How could I improve the look of front of our house?
Hi, we can't work out what to do to improve the look of the front of our house or would you keep as it is?. I've attached the back as well as we don't want too much of a contrast. Underneath the tiles and cladding is just blockwork, so we can't go to brick. We'd really appreciate any advice :)
Comments (42)
Sarah L
2 months agoRobert Colder
2 months agoRelated Discussions
How can we improve the look of our dormer?
Comments (3)If you painted the windows, soffit boards and soil pipe black and replaced the guttering with black guttering you would find it became a lot less visually dominant as it would blend into the roof more rather than fight against it. If you really wanted to go for it you could make the flat roof into a shallow pitch using the same tiles as existing, this would make it look more like it was a designed dormer. What would also help to focus attention away fro the dormer would be to build a small open porch to the front door using a pitch roof going the other way to the main house (like the garage behind the house). This would draw the eye to the front door rather than the eye wandering over the blank expanse which is the front of the house at present with no focus. Hope that helps!...See MoreHow would you improve the look of this 1930's house?
Comments (6)I would concentrate on the dormer windows, initially. I don't think the roofs of either are attractive, they both look mean and 'tight'. The brown cladding at the sides is wrong - it should be lead, painted timber to match the window frames or slate to match the roof. (Please don't use UPVC cladding!) Getting the detail right can be very effective. This is a new dormer bungalow I designed in a 1930s style, albeit in different materials. The dormer windows have flat lead roofs with big overhangs and moulded timber fascia. The flat roof dormer is probably more authentic to the house, but any style and detail has been lost when it has been re-roofed. A similar porch might work also well on your house. Although, if you go for flat-roofed dormers, you could do a great flat canopy porch with a hint of art deco style. The window arrangement in the central gable is very odd, too. But this may actually be improved by adding a porch. (Porches can often spoil a house, but the reverse might apply here) The garden is also very bleak. Some planting near the house, and even some climbers would make all the difference. The staining on the brickwork is strange, but I can't see enough detail. I would only repoint if the mortar is actually failing, as it can make a mess - get a professional to look at it, and make sure it is done well, with a lime-sand-cement mix. It won't make much difference to the appearance of the house. Simply cleaning off the worst of the staining might help - maybe with wire brushes - go carefully at first to make sure you're not damaging the bricks. The windows are not great, but could be a lot worse. If they are functionally okay, it may be good to keep them, and see how they look when some other details are changed. Depends on your budget....See MoreHow could I improve the front of this house?
Comments (9)I like Kerry Bryan’s first photo. I’m thinking maybe a hip to gable dormer window conversion above the garage with two dormer windows. Replace red tiles with black. Then stone cladding and white render with grey windows, not sure which stone yet or where. Not sure yet how to tackle the right side of the house and feel the window positions don’t look right...See MoreHow can we update/improve the facade of our house?
Comments (4)Thanks @cushioncover - ours is one of two houses that are similar but not identical. We have three floors and our neighbours have two. They have recently had their reddy-brown wood cladding replaced with white uPVC. We would like something that looks a bit more natural e.g. plank effect fibre cement. The other houses on the estate are different and are mainly brown tones. I like the grey look as posted by @Victoria and have crudely photoshopped what this could look like if we were to clad the top half and paint the bricks at the bottom. Also sketched in a new drive! You'll notice I've broken my own rule and made the windows dark grey! This is because we've discovered you can have uPVC windows coated and that it bonds with the plastic, just like it would when making grey uPVC windows in the factory. So we're considering this. We have a garden room which is clad in cedar (similar colour to the photoshopped garage doors below) so it would be nice if they could tie in, but I don't want to clad in real cedar at the top of the house because I think it could end up looking a bit shabby due to the sun/rain? Has anyone seen fibre cement that looks like realistic cedar? I'd be interested in any thoughts in the below design? Thanks again :)...See MoreSarah L
2 months agoRobert Colder
2 months agoSarah L
2 months agoI found this image of a rendered house similar to yours that looks good. Not sure what the colour is, could be an off-white or pale grey. I still think some cladding on the front would be nice.
tamp75
2 months agoRobert Colder
2 months agoIt's had a new main roof, but still need to add the lower new roof, more up to date photo. It is actually stone cladding to the right. Think if I render the right brick coloured it will never match up to the brick on the left
chloeloves
2 months agoRobert Colder
2 months agoirenacoales
2 months agoIf it was my house, I would make a veranda with wooden decking. It can be styled very nicely with plants, lanterns,.... maybe trellis on side.
Robert Colder
2 months agoRobert Colder
2 months agoWhat are your thoughts on this lovely people? (Off white for render though)
siobhanmcgee90
last monthRobert Colder
last monthShimaa M
last monthShimaa M
last monthRobert Colder
last monthThe black is hanging tiles. Would it look better of the 3 windows on the right were the same size?
Sarah L
last monthRobert Colder
last monthThanks All. Does this look OK? The two windows on the right are into a bathroom, so we can't make them as big as the other feature window with stain glass, especially as the bathroom has a toilet right next to a window.
siobhanmcgee90
last monthRobert Colder
last monthlspendl 828
last monthRobert Colder
last monthlspendl 828
last monthRobert Colder
29 days agoThanks Ispendl and Sarah, I agree with both your comments. We're thinking to make the whole of the right side brick slips as we can't agree on a suitable cladding. Do you think it would look better if we make the downstairs window on the left bigger as the right-hand side is window heavy?
lspendl 828
29 days agoRobert Colder
29 days agolspendl 828
28 days agosiobhanmcgee90
28 days agoRobert Colder
28 days agoSarah L
28 days agoRobert Colder
28 days ago
lspendl 828