Updating the front of our early 80s housing estate house

[BonnesVacances]

We live on a housing estate which was built in 1981/82. The house is detached but all the houses around are much of the same thing, just with varying front doors and garage doors. All have white uPVC windows.

We are about to add a dormer window above the garage but before we do so, we need to decide what window to put in it. We also need a new front door as it's draughty and despite having had people round to 'fix' it, it hasn't.

Now we can replace all our windows with the ones with grey frames (DH hates uPVC windows anyway) and have a solid contemporary door. And replace/paint the garage door. And it would look fab. But because the house is a typical house on a housing estate where they all look the same, so I feel a little restricted as to what we can do. Plus sometimes I think I'd rather pay the house opposite to do it instead so at least I can look it!

Has anyone updated their housing estate house and not made it stand out too much? If I look on Pinterest it just comes up with loads of American houses so it's hard to get any ideas.

Thanks.

I know grey windows are "in" at the moment, but eventually they'll be out and become as dated as 1980s dark brown frames.
Stick with white.
Have a grey door instead

I was expecting to come on and say don't bother updating the exterior- you can't hide that it's an 80s house when it's clear the whole estate is 80s. However, you're only doing the door and windows which need/will need doing anyway so go for what you want. Have you seen any others with grey windows? Best thing to do would be to take a walk around the estate and find what looks good/what doesn't.

agree with Pimms it will look dreadful in 10y.

I have a 1950s ex local authority and we replaced our windows with upvc cottage Windows. The ones where the bars are actual bars not just lines in the window ifyswim. I love it

Like this...

Thanks. I hadn't thought of looking around the estate. I'll do that on Google street view.

Interesting the comment about the brown windows. Having come across quite a few of those on my searches, it makes the white ones look nice.

I've been trying to find pictures of what the house looked like when it was built as it has had an extension and other building work done. Just out of interest but nothing comes up.

In our 80s estate we were the first to get a black door, a few years ago. We literally walked up and down the road to check what everyone else had, and ummed and ahhed about doing something different as we were new. Now there are a few black doors of various different designs. Composite doors do come in nice colours.

I think go for the contemporary door and change the garage door but keep the windows white.

What are the grey ones made of anyway, if not uPVC?

I think the grey windows are aluminium and have thinner frames. I don't mind the white ones. It's DH who hates them.

Hopefully the neighbours will be inspired to change their doors then. That would be nice. Thanks.

Have googled. Y'know I possibly might be tempted. It's your house, and a lot of 80s houses are something of a blank canvas. It's not like white uPVC is a positive style statement. PPs may well be right that the grey will date, but I should think it'll take a good decade and by then the much older white uPVC may well be even more dated. What really dates things is something newer and funkier going mainstream. White uPVC doors don't look more classic or stylish than newer composite, and you never know but I can't see composite doors dating faster than white uPVC. Maybe the same will happen with windows.

Add wooden internal shutters?

We replaced our windows a few years ago, going from wide wood (draughty) multi frame to plain windows with no cross bars.
I was really worried that it would look odd as we are in a cul de sace where all the houses were built together- all slightly different but with a consitant "style" with windows and doors etc.

I took a few photos of front of house and used photoshop to alter the windows to plain so that I really knew what it would look like. I liked the effect so went for it.
Our house looks slightly different but not out of place amongst the others as there are still plenty of common features

Great idea to use PhotoShop! I'll give that a go. Thanks.