Home Exterior - Modernisation ideas please

[Vicki126163]

Hi everyone,

We’re in the process of buying our new home. We love it but it’s an older one (built in 1958). The outside to me looks a bit dated and want to modernise it.

I’m not the most creative person, so looking for any inspiration really. Would appreciate any ideas about things I could do make it look nicer from the outside and approximate cost.

Thanks,
Vicki

My honest opinion. Don’t do anything.

As it’s your first home, save your budget for the interior and, maybe, your back garden. Those are the places you’ll spend most of your time, so make them how they work best for you/feel homely while you’re living there. That’s where you spend your time, am assuming you don’t sit outside looking at your house.

If/when you ever want to sell, then maybe revisit the exterior, but even then am not sure if I’d go to the trouble. If the interior and garden are sorted and well thought out then the exterior can be ignored.

If I had a gun put to my head and HAD to make a decision on the outside, it wouldn’t be easy - you’ve got a mix of materials there, plus a lot of windows. I’m not very imaginative when it comes to the outside, but maybe wood cladding to bring it all together? I quite like a good wood-clad house, but I’m not sure if even that would look right given how many windows you have - it could end up looking odd.

If you do decide to do something, you need to make absolutely sure that the materials are right for the structure of your building. All buildings, whatever they are made of originally, need to be able to “breathe” (ie not trap moisture). You can’t just decide on something that then takes this away (looking at you, the prior owners decades back that clad my timber property in concrete!).

And, for a fairly quick and “cheap” uplift - maybe consider painting the dark lower level the same cram as the upper level (along with the two panels that look a pale blue?).

That could help tie-in the look a bit better at fairly minimal cost. But make sure you know what that material is that you’re painting over and that you choose a paint suitable for it.

*cream, not cram!

I think that is good advice from Furries re prioritising the spaces you will spend time in.

If you do want to make changes outside then I agree that harmonising the colour on the front would help. It looks to me as if the pale blue parts are door panels. Is it possible to change just those so that all the doors at the front match, as the other door is white?

Some colour in the garden in the coming months will also help.

Thank you. That’s really good advice. The interior and gardens look very modernised compared to the exterior. Good tips on the door panels and the matching the lower walls to the upper as cream. I’ve found some neighbouring houses that I liked the look of, particularly the doors, window frames and colour. I’ve attached pictures of these. Though I’m not even sure of it’s possible and costly it would be to replace the door and get it all to be the same colour.

Render is expensive, so that would be a pricey fix. I think you could look at changing everything to either brick or white, that might feel less messy. Then a composite front door in a nice contrasting colour - but again, pricey. The exterior of our house looked a bit urgh for a long time after we bought but we got there eventually.

If you do decide to render it all, I wouldn't do a thing until you have the funds for that.

You could get all the window frames and panels sprayed a colour that you like. Not sure of the exact price but definitely cheaper than new windows etc. You could get a new composite door in a colour you like too - you're probably looking at around £1000 for the door depending where in the country you are.

I also like @Furries ideas but it does depend on your budget.

I would just try to get it a bit more uniform - so same colour across the whole bottom section and same colour across the whole top section. Wouldn’t spend on replacing the windows, they look fairly new? Though changing the tiny window to a bigger one would look better (if inside layout allows) and so would having only one door not two (again depends if you will use two).

I’d focus on the interior as you really don’t spend much time looking at your house from the outside … perhaps a few nice big planters with a tree eg an acer or similar and some pots of seasonal bulbs, bedding etc. to brighten it up.

I think you'd transform this house if you painted the brown panels downstairs the same cream as upstairs.

Then change the blue panels in the porch for white.

It's a lovely looking house and garden.