How can I improve my home's facade?
I'd really like to improve the the kerb appeal. We do live on a battleaxe block, so when I say kerb appeal, it's not visable from the road, but I would still like it to look nice. The front door is half way along the breezeway which works well for access to the yard and garage pa but not so much for front/visitor access. I've thought about maybe creating a new entry joining the two buildings together??
So far we have only added a fence to seperate the drive way from the back yard.
Comments (8)
2 years agoAdding gorgeous planters with lush foliage, will define your entrance will immediately add curb appeal , love dreamers idea of a portico to bring your buildings together
Lauren Witten thanked Julie HerbertRelated Discussions
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Comments (4)It is always a challenge working with a house that has been subject to lots of renovations over the past, some of which may not have been given enough design consideration. At the moment you have a bit of a mish-mash of colours and materials that are working against each other. Without knowing your budget I would consider two approaches to improve the look of your home cost-effectively: 1) Simplify the palette of materials and colours. At the moment it looks like you have face brickwork, render, weatherboard, fibro sheet with contrasting battens and a steel roof. By replacing the fibro sheet with a weatherboard to match the lower half, then painting all of the walls a consistant colour will make the house seem a bit more together, and less busy. With such a busy mix of materials you don't need any contrast or features standing out - so a monochomatic approach is best. 2) You have a huge amount of grey concrete which is great for cars, but isn't adding anything to the look of the house. Reduce the concrete area by at least 50%, especially if it is hard up against the house, and replace with mulched garden beds and planting that is appropriate for your location to soften the look. Best of luck Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls...See MoreHow do I give my facade a more coastal look and feel?
Comments (47)As someone who bought a brick house recently, a major reason for the decision was the low maintenance of unpainted brick. So, no, don't paint the brick! The facade above the brick looks heavy and dominating because it is so bright white and all one colour. Why not go for a more retro look, break up the solidity of the overhanging facade by painting the vertical trims a different colour? Pick a colour that compliments the brick and keep in mind that colours were more adventurous in the 70s. Embrace the fun of the beach and the retro look without going overboard. Leave the brick as is, paint window trims to contrast and catch the light., maybe add shutters in the same colour to make windows look bigger and add more to catch the eye under the eaves. And paint the front door a fun, bright colour. Citrus colours catch the light and pop, but check they don't clash with the colour of the brick. You need contrast and brightness. Our blonde brick house was built in 1960. We painted the front door, the awning over our sliding doors and our garage door all the same colour: bright citrus orange (the garage door has 2 horizontal white stripes). The result was an instant uplift. We then had the roof restored and painted a terracotta colour (concrete tiles) and cleaned the eaves. The house looks fresh as a daisy and so much more attractive. The paint cost about $100, and the roof cost $6000. Money well spent! Then we worked on the gardens. We took out tall plants close to the house and replanted the gardens with more attractive flowering plants, going for colour. It all looks much more inviting now....See More
PRO2 years agoHi Lauren, I agree with the idea of a gate/portico structure between the two buildings and this should come out proud of the two wall lines at present to create some impact. Also, large planters can add some character to the entry as long as they remain well watered but don't resort to fake plants if your not interested in watering or an irrigation system. Succulents, cactii or other drought tolerant plants will work if this suits your needs better.
For colours, I would down play the white or off white features you currently have in terms of the garage doors, gutters and downpipes and even the soffits. Grey will work well with the brick and make it a mid grey so it is a similar tone to the brick so it doesn't stand out or you could go with charcoal too, which will modernise the whole look. You can then add some colour to the new gate in the protico to be the main focus.
Is your roof blue or grey? I can't quite make it out in the photo. If it is blue then stick with a blue for the gate but it could be brighter than the roof but make sure the hues do not clash. If the roof is grey and you paint the other trims in grey as I suggested above, you are almost limitless of the feature coloure of the new gate. It could even be black. It depends on the style you end up with and the material. Also, if it is not protected from the direct sun, be careful how dark you go as it may peal with the heat. You could make the gate a timber feature as contrast in cedar or go for an antique 'moroccan' style door/gate!! The options are endless.
Try to hide the dowpipes with the portico structure but don't make them inaccessible for maintenance.
Also maybe do the portico in steel or something pretty modern and tie it in with one side wall, probably the house and not the garage. See image attached for some inspiration. Its a bit tricky with the hip roof overhang structure as I presume you don't want the expense of re doing that for the new entry so either have the portico below the eaves, be careful it is not too low, or if you can, put it at the same height in front of it so it hides it.
Hope that helps and gives food for thought.
C:)
2 years ago
dreamer