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Renovating Design Dilemma Exteriors

We bought a 1920s house and want to make the exterior up to date

last year

last modified: last year

I wanted to initally redo the render with K-rend, sandblast,ndrepoint the painted cobblestones and sandstone trim going around the house and remove the paint on the bricks and repooint the red bricks .

Now i am not sure, and it will be costly . Are there any other sugestiosn out there, i dont see many of these houses , the ones next door are the same but without the rought render .

we are also converting the existing garage to an office and then bulding a new garage on the right side of the house , so already that will have newer finishes on it and needs to blend in.

Featured Answer

tim_baker921

last year

Your attractive house has already been the victim of updating once when the brickwork and corner stones were painted to match the render. I'd spend my money restoring these features and if sound just paint the render.

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Comments (15)

annabellaamy
last year
Does your budget allow for new windows ? The only suggestion I have apart from repointing/rendering is the render the whole lot including your extension. I guess that would be cheaper than rendering and repointing the stone/brickwork too. If you can afford new windows too, your choice of colours will be the key to it looking great !
Arsalan Haque thanked annabellaamy
Arsalan Haque
Original Author
last year
thanks for your comment. I dont want to go for the full rendered look and lose the features, i want to bring out some character whilst giving it a newness to it . windows seem out of the budget ( already well over and we wont be getting that money back )
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PRO
i-architect
last year
If it's a cold house or very costly to keep warm then I would suggest going for an external insulation and render. This will be a cost, but you will save on your heating bills going forward and it will feel a lot more comfortable to live there. I wouldn't worry about the original features - they are not very significant and don't add a whole lot of quality to the design IMHO. The main feature is the arched entrance to the porch - that is worth keeping and emphasising. You can replicate some of the other details in render if you like - though that would add additional cost. To give it an enhanced quality you could consider the texture of the render and the colour of it. I wouldn't use Krend though - go for a breathable build up and check compatibility with cavity wall insulation, if you have any.

Jane

award winning chartered architect

eco-home and conservation area specialist

www.i-architect.co.uk
Arsalan Haque
Original Author
last year
Thanks for your comments . Did you mean you would cover the sandstone band and cobblestones in render ( and in different colour ) ?
There is not cavity wall so will be adding some insulation internally but our architect for some reason was against the idea of external insulation for some reason .
We have only discussed Krend with the builders - I thought krend was breathable - what are the alternatives that you might go for ?
Sonia
last year
It’s a very nice looking house, even with the edging stones painted over. Removing render/paint is rather labour intensive and can be costly, as I think you have found. The colour is quite nice too so I would carry it on over to the new garage, when it’s built. I love the arched entrance way which has real character. The bit that grates me is the windows, they just don’t suit the house. I’m seeing Crittal style windows, which were very popular in the 1920s/1930s and would look rather nice. I realise budget is an issue, but maybe something for the future? This sort of thing.
jmp1202
last year
Hello, I would strip back the edging stones and the arch over the front door to its original stone/brick or paint them all the same colour. Maybe a nice navy blue or dark teal and consider painting your front door and garage door the same colour too (if your door is Upvc it can be painted using primer first). The windows will then look fine as they are. For me it all just looks a bit cream/white and just needs an inexpensive colour injection to bring things to life again. Good luck!
turquoisetree53
last year
I think that once you tidy up drive and its surface etc, your pretty house will already look 100% better.
tim_baker921
last year
I'm sceptical that your house has no cavity walls. Virtually all houses built in UK post 1900 have them. The upper bay may be single brick to reduce weight on the window below. Both traditional render and Krend are cement based and non-breathable. Lime based plasters are breathable and preferred for stone built properties.
Sonia
last year
My mum’s 1911 Coronation Villa (not as grand as it sounds!) didn’t have cavity walls.
annabellaamy
last year
Could you paint in one of these colour schemes

? And then if the budget allows update the windows at some point ? Painting will be a lot cheaper than stripping down the quoins and brickwork.
Arsalan Haque thanked annabellaamy
PRO
Marina Drobot at Cinnamon Space
last year
I would paint the whole house white or off white, replaced the front door, rainwater pipes , consider to replace windows, create a curb-appealing front garden.
Arsalan Haque thanked Marina Drobot at Cinnamon Space
Arsalan Haque
Original Author
last year
some great suggestios here, so thank you . the existing render on the sides of the house is a bit tired and crackng and some cases attemtped to be repaired in the past . Hence why i was drawn to the idea rendering all the way around .i had a chap over who suggested, like some here, to render over the concrete based edging stones and trim ( not sure what you call upper and lower sandstone looking bands that go around the whole house ) . He suggested using a different colour for the details and we liked the polar white ( white with a hint of of grey and offwhite in it ) foer the main facsia. this would avoid the repointing and sandblasting off the exisitng paint only to paint over it again. I love thise pictures from Marina Drobot @ cinnamin space and the darker shade of render with a lighter shade on the detail seems to look nicer then the inverse of that . That being said, the white painted brick also had some nice character to it , although my current painted brick doesnt, so im not convinced a new lighter colour will really enhance all that much. Another option was to render down to the sandstone trim and then paint the existing bricks to match the render colour...but then would that look off, modern mixed with not modern ?
Amelia Taylor
last year
last modified: last year
Have you thought about adding eavestrough to the mix? It's a simple and stylish touch that can make a big difference in the house's overall look. It's also practical since it helps redirect rainwater away from the foundation and prevents damage to the walls.

I understand why you're considering redoing the render, sandblasting, and repointing. Still, those can be costly and time-consuming projects. I'd also recommend considering other options, like maybe just touching up certain areas instead of redoing everything.

As for the garage, blending in the new with the old can be tricky, but it can be done with a little creativity!
Arsalan Haque
Original Author
last year
Thanks. :don’t know what that is but will look it up

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