skip to main content

Outdated 90s facade and patio area - need inspiration!

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Hi all,

Firstly thanks in advance for your advice!

So
we have mostly finished renovating the inside of our 1990s house and
now looking to update the facade and landscaping but finding it much harder than
inside to even get started. Hoping to get some colour scheme and general ideas on how to modernise?

Unfortunately the house has mission brown everywhere plus of a lot of terracotta. We don't really want to render and would rather keep the bricks. So far we have changed:

New Front door
New front balcony + railing in merbau (previously was horrible yellow picket fence)
Cutdown lots of trees and re-planted the front garden. Plants still small though.
Changed lights to modern aluminum

I like greys and was originally thinking just to change all the mission brown + roof to something like woodland grey/monument but not sure if it's too dark. Also open to any other ideas on how to improve?

House back onto the bush and is in a very bushland setting.

Patio (front and back)
I'm not sure which paving colour
and type to go for considering our brick colour (terracotta with grey
flecks + dark mortar). Ideally looking at something large format to modernise the
space.

I like sandstone but not sure if it works with our brick colour due to a clash?

From here really just looking for some advice as I don't know where to start!!

Cheers!

Front patio

Back patio

Cheers!

Featured Answer

Melissa Sinclair

8 years ago

Our brick colour is really similar to yours. We have just started painting over the cream with Monument and I think it really works well with it. It makes it all feel a little more crisp. (Upper cream still to go obviously).

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (16)

millersx4
8 years ago
Get rid of all the brown - roof, windows etc. if you can afford it change the Windows completely. Remove brick pavers and replace with concrete then tile over. Render any retaining walls. You need clean lines. If you don't like the brick either render over or paint.
millersx4
8 years ago
Also, do an aggrogate drive (getting rid of the orange too) and square off the garage door surrounding brickwork, if you can. New garage doors are needed or repaint. Then with new landscaping it'll be like a new home. Good luck!
0
Related Discussions
Need help deciding what to do with front door
Q
Comments (18)
That's great advice re the colours Design Organisation, I've been trying to work out how to choose the right greys to create the same effect as the one in your photo (still looking for a door like it!) Unfortunately budget doesn't extend to replacing the gutters which are that very 80s primrose. I've spoken to builder re your suggestion about the width of the poles and we might now replace them with timber posts, you've been really helpful!
...See More
Help! Need to modernise the facade any ideas?
Q
Comments (16)
Oskuee the illusion of a window is a good idea! Bigreader I can't believe I have forgotten about the chimney, we hadn't even considered this! I think my hubby and you are all right that the idea of rendering the whole front is a no go! Mel N thank you, I have never known what to search for, 'transitional' has come up with a few things that I like I think I'll be on the computer all night now haha!! Oklouise we don't sit on the front balcony as we have a back balcony that's bigger and a nicer surrounding. The stairs are definitely not comfortable, we had considered having the stairs how you have done it in the picture (which by the way is amazing, I'm a visual person so this has really helped). I do really like this idea, what would you do to make it more entry like? Another driveway maybe? I've added another picture (excuse all the mess out the front). Thanks again for all the replies this is really helpful!!
...See More
Looking for extension and facade ideas please
Q
Comments (13)
It has taken me a couple of reads , but like OkLouise , I think the driveway comes down and takes a 90* turn into the carport ? The next question I would ask is what are you trying to achieve ? Do you need a 5th bedroom ? It would be expensive doing an upstairs one , especially with the existing roofline , but also doing one as part of a new 'building' would also be expensive . While I like OkLouises idea , my worry would be cutting out light to the lounge and living area . A couple of suggestions then -- Suggestion number 1 , assuming you are happy with 4 bedrooms , but want an enclosed garage and a second bathroom , would be to either move the carport forward ( it looks like it is steel framed ? ) OR get a couple more frames done , then close some or all of it in , having had water and waste added to the 'extended' ( what I call the rear ) part of the floor . This gives you a garage or a workshop or lockable storage , PLUS a washhouse ( as a room , or as part of the larger area ) . THEN you can turn the existing WC 90* , and convert the 'entrance way' to the existing bathroom into a shower -- both incorporated as an ensuite to the master bedroom . The existing bathroom and ex-washhouse can be reconfigured ( it looks like non-load-bearing walls , so relatively easy to move doors ) into a new bathroom and toilet area -- most water and services are already installed -- you may need to get a concrete cutter to add a second WC , maybe to move the shower waste ? Suggestion No 2 is if you do want a 5th bedroom and enclosed garage would be similar , but add it all at ground level , using the existing carport as a basis . That way you can add a bathroom , possibly a laundry too , and as per suggestion 1 you could end up with 2 or 3 bathrooms ( your choice ) and essentially a 'granny flat' -- that probably makes the resale better too . To try and reconfigure the existing interior , try and add doors through existing exterior walls , demolish existing walls , try and add a longer hallway , try and extend bedrooms , even to add to that existing roofline , etc , etc would be quite expensive for what it would achieve IMO . Of course , if it is going to be a long term house , then go for it , remodel to your hearts desire , but if you want to try and recoup the maximum in a few years , you need to think what would a purchaser be looking for , and what will they pay ?
...See More
Ideas for house in flood area
Q
Comments (47)
Yeah I will have to set some time aside to go measure all the rooms, so bear with me. I think I'll need to re-draw the original layout too, so it makes more sense what I'm doing long term. A previous owner opened up the current dining room and kitchen but it means the lounge has 5 doorways and is an awkward thoroughfare with nowhere to put furniture. The kitchen then ends up too visible. I keep hoping the drawing will turn up but it's not so far! My parents are compulsive renovators, so I grew up checking out salvage yards and open houses and worst house in best streets and talking over "what would you do with this space?" We ended up moving like every second year! It means I know I can turn this house around. I don't however intend to do all the hard graft for someone else to enjoy. Its really more of a creek than a river so it's not super wide, so the tree line shades the waterway a bit, but its all gorgeous and green year round. At the moment the windows aren't quite in the right spots. when we reclad I'll open the up more. The bath has a great view.
...See More
PRO
MB Design & Drafting
8 years ago
Well it's certainly not an ugly house at all. It does have some very good elements. The face brick being the major one. They look great and are quite similar to the ones available now so they're still 'modern'.

