How Can We Improve the External Appearance (Kerb Appeal) of our House?

Shandz

Hello Everyone

I was wondering if anyone could give any tips on how we could improve the external appearance of our house:-



So far we are looking at:-
- Painting the front door
- Adding plants in front of the house to break up the brickwork
- Adding shrubs in the lawn to help indicate the boundary in the front lawn and to the side of the house to make it look less dull
- Possibly adding window boxes, would also adding shutters help break up the brickwork or would that be overkill?
- Possibly widening the driveway so that two cars could fit, we could change to a brick driveway, would that look better?

But what about the roof, any suggestions as to how we could make that look better other than getting it cleaned?

Below is the picture of the house when we bought it which I think is taken from a nice angle on a sunny day. Unfortunately the tree that is blocking the view to our next door neighbour's house died so we had to get it removed so not sure we could take a picture from the same angle now.

Gwendo40

Definitely a couple of pots with trellis and a creeper such as honeysuckle to help disguise the badly matched brickwork where the garage door used to be and hanging baskets on the brackets.

I think window boxes and shutters would look wrong and a bit naff on this type of house.

A new driveway either block paved or just imprinted concrete would make a real difference.

dimbo61

Are you selling ?
No point spending alot of money on a new driveway if your moving in 6 months.
Yes flower pots and climbing plants at the front.
Wooden front door ?
Depending on the condition maybe new uPVC door !

getmore4less

If the street is all similar designs then I think this is case of clean and tidy works best definitely not over kill to look over dressed and staged.

Is this to look nicer for you or to sell soon?

A planter under the main window would look OK.

If the bit down the left side is sunny enough what about some tomato plants.

See if you can paint the fences/gates between the properties and make sure that all repairs are done, offer to do next door or consider contrast.

I would fix the hole where the tree came out or plant something with a neat circular border, maybe a fruit bush or small fruit tree.

Do you know what the tree died from?
That could influence section and the hole will need digging out and fresh nutrients put back.)

The grass also need a bit of care now the spring is here a good rake weed and feed it should come back nice kept trimmed.

With open plan fronts where a boundary has been delineated it often looks wrong or suggest there may be issues at play like you don't share the mowing of the grass.
what have the rest of the street done?

The drive could be improved but that is a high cost item to do well.

A guy down the road from us that spends a lot of time on his front recently had his block paving lifted and some kind of bonded surface put down, he now has the smartest drive in the street but the block paving looked pretty good most of the year and quite smart after a clean.

AdrianC

Given how obviously "This used to be the garage" the mismatched pointing makes that front section look, have you considered rendering or cladding it?

What's in that sloping roof section? If it's habitable, add a velux to break the tiling up?

Definitely do something with the garden - it just looks scratty and unloved.

aliby21

If you are looking to sell I wouldn't do any more than lots of pots with colourful plants, and keeping the grass tidy.

If you want to make it nice for you, I'd replace the drive with brickweave, and probably take up the grass and replace with gravel and then put in low growing plants.. And have pots around the front of the house - a couple of nice big ones with something tall either side of the window to mask the brickwork, and troughs in front of the windows. But this depends how much you like gardening, and also whether it would look in keeping with the rest of the street.

Cash-Cows

A small porch roof to offer some protection for opening the door.

Move the house number lower down and above this install a downlighter. Properly wired in of course.

If that's a security light get rid but perhaps replace with some other lights. Ideally not PIR because the constant on and off is annoying.

If you really want to blow the budget replace the whole of that front elevation as whoever matched the bricks did a terrible job.

markin

2 tall pots at the door, bin the others. Replace the tree, Get some mortar stain and paint the joints carefully, test patch first. Replace pir with dust/dawn lamp.

Shandz

Thank you for all the responses! Those are all really useful suggestions. We were looking to sell but as we improve things I am actually liking our house more and now wondering if I would prefer to just stay put!

getmore4less

Sit back and do a proper think

What are you looking for in a new place that the current one does not give you.

Don't fall into the trap of moving from one set of shortcoming to a new set having sunk £10k in moving costs

getmore4less

kerb appeal is more for a buyer.

As an owner you only have to look at the front of your house for a few minutes as you come in.

The front critical bits tend to be parking and access, your is not that bad.
at least one car maybe 2 tandem, easy to change to 2 side by side
OK access front door and side access to the rear.


inside looking out and the back are far more important once in occupation