Desperate for help with our ugly house!
St Bri
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoSt Bri
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Ugly home front, help please!!!
Comments (31)I would paint the upper part of the brick so that it blends in with the house colour, then I would hang plant pots off the top of the brick making seasonal type planter boxes that way you are not waiting for a larger plant to grow and you can quickly swap out any plants that are not thriving when the house is on the market. I would start the paint level at the same height as the bottom of the weird rectangular boxes. This will be a very cheap idea with impact / freshness....See MoreUgly back of house and garden, and ive no idea where to start
Comments (24)So many great suggestions here for you! What a fabulous house to work with. I would extend the pergola out to where the BBQ is, but scrap it. I also suggest replacing the brick paved area with large creamish pavers & use the bricks to pave the path in a bit if a curve. Utilize the curved area for seating widening the steps as suggested. A couple of large pots with citrus either side. These could be planted later as the garden progresses. Also a grape vine or wisteria planted to grow over the pergola would give summer shade & let light into the house in winter. I would screen the granny flat with either a few hardy bushes or a lattice type screen & grow a passion-fruit, kiwi fruit or climbing rose. If you don't like the climbing thing something structural like yucca's or cordylines, both low maintenance - talk to your local nursery, they are the experts. They may offer garden design too. Also have a look at http://plantselector.botanicgardens.sa.gov.au/ Just put in your postcode & you get a list of plants with pictures, descriptions etc. Enjoy your garden room. Good luck....See MoreHelp! Ugly facade 1980's mottled brick home.
Comments (12)Thankyou everyone. I agree with replacing the cladding with smooth instead of panelled, and we would like to replace the roller doors with one large panel lift roller and remove the central pillar of bricks. We do like the shape of the facade and whilst the bricks aren't what I would choose I think modernising the colour scheme would improve the overall look. The sage green colour is quite dated. Luckily the roof colour is not really visible so doesn't affect our overall look. What colours would you recommend for the panelling and garage doors? If darker, do you think a grey would work with this brick, or perhaps charcoal? We have a glass panelled front door coming that I was thinking of painting Dulux Domino and removing the flyscreen. The front railing does need to be replaced but I hadn't thought about moving the stairs. It's probably not in our budget to do this at the moment but good to consider for the future. The front of the house when viewed square to the street is pretty much obscured by garden as its a fairly steep sloped block heavily planted out at the front. Over time we plan to improve the garden. There is a beautiful weeping mulberry but a lot of bottlebrush and small pine shrubs that need to go. Would love more colour combo suggestions that would work with this brick colour....See MoreHelp! Our 1980s home needs a facelift
Comments (68)Hi Sarah, If you refer back to my initial 'Help' post, you will see the ideas were already there and our dilemma was actually more in relation to which paint colours might work with our bricks. Also, I'm not sure where the idea of us not wanting to add a garden has come from as my post clearly states that the improvements 'will also include a simple low maintenance garden'. I can only assume that the confusion has come about due to so many expressing that we should just do the garden and not worry about anything else, but that would simply put us back to where we were before the previous garden was removed. With all due respect, I can appreciate that many have posted in an effort to save us from what they consider to be unnecessary work and expense, and for that I am truly grateful, because it would be really lovely to simply not worry about doing anything, and as you said, go and enjoy a holiday instead! :) That said, people also need to acknowledge that we are not all of the same opinion when it comes to buying or selling a home. Aside from focusing on our revamp, we've also been actively searching for our 'retirement' home. Suffice to say, the first thing we notice while driving around is kerb appeal, or should I say, a lack of when it comes to some properties, including ours at the moment! :( While the photo's may look good, in reality, the exterior is tired and dated, with the gravel driveway being close to bare earth. Compared to the interior of our home, costs outside have been relatively minimal, therefore I can honestly say that we are quite excited about this project, but, it's goes without saying that we don't want spend a bomb either. Might just be the only little revamp this exterior's ever going to get! :D Anyway Sarah, full credit to you for giving me my first aha moment, which came through reading the final paragraph of your post. You've made me realise, that up until now, some of the decor and colour preferences I've presented are those both myself, and my husband would like if we were the prospective buyers, as opposed to what might work in favour of a broader market. Therefore, after some discussions tonight, we have concluded that... Columns, will definitely be plain square, as round will appear too similar to the existing ones. Front Door and handle will be simple classic Porch tiles - both against the idea of painting, so will definitely replace Paint - haven't ruled out neutral creams. Colour is simply something we're going to have to experiment with Existing gates will stay and get a repaint Our home is a spacious 3 bedroom/ 2 bathroom/ 2 car space with granny flat out the back, therefore we see it appealing more to couples with a young/growing family. I can't thank everyone enough for their time and effort in providing an endless stream of invaluable advice and photos... it's been nothing short of enlightening and I only wish I could print the visual that's in my mind now, compared to the muddle that was present when I first reached out for help. As with any revamp, the journey will be a mix of both highs and lows. That said, it's the end result we're working toward, and we expect to achieve nothing less than a positive outcome. Cheers again to all, Sandi :)...See MoreSt Bri
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