Its the large amount of brown and terracotta/orange where I believe is the problem. It's just everywhere which was the trend in that era.

I would repaint roof in Woodland Grey or Monument. Both great colours as they both have a link to the colours in the bricks. So yes you're definitely on the right track.

Repaint gutters the same. Paint eaves and facias in Shale Grey which is a very pale grey but almost towards a white. Do the veranda posts in Shale as well. The Shale will brighten the place up without being too much.

New panel lift doors in roof colour or repaint the existing. Squaring the openings would work okay but quite an expensive job. Removing the arch bricks, new lintels and then more brickwork to tidy it up. $$$ best spent elsewhere.

Once again the pavers aren't too bad but just to much of the same orange red tones. I could live with them as I would paint the very low split face blockwork wall in roof colour. I would also add a motorised awning over the BBQ area as it looks like it would get super hot in summer but a nice winter spot.

The driveway is just a lot of orange red again. Repaint in Roof colour.

Tiled area in terracotta looks ok once the big areas of brown and orange reds are gone.
User
8 years ago
This is one of a few Rticles I have found saying terracotta is coming back into fashion in 2017

http://vanillaslate.com/what-will-the-2017-decor-trends-be/
0
Brandi Nash Hicks
8 years ago
Change the driveway, that will make the biggest difference, just changing it to a gray would help...start there and see where you stand...don't get in a hurry
kateandrhys
8 years ago
Our house is a similar era, with similar bricks, which we also didn't want to render / paint. We painted over an old yellow with Woodland Grey, Stone (roof and window trim) and Paperbark (weatherboard infills). Made a dramatic difference.

