Can I make this large, blank exterior wall look any better?
2 months ago
We live in Yorkshire on a hill, as you drive up the road you see the side of our house and it's a bit... dull and strange looking (with it's one window!). Is there anything I can do to make it look any better?
We're in a traditional Yorkshire village, the house is over 100 years old and the front and back of the house is stone.
Due the the way the internals are I can't add any more windows or doors and we're in a conservation area so I can't do anything too radical.
Any ideas would be really welcome! I'm totally at a loss!
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2 months agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (8)Mount it in a dark display cabinet the same colour as the sofa, that way it will blend into the background. It would be best to try and colour match to the sofa, so if you find a display cabinet that you like, you can paint it or get it painted to match. This will ensure that it sits perfectly in the room. You can also paint the wall behind it, up over the doors and down the otherside and have a lower unit, keeping the same dark colour....See MoreHow to make this space look better?
Comments (27)Hello Sanaa, The dining table looks nice at the window.. I like the two chairs at the side too but equally you could place one either side of the window... Maybe a small picture just above the sockets.. This then frames the window with the table in the middle.. You could then illuminate the right hand corner with a floor lamp.. Not too far in the corner though.. The little table and lamp can then move a bit further along to join the sofa.. Can you move the sofa a bit further away from the dining area, so there is a bigger divide.... With the two sofas.. what about giving them a gap, so the rear sofa moves along to the right a bit more.. Possibly open them up as 2 chairs rather than try to make a sofa out of them.. See how that looks or what you prefer.. Add a few cushions to compliment the colours and an accent colour or two.. Grey like you have with silvers, creams, stone.. With the pouffes don't be afraid to partially place them on top of each other rather than set their place so they can be seen as occasional seating.. or relaxed on the floor watching tv kind of seat.. I see though you are trying to see how an armchair would look.. I think you could go for 1, but absolutely what you have works, so you don't need to rush to replace anything.. See how you feel with it.. There is room for coffee table too if you want it.. The console is nice where you have put it.. It works well with the picture.... It is a perfect entrance.. I would say the picture could go up a little bit.. 10 cm and see how that looks... You want to give it and your family pictures each their space.. Do you see how versatile your furnishings are and if you were to get different sofas you can then see how they can move around.. The chandelier lighting.. you may want to see if you can lower these slightly but if not, just an idea.. You could try the round mirror with the leather strap closer to the dining table.. Then the 3 pictures could then move along a bit and with a small gap between so they sit roughly behind the rear sofa.. Or are they all 1 piece.. A thought if you want to see how that works.. I think the mirror would really look good with the dining table.. Splendid, looking though Sanaa it's taken shape..... ; ))...See MoreTired 3 bed 1900's terrace. How can I make the exterior look nice?
Comments (18)Hi I’m also a developer/PRL, and the best price of advice I was given when I was starting out was to remember that on low to mid range profit projects (if not all projects) controlling your spending is the most important thing to remember, and every £ you spend is a £ less profit. I too hate uPVC windows and would not have them on my own home, but many people do like them and see them as a positive when it comes to buying/selling – just look at the houses either side of your house, and I assume along the whole of the street; people do like them! With my developer head on I would suggest that you try to work with what you already have - clean the uPVC frames inside and out with a solvent based professional cleaner, these really shift dirt and marks, and to a certain extent make scratches less noticeable as it removes the ingrained dirt. Replace the interior handles – new ones can be found online at around £1.99 each if you bulk buy. Replace any worn seals with a new universal fitting seal (approx £16 for 20m). If any of the windows are blown/misted, look at replacing the sealed glazed unit instead of the whole window, again the sealed units can be found quite cheaply online. With regards to your porch, it looks like it is integrated with the front window, so removing it would be a time consuming and costly job, so I would leave it as is and possibly look at just replacing the outer door, ideally one with a glazed panel to give a bit more light. I know you said you don't like uPVC doors, however, composite doors are more expensive. As you won't be living there does it really matter if you install a white uPVC door, as long it is the most tasteful and least offensive one you can find. An alternative would be to install fully glazed French doors with both sides opening, which would possibly mean that the doors can open inwards. All of these can be bought online and be fitted yourself – however, you will need to check if you will require a FENSA certificate issuing for the work, otherwise this could cause issues when you come to sell. I wouldn't advise painting the uPVC, as it is really difficult to obtain a good finish, and nothing looks worse than poorly finished paintwork either inside or outside. As others have said, remove the nets, put up some nice curtains (these can be removed and reused on other projects), don't worry regarding privacy, as again you will not be living there, and it will allow more light into the room. If the privacy angle does bother you, you can always put a plain white voile (costs around £2 per m, and a couple of £ for the rod) up at the window with little or no fullness, which gives a more modern, less fussy finish. I would move the dustbins to the rear of the property, and put a couple of large pots in the front garden – I tend to use Olive trees as they can be shaped and don't mind too much if they aren't watered regularly – these can also be removed and used on other projects. Hope this helps – and good luck for the future!...See MoreCan I make this ugly 70s house front look better?
Comments (2)If it was me I d knock the porch down then build a new one with tiled roof that goes across the front window like a canopy so it ties in together. Not sure if you want to involve the front room as well but you could make that a bay window...See More
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