Exterior facade and garden. Ideas and inspiration
Hi all. Need some help turning this (soon to be) ex-rental into a home. Apologies for the angle of the front pic but the fence is in the way.
The tree thats hanging over the front fence is no longer there. My first thought is to paint the guttering red and the downpipes to match what they run down. The blue downpipe on the right is attached to a red pole that could be painted white to match the portico poles.
Would it be possible to put guttering on the portico because when the water runs off it digs holes in the ground. Otherwise I guess I'll put some paving down that side.
Thoughts on painting the cladding on the right, red to match the brick or leave it white?
Leave to roof as is or replace with colorbond (live in north QLD)
I have plans down the track to redo the front fence in a timber and colorbond combo, so no painting as yet.
The neighbours tree is going to meet a chainsaw (my side obviously) after i introduce myself, before it completely destroys the fence.
Does anyone have an idea of how to hide the mess they made of the render in the front garden? I was going to rip that garden out and have two rectangle beds spaced apart, parallel to the house.
Sort of like the shot below. Dimensions are approx 6m wide (front fence) 4.5m wide (side fence)
That white pipe on the left is just a temporary fix to get the aircon drain pipe away from the foundations. I'll fix that later.
The dead side of the property, I have no idea. It's about 2.2m wide.
I do like this as an idea.
Thanks everyone.
Comments (9)
oklouise
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoNic Lee
2 years agoHi oklouise. Only reason I thought of the two garden beds is to break up the lawn area a bit, was going to plant two Yuccas in each, surrounded by Agapanthus and Moses in the cradle around the border. Not a big fan of palms (the ones out the back are going), I was thinking Yucca's instead.
What about some large planter boxes with lattice backing similar to these for the portico?
Related Discussions
Need help with exterior colours / facade
Comments (32)You can get any colour paint you like in any strength - 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 or full - its only a colour, so they will mix it to your request. Have you made yourselves a colour board? if not, you will need to get all your selection colours together and then go to bunnings or a paint shop and get some sample pots of the colours you are debating. (yes it will cost to get sample pots, but seriously you need to do it - and get the varying strengths in the same colour as well). If you are worried about the render colour marking, go the 1/2 strength on the render and 1/4 on the mouldings. Your Wow factor will come with your varying textures - brickwork/render and trims/timber doors, and the wrought iron. I'm guessing you have exterior lighting? some beautiful exterior lights will be the icing on the cake....See MoreIdeas on how to cheaply jazz up facade?
Comments (13)Hi Louise, hope you are settled in your house now, it looks lovely. Having lived in a house with a west facing living area I'm sorry to say your rooms will get very hot over summer and even if you install air conditioning you will still need to minimise the sun and heat coming into the house to save on electricity. Stopping the sun reaching your rooms is the ideal but outdoor blinds can look ugly so ultimately it comes down to looks -v- comfort. Thermal blinds or curtains will help keep the sun and heat out considerably but they do darken a room as well. Fans will help with air circulation but you do need cross ventilation to help the house cool itself especially if you get breezes off the water. I think your bedroom would be enhanced by a covered deck to add some character to the house too and this would certainly help with the sun in that room. Another tip is the colours you use in these rooms will help improve the look and feel of the room, I found soft blues or aquas made a huge difference with a lot of white for freshness. Neutral colours for some reason just did nothing and made the rooms look and feel hotter....See MoreFacade update ideas?
Comments (9)Have you considered painting the exterior a soft grey and the window frames white? Depending on the orientation of the home, you could also add some awnings to the left windows for some added privacy. As others have stated, some landscaping and a possible fence will drastically improve the facade....See MoreLooking for extension and facade ideas please
Comments (13)It has taken me a couple of reads , but like OkLouise , I think the driveway comes down and takes a 90* turn into the carport ? The next question I would ask is what are you trying to achieve ? Do you need a 5th bedroom ? It would be expensive doing an upstairs one , especially with the existing roofline , but also doing one as part of a new 'building' would also be expensive . While I like OkLouises idea , my worry would be cutting out light to the lounge and living area . A couple of suggestions then -- Suggestion number 1 , assuming you are happy with 4 bedrooms , but want an enclosed garage and a second bathroom , would be to either move the carport forward ( it looks like it is steel framed ? ) OR get a couple more frames done , then close some or all of it in , having had water and waste added to the 'extended' ( what I call the rear ) part of the floor . This gives you a garage or a workshop or lockable storage , PLUS a washhouse ( as a room , or as part of the larger area ) . THEN you can turn the existing WC 90* , and convert the 'entrance way' to the existing bathroom into a shower -- both incorporated as an ensuite to the master bedroom . The existing bathroom and ex-washhouse can be reconfigured ( it looks like non-load-bearing walls , so relatively easy to move doors ) into a new bathroom and toilet area -- most water and services are already installed -- you may need to get a concrete cutter to add a second WC , maybe to move the shower waste ? Suggestion No 2 is if you do want a 5th bedroom and enclosed garage would be similar , but add it all at ground level , using the existing carport as a basis . That way you can add a bathroom , possibly a laundry too , and as per suggestion 1 you could end up with 2 or 3 bathrooms ( your choice ) and essentially a 'granny flat' -- that probably makes the resale better too . To try and reconfigure the existing interior , try and add doors through existing exterior walls , demolish existing walls , try and add a longer hallway , try and extend bedrooms , even to add to that existing roofline , etc , etc would be quite expensive for what it would achieve IMO . Of course , if it is going to be a long term house , then go for it , remodel to your hearts desire , but if you want to try and recoup the maximum in a few years , you need to think what would a purchaser be looking for , and what will they pay ?...See Moreoklouise
2 years ago
Julie Herbert
2 years agoLove oklouise’s ideas, re your garden, you have the perfect climate for a tropical garden, lush, green fast growing, palms such as golden cane and rhapis will win you over, don’t plant yukkas as they grow huge and you can never remove them as the trunks are so invasive, here are a few inspiration photos for you, love the planter boxes.
Nic Lee thanked Julie HerbertNic Lee
2 years agoHi Julie, really appreciate your help. Those pics have given me some ideas for the backyard, actually, once I work out how to tie them in with the shed as I won't be putting a drive to the shed.
Can I at least compromise and keep Yukkas in a big pot (I like them). Was never going to paint the front, I wish it wasn't rendered.
Back to work today, my lockdown only lasted my day off :) so thank you in advance.Julie Herbert
2 years agoYes yukkas in a pot is fine but not in the ground, my friend planted them a few years ago, still trying to get the stump out no matter how much chainsaw and poisoning they still sprout, I love the look also but definitely in a pot, you have a blank slate, draw up a plan of seating , garden , shade areas then you can achieve it without stressing about it, I am in Victoria so no lockdown for us, shouldn’t speak too soon, you don’t need to buy huge plants as long as your soil is good they will go crazy in your area. Rendering can be a pain as it’s ongoing maintenance. You could add a simple structure for shade, even raised planter beds for plants or veggies
Nic Lee thanked Julie HerbertNic Lee
2 years agoJulie Herbert
2 years ago
Julie Herbert