Prettying up the front of my house - how?

[JustBeingJuliet]

Bought a 1950's ex local authority semi at the beginning of the year and I'm in the middle of doing a million and one jobs on it. One thing that really bugs me is the front - it just looks so unappealing, so I'm after ideas!

There's a front "garden" directly onto the street (no fencing, nothing in between me and my attached NDN), which consists of a knackered old bit of concrete to park on, then a scratchy bit of mud grass next to it (about 6ft x 12ft) which needs to go as the grass is never going to look nice due to being North facing/under the shade of a huge tree thus never getting any sun. There's then a concrete path bordering the property which leads down the side of the house.

Front door is an old wooden one, which is as scruffy as hell, and the previous owners kindly wrote the house number on the wall in some kind of completely permanent gloss paint, in huge writing! Any tips on getting this off, or how to disguise it?

Things I want to deal with:
Front door - replace or refurbish? Rest of house is UPVC
Grass - dig out and gravel/concrete/pave as a temporary measure? Or save up and get the whole front dug out and done nicely?

Any ideas, on as small a budget as humanly possible, would be great! Just need to create a bit of "kerb appeal". Did I mention my budget is like £3.77??

Something Like this would look nice on both sides of the door. I know you said you have little money but the same effect can be achieved with trellis fitted to the wall and a square planter in front with a small conifer in each with something like a winter flowering jasmine to climb the trellis. Put a solid back behind the trellis until the foliage covers the painted numbers.

Paint the front door and the step, if you have one, to create a unified look. Red and black looks smart I think but there are lots of colourways to choose from.

Some bedding plants in pots along the boundary will help define your space. Keep watering the grass - it might just be very thirsty due to the tree taking all the moisture.

KillMeNow that's perfect for the job :)

I'd not get too much sun, no, as the front is North facing, so would be nice to get a bit more light in tbh.

Yes, I had thought that re gravel, as I have a square of gravel in the back garden which my dogs use as a litter tray and which irritates the hell out of me! Would shingle have the same animal poo attracting effect?

Thanks for all the ideas!

As for plants - wether front or back garden the same principle applies so you could borrow few books from the library for inspirations

If you are going to cut down your three there will be waiting time before you cut the tree and afterwards.

Meanwhile have look at shady gardens designs to choose look you like:
anativegarden.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/garden-shade-ideas.html
japanese-gardendesigns.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/small-patio-contrast-work-paint.html
www.christinewilkie.co.uk/m-portfolio/japanese-inspired-garden/
www.contemporarygardendesign.co.uk/shady-border-plant-group/
www.cityplanter.co.uk/shady-business-a-container-garden-for-a-dark-corner/

Also found this:
www.plantsforshade.co.uk/

Using plants is probably the cheapest way to make the most impact, along with refurbing your door.
I'd avoid gravel and get planting.
Look on google images for front garden design for ideas and the plants for shade nursery/website anti linked to is fantastic, superb quality plants and advice.
Is the tree a sycamore? They shed sticky sap and are a nuisance.
Evergreen plants do very well in the shade and will make your frontage look loads more cared for.

If you did want to convert the grassy area to a plant border a pic would be nice then we can give suggestions.
This is quite helpful
www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-1194114/Shady-dealers-Plants-brighten-shadiest-spots.html

Apologies for the DM link!!!

Yeah they like to dig in shingle too. Anything easily diggable, basically. Obviously you get it with dirt too but they tend to go under bushes and at edges where it's easy to dig into- whereas if you've got a nice big expanse of pebbles it's open season.

Right, gravel and shingle are out then, as there are hundreds of cats round here and I don't need something else to wind me up!

I'm hopeless when it comes to plants/gardening, as I've never had more than a lawn and patio before, so I'll have a good read through those links, thank you.

Your Red Maple might just need to be trimmed back, compared to other maples they don't get huge nor do they live long. It would be worthwhile to find out more.
Grass can be work but also restored quickly and cheaply with lime, fertilizer, aerating, or a top up of soil. Regular mowing edging is necessary. Can you visit a plant nursery and get free advice?

How about big shingle - like this - which should defeat most of the local cat population (unless you live near lions).

brick acid should clean your bricks (from DIY stores). Got to be really careful with it though as its lethal.

You will be OK with pebbles rather than gravel. The cats won't touch it.

'Front door - replace or refurbish? Rest of house is UPVC" - of course its better to replace! I replaced my old doors with the Walnut door ( <a class="break-all" href="http://doorsandbeyond.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">doorsandbeyond.com/</a> ). But if you are shor of money, then refurbish... Grass - dig out and gravel/concrete/pave as a temporary measure? Or save up and get the whole front dug out and done nicely? Dig out grass ia a good idea, I agree. But dont grave, it`s better to pave...