There are many ways you can enhance your home’s exterior, and, in this guide, we’ll look at six standout ideas/approaches to give your property a total new lease of life.
Whether you want to make a single alteration to your home or several, this is the article for you. From repainting your home to having your roof replaced, these are some top-notch solutions to your home enhancement needs. Let’s begin!
Repainting Your Home’s Exterior
Note: Only paint your home’s exterior if you’re sure of exactly what’s involved including all necessary safety steps (e.g. when using a ladder someone must hold it at the bottom at all times and it’s also best to wear a safety harness when working at a height). If in any doubt, hire a professional to be sure and safe.
Average Cost: £1,000 to £6,000*
By repainting the outside of your home, you can totally enhance its appearance, particularly if the current paint job has been significantly worn down at this point.
Along with carefully considering the brand and what type of paint is right for you and your home, you’ll also want to ensure that you go with a suitable paint colour.
While considering your preferences, it’s also important to think about how the paint colour will affect the overall look of your property.
It’s also worth noting that while in most cases there’ll be no problem, a stand out or unusual approach to painting your home’s exterior (particularly when compared with neighbouring houses) may or may not be allowed per the rules and regulations. If in doubt, consult with your local council.
*All price estimates listed in this guide are based on average costs of the work being done by a professional, so the price of labour and supply only costs combined.
Repointing Brickwork
Average Cost: £3,000 to £5,000
On average, a property will need brickwork repointed once every 50 years or so. That said, it may be required earlier depending on how well it is maintained and aspects such as how harsh weather conditions are where you live.
Having your brickwork repointed by a professional will revitalise the mortar connecting the bricks that make up your property. In doing so, you’ll not only enhance the appearance of your home’s exterior but improve how much the brickwork of your home is protected from the elements.
As listed above, it’s likely to cost several thousand pounds to have the entire brickwork of your home repointed. That said, it’s more likely to cost somewhere in the region of £1,000 to £2,000 to have just one wall repointed.
New Roof
Average Cost: £2,000 to £18,000
House roofs often last somewhere in the region of 30 to 60 years before they need replacing, although there can be exceptions to this rule.
One way or another, when your roof is old, worn-down or/and beyond economical repair, it’s time to look at having it replaced.
Naturally, the price of having a roof fully replaced can vary substantially depending on key cost factors such as the material used and size of the roof.
In some cases, a household may only need to have some roof tiles repaired or replaced. The average cost of replacing roof tiles if hiring a professional often lands around £75 to have up to five tiles replaced or £125 if looking to have around 6-15 tiles replaced. That said, various cost factors can impact these figures too, such as whether or not scaffolding is needed.
New Windows and Front Door
Average Cost of Replacing Windows: £1,200 to £13,000
Average Cost of a New Front Door: £500 to £2,500
One approach to enhance the exterior of a home that can be easily overlooked is the idea of installing a new front door and fresh windows.
If your front door and windows are worn down or/and outdated, it might be a good opportunity to swap them out for newer, more modern units. Moreover, you might want to opt for new styles or even a new colour for your front door.
Of course, you may only want to replace your front door or just replace your windows. Beyond that, in some cases, it may be appealing to only replace windows at the front of your home, although the downside to this is that the windows at the rear of your property will be out of sync appearance-wise.
Again, always be sure that any significant alterations to your home’s exterior are allowed per local rules and regulations.
Replace Your Guttering
Average Cost: £150 to £1,200
Guttering generally lasts around 20 to 40 years before needing to be replaced. Whatever the case, once your guttering has worn down to the point of needing to be replaced, it’s important that this is dealt with as soon as possible. Ideally, you should have your guttering replaced before it really needs to be. This way you can avoid damage occurring from the sudden failure of your property’s gutters.
In some cases, you may only need to have a single section of guttering replaced (particularly if your guttering system is relatively new but one section was damaged such as in a storm). Either way, be sure that you hire the right person for the job.
Beyond that, it’s a good idea to have your gutters cleaned one to two times a year. While you can do this DIY, it’s essential that you take the right approaches and adhere to all necessary safety precautions (e.g. having someone hold your ladder from the bottom when working at a height and not using a water hose that’s too powerful such that it will cause damage if you decide to wash down your gutters after removing debris). Again, if in doubt, always hire a professional to err on the side of caution.
Landscaping Work for Your Garden
Average Cost: £500 to £10,000
Another area that can be overlooked when considering enhancing your home’s exterior is the back garden space.
Some ways of revitalising your back garden can include:
- Outdoor lighting *
- Raised beds
- New patio or decking
- Add suitable paving
- Construct a garden pond
- Install other water features
- Repaint fencing with a suitable paint product
*While most garden alterations can be done DIY once you know exactly what is required, this is not the case for outdoor lighting as an electrician will be needed to wire them in place. The only exceptions would be if you were simply adding battery-powered lighting, such as small solar lights where wiring is not needed.
