Any ideas how to improve the kerb appeal of a 60's/70's semi?

[Cuck00soup]

So we're considering doing up a house. It's a good size with a great garden and although it needs work & modernising, it has lots of potential.

I'm stuck for ideas about the outside though and great as the inside could be, the outside is really quite ugly.

The pictures here are of a similar style of house although the one we are looking at is wider with huge picture windows. We are open to replacing the windows for slightly smaller ones (would also be more energy efficient).

What else can we do? A thread on Houzz suggests a mix of wood cladding and render, but although I've searched for images and ideas, I've not yet seen anything that really inspires me.

Can you lovely vipers help? What have you seen or done that works? What would you do? Would love to hear some ideas.

The minute you start fiddling with window sizes and cladding, you are creating a monstrosity (especially if it's attached to someone else's house which is still in the original style). Remember people once thought that stone cladding would improve the look of their Edwardian terraced home - how wrong they were!

Far better to leave it as it is, perhaps paint the front door a more modern colour, have some nice planting to soften the outside and embrace the sixties chic in and out.

Please don’t mess with the windows! It’s a 70s house and the large windows are what gives it light. It’s only ugly if you think it’s ugly. If it was me I’d restore it to it’s for er beauty rather than try and make it 2022.

I agree, don't go messing about with the layout of things. I think the tree in the first pic draws the eye. I'd suggest you focus on that kind of thing.

I agree with previous posters. It is what it is. Seventies houses are often well build and very spacious, and if you are sitting inside looking out through those windows which are letting in all that light you can't see the less than beautiful facade.

Just leave it alone. I love on a 60s estate, many houses have been given makeovers at presumably huge cost, and look laughable really, stand out like a sore thumb and loom so incongruous.

Definitely don't build a monstrous, non matching porch like that in your second photo

Sorry but I really hate when people muck about with houses like this. They usually stand out from the rest of the street and not in a good way. I’d avoid being one that had been done up with render and whatnot and I can’t see how smaller windows would improve the look of the house.

Agree, don't change it

Well at least I can now understand why I can't find many ideas to change it!!

Ironically, it already has a non-matching porch, although at least it has a pitched roof and not a flat one.

I'm not too worried about light, as our current thinking is to take out a non-load bearing wall to give us a large kitchen diner with windows to the back of the house and to have two slightly smaller windows in to the living room at the front of the house. (It's double fronted so wider than the pic).

I take on board the comments about neighbouring houses though. Although next door has gone for 2019 dark grey cladding which already looks dated. I would ideally like to do something that modernises the house without be trendy so that it goes out of fashion,

I would put a climbing plant up it, ideally one with beautiful showy flowers and not too vigorous. Maybe a repeat flowering rose.

Don’t make the windows smaller or put cladding on it. You want to make the original look as good as possible not change it or hide it.

Paint walls a nice bright clean white. Put in a wooden, painted door that you can repaint to update regularly.

Have lots of good smelling herbs either planted or in large pots- rosemary and lavender at a minimum.

I guess it’s more difficult being a semi as that will affect how the final product looks. I’d keep the huge windows, wouldn’t affect energy efficiency much these days if replacing.

I remember seeing company who did exterior makeovers of 60’s/70’s houses and they were really good. Although not sure how it would work on the semi.

Dark grey windows and white render looks good. Do what you want and what is current/whatever you like for now. It will all date eventually so just do it to live in happy

As others have said it is best to leave the exterior of the house in the style in which it’s built. It’s very difficult to do anything to a terraced house or semi without it standing out for the wrong reasons.

I would concentrate on making the front garden and driveway, if you have one, the best it can be to set the house off. Work with the style of the house, not against it.

The wall at the front stands out to me. I’d be tempted to change that.

Don't make the windows smaller!! The huge picture windows are one of the big plus points of a 70s house. It's never going to look gorgeous from the outside but at least the inside is bright and light.

Keep the big windows.
repair and paint all trims and wood so that it is tip top condition and looks clean and crisp.
make sure door/gate/ fencing is in style, can be modern by in sympathetic style
Add pots and climbing plants to give colour and soften the edges.

in other words make it a perfect example of its type.

How about something like this? (I love this house). The rest of the street are very similar to yours.

Why would you make the windows smaller?! Don’t do that - the big windows are a strong point.

A friend bought a similar house and honestly what she did was build up the front garden and slap climbing plants all over it. Get all the paint renewed and add some trelaces to match the window frames, with climbers on them the whole thing will brighten up.

We live on a 60s estate, the best looking houses are those who have focused their efforts on their gardens and respected the design of the 60s.

In my opinion, the houses that have made the windows smaller and added that grey plastic cladding have really downgraded the appeal of their house.

Please don't do anything to the outside! I personally love that 60s/70s aesthetic, it's a classic design style that will age well. Maybe put in a retro/modern style front door if you have something similar to the first house in your second photo to go with the rest of the exterior, but that's it.

Agree with pp, focus on the garden/plants and refresh the original features on the outside.

Garden at the front has potential actually. Another positive. Plus I already have a few big herb pots that I can take with us.

The windows are more of an issue upstairs than down. They go wall to wall in the front two bedrooms, and so neither can get a wardrobe in.

Interesting that you are all basically saying live with it, don't change it. My instinct, I think was some sort of cladding but I couldn't imagine how it would look. It seems not to be a popular option!

i would hire a professional to keep the home sympathetic to it's history.

Please don’t clad it! I agree with making it a perfect example of what it is.

You may not be concerned about the light but I think it’s a shame to destroy something so integral to a building.

You’d have to provide floor plans of the bedrooms but I bet you can get wardrobes in. How about fitted ones you get designed? Hane you seen the modern house website? www.themodernhouse.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7rWmhujI9QIVkMLtCh2GswcgEAAYASAAEgLIPfD_BwE

I have a 60s/70s semi. Hadn't been touched for 50 years so changed the door and took the georgian bars out of the windows (previous owners (and others on road) had already made changes to make it look less 60s but no disguising it especially as half the road has 1930s properties ) and had window frames sprayed to compliment door..... Looks good imho.
As pp have said, I have focused on the long front garden and have a landscaper working currently to make that look wow and distract from the house. The front door has made a positive difference.

Best of luck

If you want cladding then go for it. Not every one agrees that the original brown tiles are “part of the appeal”.
Have a look at Cedral, it’s not plastic and comes in a big choice of colours.
www.cedral.world/en/cladding/

Can’t you put a bed under the windows upstairs and put a wardrobe on one of the other walls?
If it really is a problem then possibly reduce window size slightly and centre it but keep to the same style of design

We had an uglier one of these with crazy paving on the front. I'd recommend not changing it too much but have it clean and tidy. We sold our ugly house within 3 days £10k over asking.