Help! Ugly facade 1980's mottled brick home.
9 years ago
Looking for colour scheme tips to modernise the front of this home. We thought about rendering but if we are to leave the bricks as is what colour schemes would you suggest for front door, garage, plank work. The external awnings are to be removed and the tall windows will all have white plantation shutters on the inside visible from the front.
Would love your tips.
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How can I improve the ugly facade of my 1970s house?
Comments (39)Keep the brick, please don't paint or render. Both eat into your budget (rendering in particular is not cheap), and will mean more ongoing upkeep (render still needs to be painted on a regular basis and with a two-storey house, that is a lot more work). Our house is rendered and we would never have it again. Whenever the house moves, the render doesn't, so is prone to cracking or, over time, pieces even falling off. Even subtle movement can cause hairline cracks, which means regular patching and painting. Quite frankly, most people render an older house to make it look modern, but when rendering becomes passe (which I think is already starting to happen), then the house will look dated again (and render is almost impossible to remove once its on). Also, if you're in an area prone to termites, termites can get in between the render and the brickwork and you won't see the telltale signs of "mud" at the access points to let you know they're there. As far as the rest of the house goes, I totally agree with what Timandra Design recommended....See More1980`s house, should I keep verandahs or convert it onto living area?
Comments (42)Hi there Nick, looking at your photos you look like a modern hamptons family which is lovely, do you live in a warm climate. I did like the photo you posted of the open plan living and think that you are on the right track with interior colours I have marked out how I would like the first floor, I have moved the kitchen to the end wall to line up with BBQ outdoor kitchen, plumbing for this would have easy access via the garage below. The white tiles look lovely and hard wearing for the entrance foyer and Rumpus room, the stairs in timber due to the amount of traffic even continuing in up stairs foyer kitchen dining living, Carpet in bedrooms and downstairs theater. Kitchen in white but possibly Shaker style white doors these are very popular. Using existing sliding exterior doors if possible from kitchen.Dining to verandah, I think this ceiling would be best kept white to help reflect light back indoors, the tiles appear to be in good order but you might consider changing these along with new upstairs flooring Some where for a laundry shute would be handy, actually a Dumb Waiter so you could move the laundry with ease both up and down! The roof painted a soft colour, grey/white or off white, the verandah railing could be the same colour or you could do glass. The builder had a very different style of house to what I think you are wanting. Your photo...See More1980’s ‘spanish’ house needs 2010’s update
Comments (6)I would approach your house renovation with caution as in my experience the Spainish style is one of the hardest to work with as the architecture is so distinctive, and it takes a careful eye and hand to get the balance right. The builder, the interior designer and the architect will approach your project from different perspectives, and each discipline has their strengths and weaknesses. Your project is more than a two-dimensional floorplan exercise, so I would engage somebody who is prepared to visit your home, who takes the time to understand the existing building, its responsiveness to your Brisbane climate and the dynamics of your family. I find that with my clients the appeal of open-plan living changes as the children get older. There are great advantages when the kids are toddlers for supervision, but by the time they get to be lanky teenagers and bring their friends home to play X-Box the open plan living has lost its appeal. The advice that you receive from Houzzers should be treated carefully as none have visited your home and assessed it in any depth, so the advice should be thought of as possible guidelines based on the limited information that you post. Best of luck with your considerations, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls...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 More
9 years ago- 9 years ago
9 years agoDo people lime wash brick in Australia for exteriors much?
Arden Road · More Info
Perhaps your facade is not the type for it and anyway I think it's a really cool facade as is. It strikes me as going with a mid century modern vibe as oklouise is suggesting rather than perhaps more trad plantation shutter look. But if it is a look you like then limewashing could inspire. Having said that I like your bricks and the idea of using Domino.
Whole house remodel, Silver Spring MD · More Infotiffanie29 thanked Tyrian- 9 years ago
Oooh I love the limewash - I don't think its that common here but I might look into it!
I should clarify, the shutters are an internal window fitting/blind. So no external shutters. From the outside the shutters will look like this window beside the door. This door colour is similar to what I am thinking (more modern style however), and obviously the bricks are a different colour.
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