I posted some pics in a response to this post last week - sorry can't just repost them here - don't have the photos saved on this computer.

https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/ugliest-house-in-the-street-dsvw-vd~3837405
0
KK1000
8 years ago
I also think that different colour drive way would make huge difference,you can repaint or stencil it in mid gray , and on the back patio you could just freshen it up if you replace some of the pavers with same size but in gray. Make a pattern or just a border tith gray pavers. Add couple of large plant pots in the same gray ,black or white and plant something large and exotic. Then you can do the rest of the house if you are still in the mood.
0
FrankGrimes
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Sorry for the delay
coming back to you all and thanks for all the input so far! We had our second
baby just after posting this so have been distracted since :-)

Thanks for all the
suggestions and photos I think you are all spot on and I just need to get rid
of the terracotta and brown as much as possible.

I've got some colour
test tins from bunnings so when I can I'm going to try out the following scheme
and will post back:
1. Windows -
  Really not sure? Black/White/Silver?
2. Roof - Monument
  or Woodland Grey
3. Garage doors -
  Monument or Woodland Grey
4. Gutters -
  Monument or Woodland Grey
5. Fascia - Shale
  grey
6. Eaves/poles - Shale grey
7. Downpipes -
  Monument or Woodland Grey
8. Driveway/Tiled
  area - Respray or stencil in some sort of mid grey (the tiles are all cracked
  anyway). Something like attached.
9. Back paving -
  Adbri Eurostone in Zurich - http://www.adbrimasonry.com.au/homeowner/paving/see-all-paving/euro-stone
  - photo attached
Couple of questions:
- Can you paint split face
  block work and it sticks ok? I didn't think you could if not will render
- I love exposed aggregate but
  didn't think you could recoat in this format? It doesn’t seem that common
  in Sydney compared to Melbourne.
- Really not sure on window
  colour and would love some ideas?
Other things:
- Definitely planning on
  getting an awning once new pavers are down
- Windows I will get quotes to
  replace but if too expensive will
  get a specialist painter for now
Zurich is on the right. It's a light grey paver with an exposed aggregate. Available in 400 x 400 and 600 x 400

Cheers,

Frank
User
8 years ago
Congratulations on the new baby!
0
Hilde Gard
8 years ago
Don't be too quick to dismiss the terracotta. It is actually a timeless colour and will date better than grey or silver which really only look good on some, "modern" houses. Your lovely bush setting is just not a "grey" place. The only brown I would delete is the surrounds of your bay windows onto the verandah. Here the brown looks too heavy in front of those fabulous, crisp white plantation shutters. If the windows are wood framed, then do paint them a brighter colour. Even if they're acrylic or metal, check for paints that are suited to those surfaces. Also try pressure washing your driveway, as once the grime build-up is gone, it will be a fresher colour. While you're at it, pressure clean the terracotta verandah, particularly the grouting at the front. Once it looks like new again, you may change your mind about needing to change it. Oh, and do paint your paling fence a warm colour.
LesleyH
8 years ago
I agree with Hilde, terracotta is timeless. I think your house looks great. If you paint the tiles, which I don't think you need to, how long before the need repainting? Are you creating a maintenance problem? I think Monument will quickly become outdated. You have done a great job with your landscaping - a big effort.
siriuskey
7 years ago
Congratulations on the new Bub busy times.

I'am a big fan of the new large Pebble Crete, gray looks great, please no painted patterned driveway which we call giraffe driveways.

Painting windows black with the lovely white shutters and doors will save heaps of money too Leave front door timber along with the timber on the front deck

Leave the garage arches these are part of the period which you should keep.

Pebblecrete driveway in grey this would make a big difference

Perhaps tiles on front verandah need changing, cheers
0
Kat Lolicato
7 years ago
I really think all the house needs is paint! cream, bright doors an window frames -blues,aqua or red. it will give it a spanish/med type feel.
0
pruner
7 years ago
Try Taubmans Blackstone (actually a deep blue with a very slight green tint) in a sample pot, as the online chart doesn't do it justice. It should tone with the brick highlights, and is a fresh and stylish take on the black/grey current fads. Team it with a hint of cream, and deep blue potted plants on your terrace.
0
Nick Morgan
7 years ago
Before

Before and After · More Info

After

Before and After · More Info

More Discussions

Marble looking wall panel behind TV

10

Advice for awkward corner in living room

12

Floor plan layout renovation

11

Floor plan overhaul of 1960s home

8

European Laundry - yay or nay?

24