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Original poster

would you buy a house with ugly exterior but beautiful interior?

23 replies

forehead · 21/07/2009 17:13

My dh and i went to view a house today. The exterior of the house looked quite ugly imo. It was in good condition but really did not appeal to me. However the inside of the house was immaculate, absolutely beautiful. Dh wants to put in an offer, but i just can't get over the fact that the exterior of the house does not look pretty enough. Would you buy?

OP posts:
MrsMcCluskey · 21/07/2009 17:16

Yes
You looka t the inside a lot more than the outside
I am not over keen on the look of the outsied if mine but love the layout inside

imaginewittynamehere · 21/07/2009 17:22

No. Would depress me coming home to an ugly house everyday

PestoSchoolsOutMonster · 21/07/2009 17:23

No, I wouldn't [shallow emoticon]

MarthaFarquhar · 21/07/2009 17:26

Yes. We used to live in a bland modern flat, and I loved it for other reasons - spacious, good light, low maintenance.

Having said that, returning to our new, beautiful, bay fronted Victorian gaffe never fails to make my heart sing (the interior is a whole other story, mind).

HeadFairy · 21/07/2009 17:30

Depends if it's the kind of ugly you can cover up with a big creeper or a climbing vine of some sort, or if it's just the down right fugly sort of house you want to blow up. I couldn't live with an ugly exterior, every time I walked in my front door I'd feel depressed.

Blackduck · 21/07/2009 17:32

Yes, dp and I wanted to buy a house that was frankly pig ugly (and bland as hell inside) but the VIEWS!! so, yes, other things can swing it IMHO

Original poster
forehead · 21/07/2009 17:33

It's more boring than ugly tbh.

OP posts:
sausagerolemodel · 21/07/2009 17:33

what kind of ugly is ugly? If its grotty pebbledash you can update by painting/rendering, growing plants up it etc. A bit of cedar cladding and replacement windows can make a huge difference to a house (not cheap options, but you don't need to do them immediately). My house is absolutely fugg-ugly from the outside but has been beautifully renovated and redsigned internally. Doesn't bother me as hope it keeps the local thieving scrotes away (I hope). If I was not planning to knock it down in the future though I would fix up the outside.

TheBolter · 21/07/2009 17:38

We lived in a fuggly house, but the interior was so spacious and beautiful. We had no probs selling it either. The views from the upstairs were incredible.

We now live in a VERY pretty house, but inside it doesn't feel anything like as spacious. I do love it though.

I think a house has to have a feeling about it, whether it ticks all the conventional wish-list boxes or not. Can you see yourselves living in it? If so I'd go back for another viewing!

sausagerolemodel · 21/07/2009 17:40

perhaps these guys an inspire you!

www.backtofrontexteriordesign.com/gallery.php?s=3

Geepers · 21/07/2009 17:42

Yes.

Our house doesn't look beautiful from the outside. It is a 1920's-ish bungalow with pebble dash, and the drive-way is tatty.

We are having the outside painted, and getting the drive-way paved to improve it as much as we can, but there is only so much we can do.

HeadFairy · 21/07/2009 17:49

sausagerole, that site is amazing, it's incredible what they've done to some of those houses!

LovingTheSunshine · 21/07/2009 20:12

Can you post the link? Can the outside be made more appealing at all?

sausagerolemodel · 21/07/2009 20:18

Geepers - check this one out (its 1930's not 20's but not far off). Don't think it shows the front, which, for planning reasons, they were not allowed to alter substantially, but they really tardisised (I think I made that word up) by that amazing modernist renovation out the back....

(apologies, I am a house-porn addict, hoping to build my own one day, so have the magazines piled up in the bathroom as high as the sink)

sausagerolemodel · 21/07/2009 20:20

DOH! Forgot link...

www.homebuilding.co.uk/your-projects/extending-1930s-bungalow

Geepers · 21/07/2009 20:44

wowee, that is gorgeous. I suspect though, that unfortunately our budget is substantially less than theirs ;) It shows what a bit lot of money can achieve though.

Scarletibis · 21/07/2009 20:52

Someone down our road has bought a similar sort of house and done the exterior up - it looks much better. If that's an option for you?

sausagerolemodel · 21/07/2009 21:01

I know - its easy to make a silk purse out of a sows ear of you have cash handy. I have planning permission to build a beautiful house in my own back garden but can I raise the cash? Can I bollox. ("current climate", and all that...still don't know what global warming has to do with it.)

hatwoman · 21/07/2009 21:03

yes. I think the interior - most specifically the lay out - is the most important thing. but it's a very personal/individual thing. there's no right or wrong answer.

GrendelsMum · 22/07/2009 11:31

Yes, our house is very ugly on the outside, and lovely inside.

But with lots of climbing plants on it, you won't be able to see the evil grey pebbledash. Hooray!

HerHonesty · 22/07/2009 19:40

no. unless i knew i could do something about it.

violethill · 23/07/2009 15:22

No. I would find it depressing

MaybeAfterBreakfast · 23/07/2009 15:32

Depends how ugly? Could you grow lots of plants up the front to hide it (Wisteria, Russian Vines etc that grow really quickly).

Much easier to fix an ugly outside than ugly inside imo.

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