Loose the arch, and if the council permits consider building a structure/pergola type structure out front .Consult a good architect??

Hi

I agree with the1st comment. Good start with the building.

Perhaps it's the roofline that needs help - by creating a false heading to conceal the metal roofing, you could then continue on a Mediterranean theme. The archway is an asset - don't get rid of it.

The front of the building is flat. With wide- striped awnings (straight or curved) to draw attention to the front gateway and the small window, a profile will begin to emerge.

If you choose to go ahead with rendering, white sounds good, with dark grey or Med.blue trims. Or if you are brave, go ochre/orange/pinkish with white trims. Make the garage doors the same colour. Paint the new fascia to match the walls.

When it's time to do the garden, choose plants appropriate to the theme - palms, geraniums, aloes, echiverra and Pride of Madiera. That way you have a low maintenance garden with style!! Also, fill your indoor courtyard with lots of greenery, to make a friendly welcome to you and visitors.

Enjoy. (We are so lucky to have the privilege of working on our homes.)

Thanks for the suggestions Julia. Our backyard is very tropical with large deck, swimming pool, palms and lots of lush greenery. We'll probably stick with this theme when planting the front despite the required upkeep. I like the idea of white with dark trim, thank you. Also, great advice with regard to bringing some dimension to the front of the building! Pity about the less than attractive roof, but our house is well below street level so a false heading won't go anywhere near concealing it unfortunately!!

The structure and finish of your house looks fine. You could consider softening the expanse of wall with strategic plantings. Invest in a good landscape architect to help you

Great comments, thanks to all. Will definitely get the pressure cleaner out! Thanks for the idea of keeping the planting low Boroondara Bathrooms. What do you think of Dulux Natural White vs. Antique White USA?

Prior to purchase, when we first drove up to the house, I have to say that I looked straight over the roof to the beautiful view and that's what sold it!! We're definitely keeping the arch... we have two others, one on the western side of the courtyard and one eastern window... (View is to the North). I don't want to mess too much with the original design.

Hi

I've been thinking about your place again!

As you considered a timber-look garage door, would you also consider slatted timber shutter at the narrow window -make the timber wider than the window, so it appears more generous. Are there other windows along that wall? If so, same treatment.Fascia could be timber also.Keep the metal gates - paint them something lovely like burnt orange!!then fill in behind with greenery.

To complete the beach theme, cover the path with timber decking to create a boardwalk. Use seaside plantings - gazania, pig face and the plants you already have. Keep to a colour theme for cohesion.

Maybe the letter box could be replaced with a slatted timber panel surrounded with plantings.

Thanks again Julia, I like your idea for making the Windows appear more generous!

I would render the cream brick and paint the garage doors the same colour so they do not stand out but rather blend in, painting the dark timber fascia boards to match as well. This will make the house appear larger and be a great blank canvas for the next suggestion:

Next, I would create a sense of Entry and Dimension by constructing a tall solid porch in front of the arch - the extra height and volume will distract from the roof. This could be of a contrast colour/material or look to really give the home personality.

The window frames I would paint a darker, contrasting colour to the paint and render.

Paint the metal arch doors the darker colour as well.

The letterbox I would construct a horizontal one in timber slats (to match decking and new path) to the left of the path to echo the horizontal proportions of the house.

I'm not sure if you use the front path but it doesn't look like it as it ends at the lawn - this is a bit of a 'lost' area and either needs to join up with the drive or continue forward - using the timber to match the deck at rear, as you suggested.

The just driveway needs a good clean.

BTW - for my vote - Dulux Natural White rather than Ant. Wh. usa.

Love the view - good luck with the project.

Michelle

Thanks so much for your comments Michelle. I love your ideas.

We do use the front path, but it's an awful slope with steep, narrow concrete steps down to the arch- we want to widen the steps to match the width of the archway (we were thinking they'd be timber, but could be tiled to match the courtyard) and have a path coming right back to the roadside.

Thanks everyone for your comments. We are definitely rendering the brick, and would like to paint the exterior Dulux Natural White (although other suggestions much appreciated). Thanks to Michelle, from Colour Confidence Interiors, we have decided to also have the garage doors and fascia in Natural White or similar. We think we'll coat the gates through the archway black. We are replacing most of the clear aluminium windows and doors in the house- the majority of the windows out back will become stacked sliders or bifolds. I need votes- black, white or clear coated aluminium?? I'm nervous that if we go white it will all be too white (the interior walls are vivid white, floors timber). I think the black will blend more seamlessly into the views out the back of the house. I'm not a big fan of clear (which is essentially silver in colour), but could be swayed any way. Votes please? Thanks all.

Black window frames and other trims (especially gates etc) sound good to me.

