Hi all,
I have just bought my first home and am so very bad at this Reno business. Wanting to modernise the exterior somewhat but do not want to paint the red brick. What would you do?
I wanted to avoid painting the cream because it would also mean painting the shutters and window trims but definitely open to it if it’s going to look the best. The dark colour is green by the way, it’s hard to see in photos.
Ny original plan was to leave the red brick and red tile roof as is and then paint the green and the fence slate grey. I was hoping this would work with the cream but I’m not sure now. I would have also removed the ugly maroon fly screen and painted the door slate gray (see second photo for inspo). I wanted to avoid painting the roof but I’ve now realised it’s not as expensive as expected.
So yeah you creative people, what would you do? Everything can be painted except the red brick. I would also replace the wood gate once I have done the painting because I expect it will look out of place and I will replace the front door light to something more modern. I’m not sold on the slate grey so welcome all suggestions. I love older style homes but feel it’s a bit daggy as is.
Thanks so much in advance ☺️
Leave it and concentrate on your landscaping for far greater benefit. You have an amazing opportunity there.
Also keep in mind that the current dismal grey trend is the orange of the 80s and the mission brown of the 70s.
Hi all,
I have just bought my first home and am so very bad at this Reno business. Wanting to modernise the exterior somewhat but do not want to paint the red brick. What would you do?
I wanted to avoid painting the cream because it would also mean painting the shutters and window trims but definitely open to it if it’s going to look the best. The dark colour is green by the way, it’s hard to see in photos.
Ny original plan was to leave the red brick and red tile roof as is and then paint the green and the fence slate grey. I was hoping this would work with the cream but I’m not sure now. I would have also removed the ugly maroon fly screen and painted the door slate gray (see second photo for inspo). I wanted to avoid painting the roof but I’ve now realised it’s not as expensive as expected.
So yeah you creative people, what would you do? Everything can be painted except the red brick. I would also replace the wood gate once I have done the painting because I expect it will look out of place and I will replace the front door light to something more modern. I’m not sold on the slate grey so welcome all suggestions. I love older style homes but feel it’s a bit daggy as is.
Thanks so much in advance ☺️
I have to agree with SaveH2O landscaping will be a huge improvement. Dismal Grey....great name, I've been calling it Govt Grey because govt offices used to always be grey, which in turn reflected the mood of co-workers. Also, I noticed last week that grey seems to be on the way out (yippee!!), it's boring and unimaginative!
Imho, the dark green trim on the gable is too heavy and unbalanced, so I would probably repaint it a light creamy/white instead of the custard cream there now and add colour on the finial, probably the same colour as the front door. Antique White USA has been a favourite of mine for a while because it takes on hues of surrounding colours. If it's too light, ask the paint mixer to go a shade deeper, they can work magic with colours. I also like a front door in a feature colour and maybe repeat this in pot/s placed near the front of the house or even the exterior light. Don't hesitate to buy sample pots of paint in various shades/colours once you've narrowed your colour choices, been a while since I've bought them so unsure of current price but a whole lot cheaper than buying the wrong colour.
Why not open the photo in Paint or whatever app you have and play with what colours selected from a paint chart eg, Dulux etc? Also search real estate sold listings for ideas of other Federation style houses. When choosing exterior lights, I prefer something with a lot of glass, no point in having a dim, dark light at the front entry.
Again, I think once you've done a bit of landscaping in the front yard it will make the house look heaps better.
Look forward to seeing what you choose...don't be afraid to repaint in a year or three if you aren't happy with the colours, afterall it's only paint!!
Leave it and concentrate on your landscaping for far greater benefit. You have an amazing opportunity there.
Also keep in mind that the current dismal grey trend is the orange of the 80s and the mission brown of the 70s.
You don’t think I should at least paint the green and the fence? I can’t decide on what colour the green should be painted. If I keep the cream on the house I suppose I could get the whole fence painted cream too. Thank you so much for your tips. Now that you have said that about grey I’m already turned off it. It wasn’t a full body yes clearly haha
Re the green, Allnamesgone has given a very considered reply and I agree with the colour suggestions posted or else perhaps match it to the gutter.
The fence appears to face west (hot) which could present a challenging plant choice and the planting area appears to be very narrow near the carport. I would leave the colour selection until you decide on your landscaping in that area and then choose a colour background that will harmonise with the planting.
I take it that the palm is a Kentia. I can imagine an undulating front lawn with Kentia palms and luxuriant plants.
Can I assume that you are in SA?
Re the green, Allnamesgone has given a very considered reply and I agree with the colour suggestions posted or else perhaps match it to the gutter.
The fence appears to face west (hot) which could present a challenging plant choice and the planting area appears to be very narrow near the carport. I would leave the colour selection until you decide on your landscaping in that area and then choose a colour background that will harmonise with the planting.
I take it that the palm is a Kentia. I can imagine an undulating front lawn with Kentia palms and luxuriant plants.
Can I assume that you are in SA?
Thanks for the reply ☺️ The gutter is also green. I just worry that painting all the green a different cream or white it will clash with the current cream or do you think it would look good to make it all one colour? Does a painter have expertise in what would look good or who is the professional that deals with exterior styling? Sorry for so many questions.
Honestly I have no idea about the palm. I have no idea about plants and trees full stop. Definitely will be hiring a landscaper as our first step. We are in WA which I guess poses even more issues with the head and dreadful sandy soil.
A good paint job is in the preparation and that is the 'most' part. You could try a colour and after a few weeks if you have reassessed your choice, painting another colour would be easy as the preparation has already been done.
I was tossing up between SA and WA, the house said SA but the soil said WA. Plenty of compost rich soil over newspaper and other organic material will be the go to a transformation.
Fu Manchu was the resident H1 gardening expert who no longer posts but his thousands of posts are a fabulous legacy. He later changed his member's name to Thegardenwhisperer, his profile link is below.
https://www.homeone.com.au/member/thegardenwhisperer