How we improved the outside of our home for less than £300
We’ve lived in our house for almost 6 years now, and I can’t believe that time has gone so fast.
When we moved in, we had big plans. We still do, it’s just they got pushed back after we decided to have 2 kids in 2 years. We’d love to do a big extention at the back that would allow us to have an open-plan family living space, complete with a mini living area (sofas, TV, kids’ toys, etc) as well as a big kitchen with lots of storage. The house currently isn’t that practical for us as a family, so practicality is my main focus for when we eventually do the work.
But when it comes to the exterior of the house, it needed some serious TLC when we first moved in. The block paving was filty and mossy (seriously, we never realised the bricks were two different colours until we cleaned them).
The dark green garage door wasn’t doing it for me, neither was the faded brown side gate or the brown front door.
Today, the outside looks like this:
I think it’s a staggering difference from when we first moved in, and while there’s so much more to do (as I’ll explain later), here’s how we’ve transformed the front of our house and driveway for less than £300.
1. Painted the front door and garage door – £25
This was by far the best thing I’ve done. I used Frenchic paint to transform both the front and the garage door (you can read about painting the front door here and painting the garage door here) and did it using one £25 tin of paint.
The difference was actually astounding, and it only took me 2 days. Almost 6 years later, it’s looking just as good as the day I painted them, with no chips on the front door and only a couple of minor chips on the garage door.
If you’re thinking of painting your doors, I’d say DO IT.
Yes, the tiles are still a work in progress – we’ll be painting them this summer to properly finish the outside of the house.
2. Ordered a new house sign and outdoor light – £100
Our outdoor light hasn’t worked for years, and it was ugly AF. We decided it was time to glow up the front of the house so a) we could see and b) delivery drivers and visitors could actually find us.
Our new house signs are absolutely perfect. We often struggled with people not being able to find us (we’re quite tucked away off a cul-de-sac so no one could ever see our house).
We ordered a new sign for next to the front door, and then one to go on the side of the house that’s a little bigger so it can be seen from the road. They’re both from UK Sign Shop, and I’m so impressed with the quality. Many sign companies simply print the number and name directly on the slate, which means it’ll rub off and stain within a few months.
But we ordered engraved signs that are hand painted in a colour of your choice for maximum longevity. They aren’t the cheapest, but well worth it for quality in my opinion.
3. Had the driveway professionally jetwashed – £150
I don’t think there’s anything more satisfying than watching a filthy patio get jetwashed, and ours was seriously bad when we moved in.
As our house had been rented out for 8 years prior to us buying it, things like this had clearly been neglected, so it was time for us to figure out what colour those bricks were.
Here’s the before:
And the after:
And then with the new sand brushed in:
Things we still desperately need to do
This is the summer we’re focusing on the outside of our home. There is SO much to do, it’s actually a little overwhelming, so I’ll run through some of it with you.
First, install dry verging (roof caps) along the edges of the roofline. Currently, it’s just mortar and the birds have been getting in and nesting in the loft. Jay has made a start on this, and even bought some scaffolding to complete the job, but it could take a while.
Then, paint those absolutely awful tiles on the front. They let the whole house down, but we had a large quote of £1,200 to have someone else paint them. So Jay is doing it, of course.
We’ve used AI to determine what they could look like when painted, and here’s what it reckons:
It’s not what I would pick as my first choice, but we’re hoping this is temporary as when we finally get round to doing everything we want to do on the house, it could look more like this:
We are also building a kids’ climbing frame in the back garden, repointing and fixing our retaining wall and SO much more. Is it doable? I have no idea, but I hope we get there soon.