Thanks John, that's a really great point. I was thinking of a dark grey for the house with timber steps etc. at one point. Definitely gives us something to think on. Cheers, Chloe

Why do want to render?

Neither my husband or I particularly like the brick and we plan on living here for at least the next 10 years.

What if we just painted the brick and updated the fascia?? Any thoughts. Do people generally prefer the look of render?

I think having the sloping away from the street block and the tired look of driveway and entrance it appears more like the rear entrance rather than a front entrance. I agree that rendering is a lot of money and probably won't address these real issues. The good news is that landscaping will cover a great deal as less of your house is visible from the road. I'd tear up your path and start again and try and put staggered steps in so that its not just a sudden drop before you get to the entrance. Maybe a combination of materials like bricks and some railway sleeper retaining walls.

I'd also think about some sort of pergola style structure in front of the garage so that the house doesn't look like an extension of a garage - I'm not exactly sure how but I think you want to break up the facade being one direct plane (not sure if that makes any sense at all), Another way to do this might be to have some sort of screening/light weight structure dividing driveway and path towards the front of the property - I would then think about moving the path so its not in such a straight line but allow it to meander a bit more starting from the right of the property. This way you wouldn't look straight at the garage and would focus more on your (by this stage) beautifully landscaped garden.

Sorry I'm not explaining it very well but it makes sense in my head!

If you maximise your plantings in front you'll have to spend less making the built structures look prettier.

Sorry I just looked at your 3rd picture and realised my ideas don't really work as its a narrower space than I had anticipated and you'd be more likely to enter from the driveway.

Couldn't agree more. Such a resale plus having brick with no ongoing maintenance. Just bought an investment property but first requirement was brick due to limited ongoing maintenenc.

Sorry be blunt, but I think you need more than cosmetic changes (render, paint etc). The facade needs more interesting structure. I doubt whether arches will ever be in style again.

Hi I wouldn't touch the house until you re-do the landscaping, firstly the hardscaping, the first thing I would do is to remove that big slab of concrete path, then I would create a slow stepped path to the arch meaning tier the front yard down. the amount of tiers would depend on the height of the front curb down to the house, from the pics it looks like about a meter in height. then measure the distance from the front of the house to the fence line and divide it accordingly, again it looks like its about 6 metres. This will allow the whole house to be seen rather than just the top 2/3. it will also help with the way that water flows towards the house especially in big storms. Then I would do the soft scaping (planting). Then I would look at doing something to the actual house (which wont be much) just some paint and maybe just a small structure in front of the arch like a simple pergola with a climber, this will just create a formal entrance to the house. I hope this helps and that I have explained it well enough. Lynne

I agree with several other commentators. I love the look of your house, arches & all. Retro is in! I would pretty much leave as is & concentrate on cleaning concrete & landscaping. You will be amazed at what a difference good landscaping will make to the street appeal. With the right colors in your planting you might even come to like the look of your home like most of us already do. In a busy world the last thing you want is more upkeep & I think you would be making a rod for you own back if you render or paint the brick. And keeping it true to the era could add to its resale value. The only things I would change is the color of the garage doors & facia to either Dulux Natural White or Antique White USA whichever you prefer & the gates black if you want to be safe or a bolder contrasting color. As for the window frames I keep tossing up between the black & the white. Maybe black window frames with black gates would look good. Good luck with it all & look forward to seeing the finished result.

Cheers Jenny

Thanks all. We have been here 3 years now and we are taking our time with the renovations. We started with the landscaping and pool area out back as that's where we spend all our time. It's now a beautiful space that we're very happy with! Time to give the front a little love and I agree with many of the comments, that the landscaping is the place to start. We'll do this first and then think about the rest.

We absolutely have to replace the garage doors as they are unusable... Any suggestions on colour / look much appreciated.

There are a few different things you can do - as some people have mentioned, the roof needs to be raised as the flatness doesn't do the house any favours. I would add light grey weatherboard panels to the front of the house, then frame the windows/arch in white. White paneled garage doors would work well too. Then consider bright coloured flowers to draw the attention here, as well as artificial turf or grass (depending on your personal preference. Then if you're going to keep the pathway, I would definitely recommend pressure cleaning to get them looking good as new as they have quite a bit of discolouration at the moment.

Only thing that lets it down is the fact that you are approaching it from above, otherwise looks good. DO NOT render or change the roof line

Old post

Saying ”old post” is not contributing, or providing further opinion to the thread. everone can see the dating for themselves

HU- the point of advising that it is an old post, is the simple acknowledgment that your comments may be worth nothing, because the work as already been completed. And a lot of posters do not see the dating. In some instances the poster has not commenced the work, but this is rare. If the work is complete, then no further opinion to the thread is required.