First impressions count. And it can be quick and easy to update the front of your property, says Katherine Sorrell, whether you’re thinking of selling or simply want a fresh new look.
Where to start? Step outside your house for a moment and give it a long, hard appraisal. Be honest. What does it look like to someone who has never seen it before? Smeary windows and wonky gutters just won’t cut it. Neither will piles of windswept leaves, dead plants, overflowing bins or grubby net curtains. These are the easy things to fix. Move wheelie bins or recycling boxes out of sight, clean the windows, wash the nets and sweep, mow and trim the garden, replanting window boxes and pots where necessary. Ensure that your gutters and downpipes are properly attached, clip back any flapping aerial cables and align satellite dishes so it all looks neat and tidy.
Masonry in Wimborne White, £45 for 5l; door in Skimming Stone exterior eggshell, £48.50 for 2.5l, both Farrow & Ball, 01202 876141; www.farrow-ball.com.
painted safely, but if they’re letting the house down with blemishes, cracks or bulging render it’s worth tackling them. If you can see damp patches, make sure you know what caused them and fix the problem; blown or missing areas of render should be repaired first, too. If an unpainted brick wall is a problem, it’s best to clean off surface grime and, if necessary, repoint the mortar.
The next step up from renovating and decorating doors and windows is to replace them entirely. This is really most worth doing when they It’s always a good idea to ensure that any paintwork on the front of are either rusted, rotten or otherwise past their sell-by date, or their your house is as pristine as possible. This means paying attention to style is such that they seriously detract from the property as a your gate, railings and/or fence, whole. A 1960s window in a period front and garage doors, windows house, for example, is crying out to and perhaps the façade itself. For wood- and metal-work, remove any be replaced with an elegant timber rust or rotten wood, fill or replace sash, and a solid, panelled front as required, prime and then paint, door would be a great substitute for a flimsy, flat one. In some cirusing appropriate products and ensuring the colours complement cumstances, uPVC windows are inappropriate, and you could enyour property and the street as a whole. A window may require just hance your property enormously by fitting windows that are more a quick sand or a coat of paint, while a front door could require a sympathetic. Replacing windows few coats over several days – either also gives you the opportunity to way, there’s no substitute for that install double glazing, with resulting improvements in energy efficiency. gleaming, fresh look. And you don’t just have to do likeWalls may, depending on their for-like in terms of size and shape. height, need scaffolding to be reWithout any significant structural
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alterations you could make a window higher or lower, and you may even be able to install a projecting bay – stealing a little extra space and masses more light.
While tackling doors and windows, consider how much of a wow factor (or not) is given by their knobs, handles, latches and other ‘furniture’. Architectural ironmongery is relatively easy and inexpensive to replace, particularly if you’re already tackling paintwork and can, therefore, easily cover up holes or gaps left when shapes or sizes change. And the difference can be truly amazing – from uninspiring, old-fashioned or cheap-looking fittings to modern or traditional, high quality, tactile accessories. Finally, polish your knockers for a full frontal with pzazz.
Lion’s head door knocker, £45, Jim Lawrence, 01473 828989; www.jim-lawrence.co.uk.
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