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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:57 am
by Natajane
We bought it to do up, has nice big rooms and garden. I want to make it look more cottage like.
We're adding a wooden door canopy, a new wooden front door, repainting, re hedging, replanting and fencing including drive gates as well as having the path, steps and drive done.
64sqm, part of the drive being in the back garden.
Want to pay around £5k. I want it to look beautiful! 
All ideas welcome!
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 1:40 pm
by lutonlagerlout
virginia creeper or wisteria always looks nice trained up bland brickwork
LLL
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 2:32 pm
by local patios and driveway
Cottage it never was, will look out of place with too much oak etc. keep it 90's modern. Dark grey paving with contrating border
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 5:56 pm
by Natajane
Oooo I love wisteria! That's a nice idea.
We were thinking of having it all rendered, but want to see if adding a porch/doing the landscaping made it more appealing and save us the expense. The red clay brick might become more appealing in the next 10 years, you never know haha.
We wouldn't have oak woodwork, it'd look random like you say. I was thinking more along the lines of white painted timber. There a house similar to ours not far away that's added a brown wood affect upvc porch. Whilst that's not my kind of thing the shape of the porch really does suit their house.
Grey materials would look great against the brick, you're completely right.
Trouble is what kind of material/design?
Gravel? Flags? Block pave? Cobbles? Border or no boarder? Arghhhh so much to think of.
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:07 pm
by lutonlagerlout
maybe something like this
storm porch
LLL
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:22 pm
by Natajane
Yeah, something like that. You're getting my drift!
Thinking one to cover the length of the front, might shield the strong sun out and balance the front up. Like this but not in oak:
Whip a bit of wisteria on that bad boy and some decent cuprinol paint and it'd look lovely.
But what drive and path? Still no idea. So difficult!
X
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:41 pm
by Pablo
tbh that's not a bad looking house at all the front door and the window above are too tall and slender to give a proportional balance but it's certainly not a munter. A porch would be good if it would fit the doors very close to the corner and the glass and lintel add a lot of height and given that the door is high already it could appear very out of proportion. Both block paving and tarmac with a block edge would look great grass cobbles or any other type of stone wouldn't. The crossfall needs sorted as does the step but there's nothing there that's a problem. Personally I'd rip out the conifer hedge and replant with beech but that's as much of a nod towards the cottage look as I'd recommend. Rendering the house wouldn't get anymore money for you but a dry dash on the already rendered part would be an improvement.
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 1:12 am
by lutonlagerlout
what is wrong with the drive and path?
looks fine from here
pablo although i have it i detest pebble dash
natalie your window cills upstairs and window heads down stair look a bit close for a full length canopy
LLL
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:13 am
by Natajane
Hello,
Thanks guys.
Whats a cross fall? New word for me! I love beech, we've got some copper beech in the back which is doing really well.
Yeah the top needs doing, we've removed the Sky dishes and some wiring so its worse now than on that picture. Bit patchy!
I can see what you mean about the windows and a full length canopy. Door only canopy it might be. I've got a joiner coming out next weekend who makes these things so guessing he'll be able to tell me if thats possible. I want to get rid of that window at the top of the door because I agree that it just looks too tall so if a canopy covers it, then thats alright.
I'll just have to make a real feature of the door/some good planters on the new steps I guess.
LLL the drive is in an awful condition, but you can't really see it from the picture there.
It is tarmac thats been done really badly. It's unlevel, there's whole bits of cement kerbs just poking out (so doesn't have a proper base clearly) its all pot holed and cracking. Its a botched job.
The stairs are wearing away from the underneath as well.
The path is alright to be honest, just 1 crack. But seen as we're going to have to have the whole drive dug out we might as well have it all done at once. Plus it won't match the drive.
I spent a bit of last night obsessing about drives, I need to figure out what I want really or I'll drive my driveway man mental! Haha.
I decided its probably not the concrete itself that I don't like when it comes to drives - its the 'solidness' of it all. I don't like heavy use of just 1 material. I like the 'multi material' look - like its more landscaped. Also because the house brick is quite harsh looking, I'm thinking different textures might soften it up.
So here's some things I liked which I think should come in around £5k for 64sqm, what do you reckon? -
Gravel Drive with cobble edging and strips (breaks the gravel up a bit). I love cobbles! I love slate chippings as well -
If we have those plastic grid things underneath and some cobbles up the side for edging, would that contain the gravel better?
Driveway man says the grid system would be similar in price to the £5k he quoted for block paving (plaspave sorrento)
Path way - I love cobbles, and I love Indian Stone. The colours are so soft and interesting!
I love curvy paths -
I'd be willing to spend more on a really nice path/steps. I really like the colour of the stone in that path, it makes me drool a little hahaha! Path pervert. You think it'd look ok though?!
That colour path would look great with copper beech trees at the front. Not sure how I'd make the drive tie in though, or if it'd look ok against red brick....
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 1:02 pm
by lutonlagerlout
depending on which way you face the path may not look like that for a long time
unless that light colour stone gets sunlight it tends to go a murky green in short order
you would probably get a border of some description with type 1 and gravel but the gravel grid thingys are very expensive for your project
cheers
LLL
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 1:20 pm
by Natajane
With the gravel drive, I'd just like it to look really tidy and not spread too much. If we had a non round gravel (like slate or granite chippings) and the cobble borders, would that be enough alone without the grid thingies?
Or would we need the grid thingies to achieve a really tidy and level look, like in that picture?
I really don't mind if we have to have them. I'll just book the paver in a month or so later and save up more. I have to say I think the grid things look awful haha, so we'd have to be able to hide them completely under the gravel
Hmmmmm, the front of the house is mainly south east facing so gets a fair amount of light. I would like a thick hedge though and taller gates, so guess that beige isn't going to be suitable long term as we'll end up creating shadow with all that.
That indian stone comes in plum/green/blue tones as well doesn't it, so I must be able to get darker cobbles? Will get googling! 
Driving my husband mental, he really has no interest in gravel colours....... :p
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 4:12 pm
by lutonlagerlout
i reckon beech or hawthorn looks really classy out the front of houses
whatever you do ,dont go for leylandii or laurel
PITA
the steps look very steep and underwhelming
bigger steps are more welcoming but may blow your budget
LLL
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 4:22 pm
by r896neo
I totally agree about leylandii but totally disagree about laurel. They are a fast growing hardy hedge that only needs cut once a year and will tolerate very hard pruning should the need arise.
If you can commit to the maintenance i would go with a gravel drive softened with some planting.
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:25 pm
by lutonlagerlout
the reason i dont like laurel neo is that i have had the misfortune to take some out
very deep rooted (services tend to be at the front) and very invasive and IMHO not that great too look at
small birds etc prefer hawthorn as it offers some protection
the steps look like prison steps natalie
LLL :;):
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:34 pm
by Natajane
I've set my mind on the copper beech now. Simply because we've got some laurel in the back and its barely grown. It looks ill. So guessing it doesn't like our soil.
I want bigger steps yeah. They're a bit of death trap right now. My existing steps look like prison steps? Why, how do you know that LLL? Hahaha. ;P