Advice about spruicing up the front entrance of our house?

[Benskimo]

Hey Workshop gang - I'd really like some tips and wisdom, if anyone has any, on how to spruice up the front entrance of our place. It's a pretty basic 1969 house that has had some 80s modifications, like the neo-colonial awning and baby blue paintjob you see in the photos below. I'm thinking of rendering just the brick wall that comes out from the facade of the house (see my photoshop mockup effort below!) but I'm still at a bit of a loss as to what a replacement new simple midcentury modern style awning could be...

Existing:

Mockup of what it could look like:

Any advice, or experience anyone has had in something similar? Thanks a million.

[Kermit]

Hi @Benskimo,

Could you pop a wider shot of the house up? It might be helpful to get a better idea of the place.

I would consider painting the brick rather than rendering. I like the texture of painted brick and its obviously cheaper than rendering and there's no problems with cracking down the track. Again, it would be good to see the whole front of your house but you might want to consider painting all the brick rather than just the entrance wall. 

I'd probably just consider removing the awning - not sure its necessary to have anything. 

I love the orange door but doing something about the tiles would probably give a big lift too. This stuff says its durable enough for floors but I haven't tried it. As its not a big space you might contemplate removing the tiles instead. If its concrete underneath you could use paving paint - perhaps in a strong constrasting colour? 

[Jason]

Hi @Benskimo,

It looks like a great house but I'm sure members of the Workshop community like @ProjectPete, @She_Skills, @Hay and @KingStreetReno will have some suggestions to further improve the street appeal.

Having a look at this discussion might also be a useful start - ideas for a cheap makeover. 

Good luck!

Jason

[She_Skills]

Whether you paint the brick or render, I would consider adding some timber that you could mount some plants on to soften the wall.  You could used recycled timber from a salvage yard.  We used some timber gates ($100 each) from Bunnings to create this vertical garden.  It's got a few more plants on it now.  

[Benskimo]

Hi @Kermit - here's a shot of the whole facade, best I can do with the trees there. As you can see it's a ranch style facade. I've just taken the awning off, and I know what you mean - it doesn't look half bad with nothing there. That's what it would have been originally.

As for the tiles, yes I'm actually getting quotes at the moment to either replace them or lay new slate tiles over them... decisions decisions!

[Benskimo]

Thanks @She_Skills, that's a really good idea. It's actually perfect for something else around the back of our place, too...!

[Jason]

Hey @Benskimo,

Hope all is well. 

Just wondering whether you've made any progress on your front entrance project?

Jason

[Benskimo]

Hey hey - here's an updated pic of the front. You can see I ended up rendering the wall that juts out (which wasn't that expensive) and painted it white, painted the door, and spruced up the paintjob on the window beside the door. I also put slate tiles over the top of the existing 80s tiles that were there. It was much cheaper than ripping up what was there, plus it actually made the risers (including one on the inside) consistent heights again.

I also got a slightly mid-century modern-inspired boxy exterior light, plus a new snazzy stainless steel doorknob. It's not finished yet... I still have to put something beside the top landing to stop people falling off... but better than what was there... what do you think of it so far?

[Brad]

Paint the eaves and window frames to match.

[Andy_Mann]

@Benskimo

What you've done has certainly given your street appeal a major boost, so well done mate. : )

My concern is in regard to security, in that the shrubs in front of your windows, could be a haven for perverts, or a hiding place for burglars to get the jump on you. when returning home. I'd be inclined to replace the larger shrubs with compact versions, & grasses.