Changing house exterior

[BettyBottersBetterButter]

Has anyone done a major exterior makeover of their house? We live in an ugly 1970's house on a great plot in a lovely village and are planning an extension but wondering whether to wait a bit longer & combine it with something more radical on the outside. Property values in our area could certainly withstand the extra spend if we get the end product right but my main concern is we live at the end of a road with 4 other identical houses.

Would it look odd having the last house (albeit detached & slightly obscured by trees) different to the rest & would planning be an issue?
Be interested to hear if anyone else has done similar & whether it was worth the additional spend.

Maybe pop into your local planning office and book a meeting with a planner to go through your options - some local authorities are happy to discuss things - some are less enthused - but at the end of the day it's a public body - paid for by us - so don't feel you shouldn't be there !! Be polite and listen to what they have to say ( even if you don't agree) that way you will see how they feel about things and you can act accordingly with your property upgrade !
Good luck with it all !! :-)

I don't think it would look odd at all, it will probably make yours look better if they are that ugly. I have no idea what you should do though sorry.

Betty, we had the most hideous 1970s eyesore of a house. Bought it because the lane it was on was lovely and on big piece of land. Knew from day 1 we wanted to completely re-model the front to make it a pretty house and make more space with an extension. Went to several architects before found one who shared our vision. First few said wouldn't be allowed major external changes. We now have our dream home. It is very pretty arts and craft style property. Key is good designer at the architects. If the property has no particular architectural or asthetic merit currently then no need for planning to object to total transformation. We pretty much flattened our house and started again. We also doubled the size of the house (something else some architects said we wouldn't be allowed to do). It is worth spending money on superb architects as they know how to put together a great design and how to persuade planners to give permission. Go for it!

Sarah Beany's "how to double your house" this week had the most ugly 70's house that was transformed beyond belief. Take a look if you can find a repeat.