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Renovating Design Dilemma Exteriors

Help and advice on external brickwork

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Hi, I’m hoping for ideas to make the front of our home more attractive. it’s a 1970 home and has a lintel above the front door and a different style of brickwork under the window (not sure what its called). Question is should I paint both the lintel and window brick, leave it as is or any other suggestions? any advice would be greatly appreciated! Would look to change the garage colour

also and eventually a front door

Comments (5)

Aaron Harris
3 years ago
Just something to get the 'ball rolling'. You could get a carpenter to build a raised planter to go under the window and fill it with ferns or something depending if it is North facing for example. Keep a ventilation gap though. I don't know about painting bricks - will it stand up to the element's and blend in with other brick tones? Also, in my opinion the sat dish sticks out a bit. With broadband fibre many people don't have a dish anymore. On the whole, the house looks fine. Looks like you have snow already!
Mae Thompson thanked Aaron Harris
Mae Thompson
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks Aaron! The front of the house is south facing and could cover up with something at the front to try and detract from the brickwork - thank you thays definitely an idea! I have no clue on dishes but we have an engineer out soon so will ask the question on this. Yes , heavy snow yesterday but pretty much melted away this morning..
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Sonia
3 years ago
Hi, looks a nice spacious house. You could paint the concrete lintel over the door as people do with period properties, but then it will need regular touch ups. The bricks under the window are unusual. Maybe it was considered a feature? If you paint it white it would draw attention to it even more, so I’m really not sure! You could put some low growing plants there such as Hebe or Lavender to mask them. We had a satellite dish when we had Sky, but when we left them we cut the wire and removed it. As to the front door and garage, I think they would look great in a matching colour. It will also draw the eye away from the funny bricks.......Here are a couple of door/garage colour ideas.
Mae Thompson thanked Sonia
minipie
3 years ago
I would leave the lintel as is, I like it and it goes nicely with the bricks and mortar.

The patch under the window is odd, I wonder if originally there was a bigger bay or window there and it was later shortened and the gap filled in with the different style blocks. I would personally render that area with a sand coloured render (ie matching the lintel colour and not painted) and then put some plants in front as suggested, hebe or lavender are great ideas. You could also consider growing a climber up the front, maybe a rose, to soften the facade.

Garage door would look nice in a sage green to match the new plants :)
Mae Thompson thanked minipie
Mae Thompson
Original Author
3 years ago
Hi Sonia & Minipoe. thank you for your very thoughtful responses, the planter is a great idea and I am definitely looking to change the garage door and front door when I can. I really love the dark grey colours you’ve suggested and eventually would like to get the driveway sorted as quite cracked. I hadn’t considered Sage Green! that will def bring out and be a contrast to the red brick. The blocks under the window are definitely a 70s feature as a number of bungalows round the corner have exactly the same.. we are guessing it must have been a style as I agree, I originally thought it was because a bigger window was later put in.. I think you are right that flowers are the way to go and the climber could really offset it!

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