Exterior Modernisation of 1960's Brick Veneer
Hi everybody,
Looking for some advice as to what I could do to update the exterior of my 1960's triple fronted brick veneer.
I have a planning permit to build a unit at the rear, which I plan on having built early next year. At that time I will be taking down the garage, tearing up the driveway, and replacing the fence.
Keen to get some ideas as to how I might go about modernising/updating the exterior of the house though so that it better fits with the build that will go on the rear. My initial thoughts were to:
- Render the front
- Paint the house in a colour that will match the new build
- Refinish the roof to match the new build
- Add a deck to cover the porch
- Replace the shutters
- Landscape
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Comments (20)
8 years agoHey Mathew,
I'm excited for you!render front and spray rest of the house same Color.Definately deck front from door across to the end of the house.Take off extra bricks off fence to make it a long low straight wall and render the colour you spray your roof.
I'd do something simple with your landscaping,to maybe two or three lime acacias in a clump or triangle placement then maybe clumping some dark flax some and ornamental grasses.i know this isn't the shape of your home but white with monument or woodland grey accents are fresh and look great with a lot of greenery.
8 years agoHey Mattew
I would definitely agree with your planned set of actions. You've obviously put some consideration into this. With rendering and painting the front, were you thinking of going bright and white? Or something like an urban gray?
This might not be necessary due to the difference in scale, you could always used mixed materials and clad one of your fronts in weatherboard to break things up like these people did if it looks a smidge monolithic
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Comments (14)From the title I was expecting something completely different. I think your house has good traditional street appeal. The two things I notice are the balustrading and the landscaping, which I see others have also commented on. I'm not sure what to suggest about the balustrading but somehow it looks not quite right to me. I think those ornamental panels look too busy? Landscaping can really enhance a house. Yours looks quite nice in the second picture but in the first picture it draws attention to the fact that there is no clear entrance. Be careful if considering painting brick or replacing aluminium with timber. You could end up with a high-maintenance facade that looks like a budget reno. I think your house could be completely updated with render and new windows and glass balustrading and maybe a stackstone feature, and I have seen some like that which look beautiful and it's hard to believe it's the same house. But if you don't want to go the whole way then I think you can get a nice result by working with what you have as much as possible rather than covering it up....See MoreHow do we update our 70s orange-brick Brady Bunch house?
Comments (25)There's some great ideas there . The first thing that stands out is that pipe handrail downstairs -- I hate them with a vengence . Remove it , extend the step to fill the space , with 1 or maybe 2 small full-width steps . Just me , I'd do in charcol or black non-glossy 400 x 400 tiles . Most of the windows are black framed , and look okay in my opinion . Paint the upstairs balistrade in black or charcoal -- will tie it in and even though the style is dated , I don't think it would matter -- it would then look like part of the overall concept . I like the English White of the front door , but here's where I'd get colourful -- do the door jamb and the diamonds in the brightest citrus orange you can , and then carry it to the garage door ! The garage door surround ( including the 3 window surrounds above it ) I would paint in charcoal or black . And here's probably the most controversial part -- leave the awnings , but also paint them in Citrus Orange , with the ridges on them in a beige , maybe veering towards an apricot ! This will really lift everything visually IMO , the orange brick will tie in and bland in without looking overdone , the Bright Orange and mainly charcoal or black is modern but not too modern , with the English White door breaking everything while still having Bright Ornage to tie it all in . There looks to be a Butterscotch Orange gate to the left of the house -- obviously , you would repaint that in the brighter orange too , to look cohesive , but you already see how it looks more exciting than the Burgundy Red existing colours . Which leaves 1 thing I don't like the colour of -- the top fascia board or gutter . I suspect Vitamin C Orange would be too much , so probably play it safe , and go either charcoal , or a lighter greeny/grey to match the roof tiles . Probably not what everyone would do -- but that's what I would do with that pallette !...See MoreExterior colours to match Paperbark shed
Comments (16)I too would avoid render. Render is expensive and if you can afford it you can afford to look at other options like quality landscaping. What you spend on render could be transferred to landscape and this would relocate your focus. At the moment it seems theres nothing else amazing to view so we look straight to the brickwork and think thats the problem area. You already have some retro cool chairs and the agave is great but takes too much effort to see... then bam the brick draws you in. New front fence and pathway, a cool new retro letter box, paint the front door a wicked orange or yellow... Way too many people have modernised old houses in the past and have ruined them. Federation houses had stained glass timber windows and doors replaced with aluminium, fretwork removed, fire placed knocked down, etc.. no one does that now, it gets re-instated at significant cost. These later homes are now copping modernising and yet again to the trained eye it rarely works out well. Post a picture of whats out the back or even just a plan, if construction has not yet kicked off. We can perhaps even save you money and improve your home, win win....See MoreTransformation of a Dark & Dingy 1960s Apartment
Comments (4)We are all different -- I definitely wouldn't rave about the bathroom 'before' , but the after is so so so generic it could be a laboratory somewhere -- exactly zero personality . I imagine that fair end bathroom wall as a feature , in a burnt orange or burgundy red , or even in those same blue tiles , with random pink and grey ones , as a nod to the past . And why have black soap pumps , but stainless tapware ? I'm sure 95% of Houzzers could have done way better . The rest is more open , its had $$$ spent , but every single area lacks something IMO . The lounge is the only area that I commend , apart from having a mirror directly opposite what I assume is the TV ( I did originally wonder if it was an art piece , but at that height in that position , that wouldn't make much sense either ) ....See More- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
The weatherboard/terracotta combination isn't the most common, but you do find a few of these in the fringe suburbs of Melbourne. A lot of these areas were considered undesirable in the 1940s, 50s and 60s so a lot of the houses were heavily influenced by the Craftsman/Arts and Crafts movement.
Here's an example. This one is apparently in Coburg and was built in the '60s. It's not for everyone, and I like the idea you already have for making a front feature with natural decking etc to break up the facade.
8 years agoHi, our house is similar vintage, it was bagged and painted before we purchased it some four years ago. We re painted it as it was painted in many different colours, I am happy with the results, we have a travertine French patterned paving in the front ..
- 8 years ago
I think I'm on the same page with the suggestions here. I did some searching around to see if I could find something that fits the bill, and I think this is probably as close as I can get.
- 8 years ago
PRO8 years agoI thought Matthew's home seemed familiar. Looks very close to the one celebrated by Australian artist Howard Arkley in his well-known screen prints.
- 8 years ago
8 years ago- 8 years agoHi Matthew we bought an old doer upper that needs refreshing so I was keen to follow your post. We so far painted the front door replaced front letterbox guerney washed the concrete drive and have bought a panel lift door for the carport. We removed all the overgrown trees. Maybe guerney wash your roof , driveway and front steps, thats our next job (roof) and start with the gardens. If you keep the awnings - spraypaint them in a single tone, paint or replace the driveway fence, Remove that tall shrub or trim it, plant a row of plants up along the drive. Great house, like ours you can only improve it in value. Enjoy renovating!
8 years ago- PRO8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Hi Mathew
Many years ago in one of our first reno's (whilst trying out ideas) we had the same issue with a duplex vacated by someone with an attraction to certain substances and poor personal hygiene (it was putrid inside)...
We rendered the front and actually enclosed the entry to create a bit of a different look along with creating an additional bathroom, outdoor areas etc.
Here is before
Here is after
It's not everyone's style but it sold quickly...
Cheers
- 8 years ago
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Alistair McLean