Major Projects Transform Your Home's Exterior

Date Published:

24/06/2009

So, you've renovated the interior of your home, why ignore the exterior? Or perhaps your home's ugly exterior is making it difficult to sell? Now's the time to consider options for making the exterior as good looking as the rooms inside.

By Caroline Rodrigues

Spratley Studios

What are your choices when it comes to transforming your home's exterior? Options include adding cladding, a porch, new doors or windows, but you can make significant changes for a fraction of the cost with a quick tidy-up, too.

Which Changes Could You Consider?

Some houses are easier than others to transform. The plainer designs of the 1950s to 1970s offer more scope than 1980s homes, which tend to have fake period features and small windows and low-pitched front gables. A large, detached house can take major changes such as a new veranda, or alterations to the roofline and tiles. More modest homes also offer scope for remodelling, such as adding cladding or a porch, though striking changes are not always advisable, says Nigel Lewis of Space and Style Home Design. ‘I would advise caution before adding cladding or rendering to a semi or terraced house as the improvement may actually prove detrimental.’

To gain extra living space, consider converting the garage by replacing the doors with a window, and matching the brickwork to the existing house. Find out more at Garage Conversion Experts and Space Solutions.

You may not need planning permission for the changes you make to the exterior, according to Stephen Evans, Director of Erigo Limited. ‘Provided the house is not listed, in a conservation area or had the permitted development rights removed, porches and alterations to the exterior the house are generally "permitted development" and do not require planning permission. They will require conservation or listed building consent if appropriate.’ Before you start work, though, find out more at the Planning Portal, and see our gallery of exterior facelifts for specialist firms.