How to make this house look better

[70sShmeventies]

Potentially outing but this is our new house: I love it but don’t love the exterior - specifically the white cladding. How would you make it look better - wood? More green? And if so, what wood etc? It definitely needs new windows as they are knackered.

It's a good shape with good proportions. I'd change the windows, remove cladding, then render the whole thing and paint it white.

Oh and definitely buy an oak door.

Rendering would require a lot of maintenance. I'd go with the new door in a brighter colour, a couple of trees in bright pots on either side of the for, and some plants along the front. Jet wash the drive and see how you're going. Wood would look lovely to add a bit more colour but I'm not sure it's necessary.

I'd cover it in boston ivy.

You can make a massive change externally - google before and after house renovations but assuming you're not planning any extensions or major building work I agree with @TeeBee: oak front door, remove cladding, new decent wooden windows and painted white

Looks fine as it is

I would remove the faux shutters, get grey windows and door etc.

My white rendering has required painting twice in 15 years and I live by the sea.

what do other houses in the street look like? That might give you some ideas.

I wouldn't get grey windows - they are going to date horribly.

Remove the shutters. Perhaps replace cladding with cedar? Wooden door and garage door. And some green to break up the paving.

Anything but grey windows they are of the moment and will look very dated in a few years

Similar to ours. I hated the brickwork and wanted to render it all, but a builder friend of ours recommended sorting out the windows to a better style and adding galvanized guttering. Difference is incredible. Will try and find before after pics for you

I thought this too

Get some greenery, will make a huge difference

Bit outing but here you go…hope it helps! Still quite a long way to go before we’re finished as you can no doubt see, but it is a start! And cheaper and more effective than rendering…

Oak door
Soften from with planting/greenery even if
It's a small bed along the front, avoid pots. Remove shutters and paint white cladding maybe greeney/grey as well as window frames.

I have seen a house like this locally where they have totally clad the front, it looks very cool and modern but prob also v expensive.

I’ve seen some nice renovations where they cover up all the brickwork with weather/clapboarding. Painted a nice colour. It can look a bit ‘beachey’ depending on the colour, so might depend where you are.

But do have a look on Google/Pinterest.

I’d consider digging up some of the drive (unless you need all the parking space) and planting flowers/bushes/climbers etc. Otherwise lots of pots as others have said.

Just have a look around the neighbourhood and shamelessly pinch ideas.

Plant an evergreen climbing plant to the left of the protruding bit in the middle then train it up and across the middle brickwork.

I would remove the weird shutter things and change the front door including the window panes either side to a more modern look. Then step back and see how I felt about the cladding

The biggest issue is there are no plants or trees, and those weird shutters. I'd sort out those two things first.

It's a pretty house, if you remove the cladding, it'd have made a difference already.
Anything but grey/anthracite windows.

This is incredible!

That looks fantastic. Unrecognisable.

The problem with removing the rendering is that there'll be concrete block work underneath, not brick. Could you replace with tiles and add tiles to the other side as well. Change windows to darker ones like Twas did which looks amazing.

This is pretty much what I was going to write.