keep the bricks and only cover the render with white cladding if you have to add any cladding and add a black front door

That is a pretty gorgeous front door, I think by covering your cement porch, steps and along front of windows with decking it could look fabulous , leave bricks as they look beautiful at entrance , add some planters then look at your door, could really highlight it with with the decking.

thank you julie herbert, I love the decking pics. yes I can see it would look great! oklouise, I tjought about covering the render, but was told it is sooo expensive. I hate the render with a passion, so maybe I should look into it!!! it would improve to old look a lot, forgot about that !

Is the render in bad shape, it may look different once you do decking, it could add visual interest, otherwise you could use scyon cladding to upgrade the exterior as oklouise suggested.

wow, these look amazing! our cladding is (unfortunately) in good nick, so it will be cosmetic rather than necessary:)
will read up on scyon now!

I would leave your front door varnished timber, add a beautiful timber deck such as in Julie Herbert's pictures and either strip back or replace those french doors and window with varnished timber versions. I would leave the brickwork and render. I think that could look extremely appealing.

I think it's a charming house and you could go a few different ways depending on your tastes. The timber accents referred to above would work, or you could simply pick out the door and window frames in black. I think some slightly more structured landscaping would work a treat too. This could still include plenty of lawn.

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yes, you are so right, landscaping!!! i added this to the bottom of my list:) but sooo needed.really like the last picture. that would suit us.

the black frames look great but we were going to keep them white, as it suits the rest of the house better.
never thought to sand down the french doors, hmmm but we were going to change them to pvc as well ( still with the small squares)

Hi helke, we all love your house, some great ideas above, landscaping would be the icing on the cake , you could plant some beautiful trees for a lovely place for the kids to play, add interest with a stepping stone path apart from looking great the kids will love it, or you could go ultra modern with some planters to match the render, decking and bricks for a really stylish look .

Your front door is lovely. Have you thought to try painting the bricks first as it’s the most bang for your buck. A lighter colour will change the look all together (even the same colour as the rest of the house, you’ll end up with the brick textures being the feature)

oh have not thought of that, as people said it does not work wekk as paint will peel off, but the pics look lovely.

julia, love the pavings in your pics.
these ate great ideas. funny that you all like my door and I don't: ) time to get the sander out, i guess at the moment it has such a horrible uneven stain.... love the doirs in the pic above. i will change tge glass next to the door to ckear glass to get the morning sun in though!

Hi helke, how different we all are, I think your door is fabulous, by adding clear glass to the side, you will look at your door in a new light , to have such a unique door, you are very lucky. Also by adding decking and landscaping you will love the contrast the render will give to the overall look,you will love how the different textures will blend together to give a beautiful look, but we are all different and you should do what makes you happy every time you walk up your garden path to your home.

so true! i will sand the door down. i am inspired now and I am glad you like the clear glass too. some were concerned about privacy, but i am not:)

Helke
You may need to just make sure you prepare the bricks correctly and use a good base coat and quality outdoor paint. Would look nice. Even a diy render is possible. I’d consider the brick work on the retaining wall too to keep it looking balanced. A tiled finish would look cool to as per the last image above. This will contrast lovely with the timber door.
Good luck and can’t wait to see your choices

Also once you get the door back to raw timber use either a wax or clear decking oil to seal it. Stay away from anything with a tint in it (as long as your happy with the natural colour that is)
Ask the paint people for help if you are unsure.

Love the natural warmth of wood. Almost took sander out today. I did plant another tree in the front. A beautiful crabapple one. Our apricot is starting to blossom now.

Sanding first, then deck and one day full landscape!