fixing front of house *picture*

hi everyone
we have just joined the forum in the hope you can help us make a decision about a house we are thinking of buying (our first home!)

We love the interior - it is newly renovated and looks great, the yard is huge and the area we really like, so everything is great except.... we hate the front of it! here it is:
http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rs ... 1238527291

any ideas on how we can do it up>? make it look better etc, please help.

cheers.

I clicked on the link and it said page not found.
Maybe theres another way you can post the photo to us.

not sure why its not working maybe i posted it wrong:

this should work-

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rs ... 1238527291

(i hope)

Gee it is a big ugly isn't it!

What about a patio/verandah right across the front of the house, and change the windows to big french doors? (depends on your budget I guess).

Or some creative planting could hide the whole thing.

(I lost my first post so apologise if this is a double post)

If you have a tight budget I would remove the tree and put lattice type stuff down the side of the porch and paint it the same colour as the gutter, or even repaint them burgundy or dark grey.
Maybe put painted shutters on the sides of the windows.
I think if you redo the garden to a cottage style the house will blend in more.
Make curved garden beds and plant roses

I don't think it is so ugly, just a bit stark or harsh looking, needs softening somehow - maybe the white colour and plain garden is too stark - I think larger windows, more plants and colour in front garden and something to break up the harsh flat facade - a full width verandah or window awnings maybe.

Similar suggestions to Taffy's.

PS: I took the liberty of clicking through the other real estate pics - house looks in good nick with beautiful polished floor boards, and back garden is certainly great

Oh! While I waited for the page to load I thought about ugly houses I've seen and yours is fine. The entrance disappears and the walls above the windows look too tall but it looks quite fixable to me. It all depends on your budget and the look you'd like to achieve. Some landscaping and a pergola or lattice would work wonders.

I would put in bigger windows, or taller ones at least. And if budget allows, do a verandah or front porch to add some interest to the frontage.

The inside looks nice and fresh and no work needed there.

There is a lot of grass/garden out the back. This day and age, you may have to look at making that more water friendly and reducing the amount of lawn.

Good luck. I don't think the house is ugly at all, just a bit bland, which is an opportunity for you to make it your own.

Hi ya ! and welcome,

Nice block btw, it's huge !!

For this job paint will be your best friend ! lol. It does need some warmth and structure to the front garden. If it was me the first thing I would do is paint out all of the green with a nice maroon colour ( heritage redish) leave the white/cream walls for now.
-I would then put new pickets on the front fence and just oil/lacquer them, I'd also replace the pickets at the end of the driveway too timber pickets, and put pickets along the fence adjoining the neighbors near the driveway. - doing that wouldn't cost much at all !

Remove bush from the front of the entrance area.

Some hight is needed in the front garden to soften the shape of the house, maybe a nice tree in the center of the garden...whatever you do do not plant bushes in front of those windows - yes some new windows would be good, but it could be pricey..

T

aww thank you so much everyone you have been a great help, im glad most of you dont think its ugly i definately think it has potential but never owning a home before i just didnt know where to start, i love all the ideas
we are planning to make a lower offer so if it is accepted we will have some money left over to fix up the front as that is definately what we want to do first, any one have any ideas on how much new windows, a verandah etc cost??
also i hate the green colour on the house and would be changing that straight away.
thanks for all the replies and suggestions, keep them coming!

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound harsh in my earlier post I definitely think it has potential, my sister bought a house that was a bit plain and boring looking, and they got it for a great price because other people couldn't see it's potential.

Good luck putting in an offer, and good luck in deciding what to do with the front if you end up buying it.

thanks guys for all the replies but unfortunately we found yesterday arvo that someone has beaten us to it and put an offer on that has been accepted,
oh well everything happens for a reason and we have started looking again, thanks again, will definately be posting when i need help on the next place we find

Oh, that's bad luck, ad-ans07 ,and just when we had it all fixed up for you too best wishes for your continuing search