Four essential questions to ask before renovating the facade of your home

As an interior and exterior designer, I love helping clients modernise the facades of their homes. While there is so much scope to dramatically improve the appearance, it can actually be quite a complicated process – particularly when the renovation requires more than just a lick of paint.

The biggest issue is that aspiring renovators often don’t know where to start. There are so many possibilities and it can be hard to know how much to do, how much to spend and what will create the biggest impact.

Before beginning any design work, I always ask my client (and myself) the following questions:

1. What don’t you like about the house?

Don’t look at the big picture at this point. That will just overwhelm you and you’ll end up throwing a lot of money at the project without creating the best transformation.

Instead, try to work out all the individual things you aren’t happy with. Is the roofline too high or too low? Are the bricks an unattractive colour? Do you dislike the window frames? Does the landscaping need work?

2. What do you like about it?

Are there elements that you can work with? Perhaps the property has a beautiful garden or some unique design features. Maybe you like the shape or style of the house.

Does the entryway make a statement? What about balustrades, windows, and verandas?

3. What style do you want to achieve?

It’s a good idea to put together a Pinterest board or scrapbook with pictures of what you like in other houses. Think of it as a book of inspiration and ideas.

Don’t worry too much at this stage about how you are going to apply those ideas. This is just to identify the style you are most drawn to. It’s also a great thing to have ready, if you decide to get help from an exterior designer.

4. How can I take what I have and change it to what I want?

There is a bit of skill required for this part, so consider getting some professional advice.

Ultimately, you are aiming to capitalise on the good points of the house while altering, concealing or camouflaging the aspects you are not happy with and blending it with the style you prefer. The main things to remember here are the following three design principles:

Focus – create one great focal point. Don’t have too many fancy features or different materials and colours.

Balance – Make sure your facade is visually balanced. This does not necessarily mean symmetrical; you can create great visual balance with the colours and materials you choose.

Repetition – Repeat colours, materials and shapes through the design. Try to have at least two elements in each colour/material you use, but only have a maximum of three to four colours/materials in total.

Jane Eyles-Bennett is one of Australia’s top interior-exterior designers and owner of design firm Hotspace Consultants. Join Jane in her Facebook group Home Renovators Network Australia for design and renovation inspiration and insider tips for your home improvement projects.