style of the new front door i think I actually prefer the white or a more muted colour. Perhaps consider painting or replacing the pots either side of the door with a brighter colour

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