sinead_archer

Advice on 1960s garage conversion

Shinny
3 years ago



Hello Houzz experts!


We have bought a 1960s terrace. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but we love the house, especially as it's a first-time buy.


However, we have two dilemmas - the front exterior needs some design ideas please to give a little more curb appeal. I'm reluctant to remove the tile cladding, as they are original and consistent all the way down our street and I think with a proper clean, they will improve a lot. I'm debating dark framed windows perhaps, but not sure if they will look odd in the middle of a terrace of white framed windows.


We are also looking into converting the garage in front into a home office - unconnected to the main house and with its own entrance. We are putting in a skylight and we can get rid of the garage door, but I'm struggling to visualise an alternative frontage that looks both contemporary and aligned to the rest of the house. I've thought about a midcentury-inspired door with a full length, narrow, opaque window to one side, but think it then may look too much like the front door. Any ideas welcome, and thank you in advance :-)

Comments (9)

  • Mary Ketchley
    3 years ago

    I am no expert but I agree with you on the tiles. What about covering/changing the square of white (pvc?) between the upper windows with some vertical wooden strips and somehow echoing that on the new garage door?

  • Sarah L
    3 years ago

    I've seen garage conversions where the garage door has been replaced with French doors. Maybe that could work for you. There are lots of different designs of French doors.

  • Shinny
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thank you both for your ideas! I particularly like that idea of the wood strips - it could probably work quite nicely. The French doors would look good, but it would make it quite overlooked by the street, but we could always get curtains/blinds of some sort.

  • PRO
    HoughtonBudd Architects
    3 years ago

    This period was great as they were often really well designed internally. We've worked on several houses like this for clients and we usually advise that its best to respect the period. We agree that that keeping the hanging tile is a very sensible idea, but you could change the plastic windows to timber composite windows and doors that can be designed to echo the period. We used to do a lot of grey even black frames, but nowadays we often do white because it says 'house' and it always works with the interior.

  • Shinny
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thanks so much for the advice, that's a really good idea and also helpful when planning the window for the garage conversion as may start there then replace the main house next.


  • PRO
    HoughtonBudd Architects
    3 years ago

    No problem, happy to help. We used Velfac for this renovation in London.


    Shinny thanked HoughtonBudd Architects
  • Sonia
    3 years ago

    My sister has changed her garage use into part storage area, part utility and part downstairs loo, and she decided on wooden double doors instead of an up and over garage door. This way it still looks like a garage but it won’t be mistaken for another front door. She had it painted grey to go with her windows. She does have internal access to it as well as from outside. I don’t have a picture, but it’s a bit like this.

  • Alix W
    3 years ago

    In terms of the garage, could you put the door on the side, at the foot of the stair, so it wouldn’t be seen as a front door, then have a big opaque glass window at the front.

Ireland
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