I have Brazilian slate. I had same issue when installed. So i used brick and slab cleaner from screw fix if i recall. Will add a photo of each i used in a bit. I then sealed them using a cheap slab sealer. Perfect, nothing wrong. cost about 20 quid for botha and 5 litre cans. They are now water proof, but slippery when wet especially with flip flops. opps.. Remember, if you need to allow soak away, you may not be able to use sealer as it creates a water barrier. but if its just in the garden on level ground sloping away form house you should be fine to go. As soon as dry, they are as good to go as before, but clean remember to let completely dry and needs 24 hours of good weather to dry. Use at least 2 coats. works a treat.!!!

Great minds think alike Carolina:) some great inspiration pics. Was just thinking about neighbours emergency access. How about a something like a half arch attached to the house wall. Think it will create a visual barrier but not a physical one and could be a lot cheaper in the short term. Long term I’d be looking at a gate which can accessed from both sides but big wooden gates don’t come cheap. Or how about western style saloon doors:) will probably need a catch to stop them flapping about in the wind...anyway, I’m just brainstorming. Gate at the bottom of the steps probably not necessary but I would think about one at the top of the steps if you plan to have any escape artist toddlers. Like you say the path is in your garden so a tall fence between path and lawn would spoil it imho. After all how often will your neighbor need to use the access. I’m rattling on. Here’s some more inspo pics for half arch/saloon doors. Would love to see your progress when you’ve done the fence. All the best.

I like the house. Plenty of big windows which is a great starting point. Got a bit of an arts and crafts feel to it. The brick from the photos looks nice and a rendered extension would add a nice contrast and some interest. Actually the thing I like least are the tiles. I would be inclined to change the tiles as well as the windows over rendering. I think this would give the biggest visual impact. For windows I’d consider a central sash with side lights given their width. Might seem an odd choice but I think it would work with the proportions. Also remember whilst it would be difficult to change the width of the windows with an older brick house it is pretty easy to change the height of the windows by cutting out the brickwork below although I like the window proportions so I do t think you necessarily need to. For window colour I’d go light grey or grey green which will also give a nice contrast on your extension against a light coloured render (I’m a fan of Sandtex chalk white). I’m a fan of coloured front doors - I like the orange above - but just need to make sure it doesn’t clash with your window colour. Personally I would go with the bright orange posted by Jonathan but if it were my house my wife wouldn’t sanction it (she didn’t). An easy way to get a feel for what it would look like is to use MS paint. Paste in a photo and then cut and paste over windows doors, tiles, etc . It’s actually really easy and gives a surprisingly good idea of what might work. Anyway, good luck.

Hi Sonia. We would love slate but are on a budget so would need to opt for concrete tiles instead