Exterior home makeover: from dated to contemporary

An external facelift using new windows, fascias and guttering has transformed this dated red-brick home into a property with a stylish, contemporary exterior

Looking to transform your home's exterior design? An external facelift using new windows, fascias and guttering has transformed this dated red-brick home into a property with a stylish, contemporary exterior.

The house before

‘The house was built in 1995 and felt very dated,’ says owner Andrew. ‘It had red bricks and red-pink mortar with dark brown window frames, making the house look very dark. It was also very flat-fronted, with no interesting features.’

Andrew and Linsey’s house in Hampshire was spacious but the brickwork and window frames made it look dated

The brief

‘We desperately wanted to brighten the house and make it more attractive, so that it sat well alongside the other properties on the road,’ explains Andrew. ‘The proportions and basic internal layout were a good starting point. It just needed a few internal changes to make it more suited to modern family living, and a really good external makeover. Our idea was to use a mix of rendering and clapboards to give the property a New England feel. Unfortunately, we were unable to do this due to planning restrictions, so Back to Front Exterior Design worked with us to come up with a simple, effective solution that was agreeable to everyone.’

The results

‘All the windows, fascias and gutters were replaced,’ says Andrew. ‘The hanging tiles were changed and the brickwork painted. Extensions were added in the way of a new double-height bay at the front of the house and a porch, with an orangery at the back, and we extended into the loft, adding four dormer windows to the roof line.

‘It’s made an immense difference – since finishing the work we have had only positive comments from people who knew the house before, and we are very proud of our home both inside and out.’

What it cost

All the external changes cost around £200,000.

Top: The newly transformed house is unrecognisable from the original, with stylish features such as a porch and bay. 

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Lucy Searle

Lucy is Global Editor-in-Chief of Homes & Gardens having worked on numerous interiors and property titles. She was founding Editor of Channel 4’s 4Homes magazine, was Associate Editor at Ideal Home, before becoming Editor-in-Chief of Realhomes.com in 2018 then moving to Homes & Gardens in 2021. She has also written for Huffington Post, AOL, UKTV, MSN, House Beautiful, Good Homes, and many women’s titles. Find her writing about everything from buying and selling property, self build, DIY, design and consumer issues to gardening.

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