How could I give this house have more kerb appeal?

[Cucumberscarecrow]

I am a prospective buyer. I would like to buy a charming period house but you don't get much space for your money in these parts so I'm trying to open my mind to different types of properties.

This one has great space but is not very pretty. I'm confident that I can decorate the interior successfully over time but have no idea how I would deal with the exterior. Has anyone got any good ideas?

I don't know much about this but you could look into various cladding options for the outside.

There are companies that specialise in face lifts for houses. It can be very expensive though.

Alternatively think off it like this: as a general rule, you spend your time inside the house looking out, not the other way round.

I'd leave it exactly as it is, personally, and just change my aesthetic ideals.

Charming period houses aren't all that

I don't think it looks that bad. A new front door and taking away the net curtains would make it look much better. Possibly new windows too. Nice plants to add interest to the front garden?

Yes, a face lift sounds exactly what it needs but also sounds expensive. I wondered about clapboard on the tiled bit and re-plastering the brick bit but I guess the roof would need to be updated to tie in. All adding up to tens of thousands of pounds, I guess .

I would take off the covered area over the front door and garage and replace with a porch over the front door like this sort of shape www.wyeoak.co.uk/porches/

If possible I would remove the tile cladding on the front and have the whole house rendered and painted white or cream.

I think flat fronted houses can be awkward to make look nice but this would be the cheapest way to improve kerb appeal.

Oh and replace the front door with a coloured or black one. Maybe replace garage door too.

Yes, maybe new windows and a new garage door would do a lot to improve it. The fence on the left hand side is horrible too. I wonder whether the neighbours would object to something a bit more solid.

Also maybe a flower bed in front of the left window - if you do up the front garden with some texture and colour it will make a big difference. And doing the drive too.

It's not that bad. A new front door, more flowers planted in tubs, paint the fence, maybe (if the budget allows) redo the drive?

as far as I can see, if you do the garden up, it will look a lot better, its very 'bare' at the moment.
I live in a 1970's house, too. The internal proportions are great, the exterior, not so much. I have resigned myself to it by doing exactly what I want to the interior as I do not have to be tied to any particular style, as opposed to an Edwardian house that may influence your interior design, say. I have also filled the garden with colour, to try and detract from the tile cladding we also have. Someone down the road has changed thier cladding, but that house now sticks out like a sore thumb, rather than improving the situation...
I expect that that house sits very well with its neighbours, do up the garden, live with and enjoy the house and its space, and then think about any external alterations.

The left would most likely be your fence anyway so you could do what you like!

Great suggestions, thanks Nikki. I love that porch idea and would never have thought of that myself.

I think you'd be best accepting it is what it is, and focus on the front garden, a new drive and pathway, get rid of most of the grass at the front (a bigger drive with a swoosh would do that) and more planting. Perhaps a tree towards the road... Get rid of the nets and it would all look fresher. It's got a lovely front door at the extention over the garage matches the older part of the house well.

If you really wanted to, you could take off the tiles and have the top half of the house plastered smooth then painted white or all the house plastered smooth and painted white (has this been done next door?) but this would be expensive, and the drive clearly needs doing anyway, that and planting might make a big difference.

If you can make sure the drive can comfortably take 2 cars it'll be the best for resale (and at the point you put the drive in, making it a bit wider to take 2 cars won't cost you a lot more).

I think plants would be the way to go, if you wanted something to soften the exterior without spending a fortune. A nice climber to train round the front and eventually grow up to the first floor; lots of pots at the front. It would take maintenance but I think it could look really pretty.

I also speak as someone who lives in a period house, but the interior of yours has a heck of a lot more space!

Actually I think it would look better white as all the other houses are!

Oops, I mean the right hand fence!

I would leave the house as it is, apart from a new front door.

I think you could improve kerb appeal by redoing the front garden & driveway though. I would either re-tarmac or block pave the driveway (depending on your personal preference) and have the garden area landscaped a little. Nothing fancy or expensive, just a neat lawn with a decorative edging of some sort and maybe a few well chosen flower pots under the front window.

The inside looks great - very white, but that makes it a perfect blank canvas for decorating & completely liveable with until you get around to it.

I do have a probably stupid question though. With those lights in the ceiling, how do you change a lightbulb?

aah, I did not look at the street view picture, I was imagining a group of 1970's houses. In your circs, removing the tiling, and re-rendering would be something I would look at

I would replace the fence as it does look a bit tatty
Could you level the drive area although that could cost a lot
Rendering the lot would look lovely but again expensive.

For a quick look get rid of that plant by the front door and put some nice plants by the fence and borders and repaint the front door.

Getting rid of manky nets is a must

*Santa", we have more spotlights than I'd like in our house and changing a lightbulb is never a problem for my husband.

Debs, yes, the drive is very tatty and I hadn't noticed the change in levels so guess it would be really expensive. That would have to go on the long term list.

I think it looks fine tbh but you could consider;

Get rid of the flower pots and have some larger ones, I don't like small ones like that - too bitty.
The front door is a horrible colour.
The lawn could curve around more and create more driveway space, perhaps a new driveway as well.

I had a charming period house once, been there done that, prefer new/newer now.

It's a great house! Don't paint it! So £££ and boring to maintain a Painted house.

It just needs some lippie and mascara ie paint the doors and sort the fence out..do some lovely planting there.

What colour will you do the doors?

What will you plant!

Exciting.

www.backtofrontexteriordesign.com/

This one was on Sarah Beeny:
www.homebuilding.co.uk/sites/default/files/images/exterior_image10.jpg

Here's one where they painted the tiles.

I think this house for a modern-ish one, looks really tidy and presentable as it is now.

I'd do is remove all the existing pots, add some polished or brushed metal type planters and fill with lavender or some box plants which could be shaped easily.

I'd get rid of the plants by the fence drive way.

Id paint the door/ gate a lovely but ubiquitous shade of soft green or warm grey or a cornflower blue.

Id leave or refresh the garage door in white or change it to a more modern door.

This house is fantastic - can i have one in my area £200,000 cheaper please?!