How can I spruce up the exterior of my unlovely 30s house

[30shousecat]

Been living in our 30s detached house for a year and a half. I wouldn't say I have ever particularly loved 1930s houses and unfortunately the house has had much of the original character stripped from it - new pvc windows, a garage extension etc - but we could still see the potential to improve it and could see it would work for us long term. We are saving up to do a big project internally and while we do that we aren't really doing any of the 'nice to have' stuff. That said our porch (or maybe it's a vestibule?) is really looking quite grotty and also also the wood is almost bare where so much of the previous finish has worn away. I would really like to at least give the porch a lick of paint but I am struggling to visualise what colour would look good and whether to paint it all one colour. Ultimately we will hopefully replace it with something a bit less boxy and ugly but it will be with us for a good few years. Any suggestions welcome even if they are ones for the 'one day' pile. Was wondering about a climbing rose or something.

This looks like an updated 1930s house

We just had our render pressure cleaned by a window company and it's like new, no need to repaint! You could try that first?

Thanks for the suggestion TheNew unfortunately pressure washing isn't advised on pebbledash. I am going to see what I can do myself though with a ladder, some hot soapy water and some good old fashioned elbow grease!

Thanks for the suggestion on Houzz Jesmond. I do think I came across an article from there on renovating a 1930s house but I haven't had a good look around so will check it out!

Yes. Either sand and stain or paint the outside door.
Weed.
Move the bins.
Several pots and a hanging basket. You should get them quite cheaply as annuals will be sold off. Plant bulbs layered in the pots in autumn so you get a longer flowering period.
Prune the shrubs in front of the bay window you must be losing a lot of light because of them.

I re-stained my door( 2 coats), weeded, painted the gate and re planted my pots and hanging baskets. I was very pleased with the results and just took a couple of hours over a few days.

Those blinds are dire but I had worse in a rented house once. Look on eBay for second hand ones then sell yours someone must have loved them.

Post a picture please.

I am painting my kitchen door green at the moment it is a bit more spring than sage that I wanted. Buy your paint from trade paint store. The quality is much better. You will need to sand it down well and then paint the undercoat first. I have mine in the summerhouse but will try to remember to post tomorrow. The undercoat for green is grey if Dulux. I bought a litre of each from Dulux Trade and it has done two coats of gloss both sides of the kitchen door and a trial run front of the shed door adjacent. I will post a pic if you like. I am on the last bit of the kitchen door but the better one to see will be the shed. The colour changes with the light. Good luck.

Boringdon green that would go well with the brick work. Painting the front door a darker green like mid Azure or contrasting colour would look nice.

https://www.littlegreene.com/boringdon-green#

Yes please Bower I can't quite picture the colour you mean.

I like that colour Lombi.

Near us are a couple of 1930s houses that have been updated just like in the picture that a PP posted. They look awful in amongst the other houses - nothing wrong with how they look, it's just that they don't fit in and look, well, totally out of place.

Svalberg do you mean the grey and white house? It's not really my cup of tea. Our road is one of those where no two houses look alike and there is a total pick and mix of styles, so I don't think it would stick out in that sense, but my tastes are a little more traditional.

Yes, the grey and white one. We have a couple by us and it's the little things like the roof tiles being totally different, the colour of the window frames, the lights on the front door being very modern too. That style sits very awkwardly in amongst the 1930s houses that surround it, though it would probably look great in a more modern setting. Maybe they'll weather a bit in a few years and not stand out!

I think the modernised 1930s house looks very smart and stylish but it wouldn't be my choice, I'd prefer to be more faithful to the original style.

My house is a 1930s semi and there's a hideous newish front door which I'd love to replace with a more traditional 1930s style one.

I'm a big fan of the 1930s sunburst front door!

I get stained glass envy when I'm walking around residential streets with lots of lovely original style front doors

Get a new front door mat.

Maybe something fancy like a grate instead, but at least new and clean. Or nothing, and a good sweep.

It's got the bones of a nice house front!

You’re house will be lovely!

To my eyes, there are 2 problems with the outside: it looks a bit unloved and the very “glass” porch with the more solid door is odd.

So, I would spend some time sanding and prepping, then paint the porch whatever colour you like. A (boring but smart) slate grey would go fine. I’d cut back anything overgrown or messy in the front. I wouldn’t put in planters or containers unless you have time to look after for them.
It’ll instantly look more cared for, and though time consuming is a cheap fix with big impact.

Then I’d buy blinds for the door and windows in the porch, something that would match the external paintwork. Probably strong colours on a cream/ivory/white background.

And I’d buy some plants for inside the porch, to soften the difference between the big expanse of glass and the original external wall of the house. One reasonably big, but not-too-bushy house plant would be good.

It would have huge impact without distracting you from doing the inside. Personally Id leave the windows as they are (cost, practicality, maintenance) at least in the short/medium term.

We removed the extra front porch on ours and replaced with a 'post box'. This meant the front door didn't need a letter box, so the house is much warmer. Postman leaves most parcels in it.
The porch bit really doesn't sit with a 1930's house and even if you researched and bought a new front door, it won't be seen because of the exterior porch.

Long term we will definitely do something with the porch but our focus for the medium term is sorting out the interior of downstairs, re-jigging layout, new kitchen etc, which will be £££ and which we are saving for, hence not wanting to spend out on the 'nice to haves' for now. In the meantime I think painting the porch and a genral tidy up will make it look loads better.

Will post a pic once I get round to painting the porch!

By 'do something with the porch' I mean get rid, or rejig or replace doors etc as opposed to tidying/painting.

Or you could in time, lose the 'front door' and have the porch door as the front door, giving much more of a hall inside. Maybe adding just a canopy over the front?

Working slowly will help you work out how you use the house and also where the bits that don't work and need changing are.

Good luck.

In fact I've just moved our from door ' out' and it has given us enough space inside to add a downstairs cloaks.

In fact I've just moved our from door ' out' and it has given us enough space inside to add a downstairs cloaks.

In fact I've just moved our from door ' out' and it has given us enough space inside to add a downstairs cloaks.

Though of course not THREE cloaks...fgs!

Have you looked at the original design for the house? Local libraries or the council sometimes have these. If not look at your neighbours to see if any of them have the original features left. I'd try to copy the porch : vestibule and windows. This would just make it look true to itself.

I think this house has lots of potential and you are really smart to invest.

Good luck