Will our Renovation Look Appealing from the Street?
sandman710
9 years ago
Guys/Girls,
I need some advice on how to progress on a renovation for a 1970’s brick veneer home that has no street frontage and a poor internal layout.
The property is the original property on a subdivided block. Our entry is currently on the eastern side and our yard area is along the western side and front of the house. A driveway to the rear property runs along the eastern side in front of our main door.
We are considering;
Adding a second story to include 3 bedrooms, bathroom and ensuite to main,
Revamping the ground floor space to give us an open plan kitchen / dining / living, separate second living, larger laundry, study and retaining the master bedroom as a guest bedroom, and
Shifting the main entry to the front.
The existing property is around 190 m2 and has a carport to the front. All you can see from the street is the roller door and a big brush fence – no street appeal whatsoever. We want to shift the entry as we have two young children and are concerned with them stepping onto the driveway as soon as they exit the house.
I wanted to get some advice as to whether we should pursue this work given it will need to go through planning (Whitehorse LGA in Melbourne) and the current orientation of the house on the block. Is it worth pursuing or are we going to run into difficulties getting a result that looks good?
I need some advice on how to progress on a renovation for a 1970’s brick veneer home that has no street frontage and a poor internal layout.
The property is the original property on a subdivided block. Our entry is currently on the eastern side and our yard area is along the western side and front of the house. A driveway to the rear property runs along the eastern side in front of our main door.
We are considering;
Adding a second story to include 3 bedrooms, bathroom and ensuite to main,
Revamping the ground floor space to give us an open plan kitchen / dining / living, separate second living, larger laundry, study and retaining the master bedroom as a guest bedroom, and
Shifting the main entry to the front.
The existing property is around 190 m2 and has a carport to the front. All you can see from the street is the roller door and a big brush fence – no street appeal whatsoever. We want to shift the entry as we have two young children and are concerned with them stepping onto the driveway as soon as they exit the house.
I wanted to get some advice as to whether we should pursue this work given it will need to go through planning (Whitehorse LGA in Melbourne) and the current orientation of the house on the block. Is it worth pursuing or are we going to run into difficulties getting a result that looks good?
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sandman710
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Street appeal: Ugly duckling into beautiful swan??
Comments (29)HU, I've replied to old posts, sometimes the related questions that appear can be confusing and the date can be overlooked, it happens, I think many of us have done it, so don't worry about it. Thing is, if the original poster is no longer following and if other people looking for inspo are more likely to get advice by starting a question of their own than getting lost in an old discussion and if people willing to reply waste time reading through before noticing the question is 7 years old, and it brings it back to the first page making it more likely more people will mistake it for a recent discussion, I'm not sure how productive any of that is, so I appreciate the 'old post' advisory, and in that spirit since I've now added to the conversation I'll draw to others' attention that this is an OLD POST...See MoreHow can we improve the street appeal of our home?
Comments (1)I think timber paneled garage door to match your front and balcony door would look great. You could even clad the gabled portion above the balcony in timber also. Windows done in black(??) Another window or glass doors put in above garage would improve symmetry. If that's not an option, maybe some sort of false window or doors? I don't even know how that would be done exactly, but if glass has a bit of reflective tint and is also framed black, it would fool the eye. For colour schemes, I suggest browsing through facade schemes on new home websites until you find something that grabs you....See MoreStreet appeal
Comments (40)Congratulations Mark! I really like the drawings that you did up with the new door and deck at the front. It makes a huge difference to the house. I think the all grass look at the front is a bit much. It would benefit from some sort of pathway to the deck, but I don't have the imagination of the other Houzzers, but I love what you have done so far....See MoreHelp please. Need to dress up our exterior for more "street appeal"
Comments (7)Wow, what a great looking house! You don't need to distract from its pure form and honesty of materials by introducing "decorative" elements that will detract from the clean lines of the architecture. If anything you should be following the original intent and simplifying it. Possibly lining the underside of the verandahs to conceal the exposed and contrasting beams. Your decorative pot is just so wrong with the house - give it to somebody who has a Tuscan style villa. Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) adopted the motto "Less is more" to describe his aesthetic. His tactic was one of arranging the necessary components of a building to create an impression of extreme simplicity—he enlisted every element and detail to serve multiple visual and functional purposes. With your house remember "Less is more". If you hate the aesthetic of your house I am sure that there will be a pretty, decorative Hamptons style house for sale in your suburb soon, just don't try to change the style of your home with unessary decoration. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls...See More
mldesign0401
9 years agosandman710
9 years agomldesign0401
9 years ago- PRO
Cascio Associates - Site Planning - Landscape Arch
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago 
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Bernadette Brandes
8 years ago
mldesign0401