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.

*on the front of the house instead of the tiles you have.

Don’t change the window size. Improve the windows maybe but don’t change the size. I have two streets near me that have identical red brick 60’s boxes - one is full of concrete drives and looks terrible. The other - exactly the same style of houses - is full of greenery. Shrubs, flowers, small trees and hedges. The whole street feels loved and looked after. It’s a very different feel. I’d concentrate on the garden.

Although this street is not far from me (photo), some of those have cladding. I personally quite like them but they haven’t changed the shape, just covered up. But it works, for me, because several of them have done it.

We are considering changing 12 foot windows for ones around 10 foot so there certainly isn't going to be a lack of light. Style wise we would go for big and plain, mirroring up & down stairs for symmetry. In my view that would still be in keeping but it make the house work better.

The issue in the main bedroom is that the window stretches the whole of the front wall, with a cupboard on the opposite wall, which is also the side the door opens. A slightly smaller window would allow us to have some wardrobes!

Ribb a decent front door would certainly help, especially with plants either side.

Mimi thanks for the cladding link. I'm wondering if some white cladding instead of the brown tiles would at least be in line with other 70's houses

I've attached a picture of a look I like, but it's from a differently shaped house, and we definitely wouldn't copy it as is. Sort of wondering though if the elements of render with a small amount of cladding could work.

It's the lack of images of completed makeovers that worry me. (And your nearly unanimous don't do it comments).

I see what you mean about the layout, reducing the windows just slightly won’t dramatically make a difference to the look but will help inside.

You can order two free samples of the cedral cladding and they give you free postage to send them back.
I’ve used it on our similar aged house and we’ve had nothing but compliments on it. Maybe some do hate it but they’re in the minority if the positivity and speed at which
Our neighbours have started to follow suit and a woman stopped me on the drive and quizzed me not long ago on it all and said she was considering having hers done. Is anything to go by.

Personally I wouldn’t go for white but there are a lot of very pale options so see what works best with your brick and the windows (white against white can make one look dirty or cream).

If you Google Cedral on UK house and go to images. You can find examples

www.cornwallelitecladding.co.uk/c10-blue-grey-cedral-lap-cladding-installed/

www.rrnews.co.uk/homeowner-steps-up-with-cedral-lap-weatherboard/

www.homestylecladding.co.uk/view/0-1-59-expert-cedral-home-cladding-in-poole/

I like the look of the house picture you just linked. I think changing the windows down a few feet to make storage better is fine.
It’s your house, you’re not preserving a museum so go for whatever look you want! Change the layout etc. They were built as houses not history points, looks and styles and needs change.
I’d change the front if I bough a house like this.
Like IKEA says, make it your home not something you might sell in 10 years.

@HungryGhost I know that road & was just about to say how they are all changing over the last 10 years. Any ones that sell are done up like that

The only thing that puts me off with some of the big windows is I wouldn't feel
comfortable leaving a large window at the front open if I was upstairs/garden.

I’d knock out the fireplace and cupboard to make a larger space to put the wardrobe, then put the bed with the head along one of the other walls. Removing the chimney stack will likely improve things inside the house and give you more options.

Find a nice white paint. Get a expert to help you too. Focus on the plants as well and maybe also add in cladding in addition. Leave the windows as they are however, big windows add to a house rather than ruin it.

You can find stuff at garden centers etc.

Thanks for the cladding links, there's some nice ideas there. I'm not looking for a full clapperboard front, more of a feature I think.

I agree about the white language mostly white, with plants would look fresh.

Hard to know what will look good but I think you're on the right track. Do update with pics when you're done pls. 🤞🏽