How to make the exterior of my house more beautiful?

[Maternityleavelady]

What can I do to make the front of our house more welcoming and beautiful? It’s very dark and bricky and the front door is wooden so I feel it lacks colour (besides browny orange all over) and style. I am clueless about gardening and kill everything but I am wondering about some hanging baskets either side of the front door or fake plants in pots either side of the front door - something hardy or fake so I can’t forget to water it and kill it! I have added a photo. Non-plant based suggestions also welcome! Thanks!

Please no! It can destroy the mortar in brick walls. Our neighbours have a vertical crack in their gable wall. According to the insurance surveyor, caused by Boston Ivy.

Move the bin. Hanging baskets to the porch and perhaps replace the shrubs with variegated ones to lift it. Paint the front door.

No, this will cause damp problems. do not render!

I love that brickwork - don't paint or render it!!

The front door just needs some TLC - sand it back and treat it with stain and/or wax. Get a proper carpenter in to do it and treat the porch in the same way.

I agree with adding some planting. I would go for creating some beds under the windows - they won't need quite as much watering as plants in small planters.
A wisteria would look amazing and/or a climbing rose over the porch.

And get rid of the bin!

Are you sure you mean Boston Ivy and not Virginia Creeper?

Boston Ivy is not generally considered to be a threat to buildings, it is not agressive and does not sucker, and the tendrils are fairly loosely attached to the walls. Nothing like ivy or virginia creepers.

Bin has been moved 🤣
More complex interventions to take place in September once the kids are back at school - very exciting!

Glad to hear the bins been moved out of the way.
id say re- treat the wood frame in the porch and the front door, not paint, I'd leave both natural but refreshed - a stain on the frame, varnish for the door perhaps?
shiny door furniture (can you polish what's there or does it need replacing).
please don't put artificial plants in containers there, use real ones. Big pots needed, they'll be quite expensive
I would also trim down the shrubs under the Left window so that they're all below the window frame, and aim to get it the same under the right window.
thats a handsome house, please don't paint or render that lovely brickwork.

I wouldn’t paint it and would leave the wood alone. I actually don’t think it looks bad as it is, but it would grow a stunning wisteria over the porch, or a pair of tall standard trees in pots either side. If the house is 1950s that door might be original (my auntie has similar).

As pp said it’s a very handsome house.

That looks awful. It’s a lovely brick, no need to cover it at all.

The OP said it was “dark and bricky”
so I thought it might be helpful (you know, as in “trying to offer help”) for her to see what covering some of the bricks might look like. But in case you’re worried I am neither making the OP do it with a gun to their head or planning on turning up with a load of panelling myself and getting started…

Stunning

I love the brick! Please don't paint or render.

Honestly, I like it exactly how it is. Some flowers would be nice though - red geraniums either in hanging baskets or in pots either side of the entrance would be nice, and pretty foolproof to look after.

Goodness it's lovely. I wouldn't paint the front door. Maybe retreat it' along with the porch woodwork. I'd soften it with plants.

No need to be so touchy. We are all
entitled to our opinions.

Yeah and I am entitled to explain the logic too. Maybe you’d like to make some suggestions? That might help the OP.

I said it looked nice as it is. Did someone put you in charge @Heronwatcher?

Now who’s being touchy! I just don’t like it when people criticise suggestions being made (quite rudely) without offering something constructive. It puts others off suggesting ideas- when there’s nothing in it for us (I don’t have shares in the panelling industry nor do I live in the house). Personally I also like the house as it is, but I thought it might be nice for the OP to see some other ideas. I also like some of those.

But obviously your considered view of “change nothing” has now been put forward, so there we are 👍