The Panel’s advice
Andrew Benn
Architect and director, Benn + Penna Architecture, bennandpenna.com
The front door is a cave-like area that feels like a garage, and really doesn’t announce itself as the entrance to the home. The house is south facing, so it isn’t naturally lit but even so, the entry needs to be eye-catching and practical. I’d suggest incorporating the dead space into the house, bringing the door out to the line of the existing gate. Creating a new entrance would be an opportunity to give the facade a facelift so, at the same time, I’d advise adding a portico to the house. I’d be inclined to get rid of the balcony off the living area as it would compete with the new entry and spoil the symmetry. And yes, the letterbox will need to go if we’re creating a coherent design from front to back.
Wayd Munro
Builder, Focusbuild, focusbuild.com.au
The first thing to do would be to get rid of the balcony. Balconies out the front are a fairly common feature in houses of this vintage, but it’s south-facing and Rodney and Karina say they never use it – they’re not even sure if it’s safe. It serves no purpose other than a decorative one and, to be honest, it doesn’t look that great. Another way to give the frontage a facelift would be to paint the driveway. All you need is some paving paint from the hardware store and you can do it in a weekend. Hose it down with a pressure cleaner the day before then paint it dark grey. The guttering can also be cleaned and painted to match. That one thing will make a huge difference while Rodney and Karina are planning the rest of the renovation.
Lisa Koehler ISCD educator, stylist and interior decorator
Turning the entry into internal space would offer a great opportunity to create a hallway with storage for school bags and wet-weather gear. The kids could each have their own cupboard for all the things that don’t need to come in as far as the kitchen. Once the new facade is complete, it’s time to think about the colour scheme. I think we have to embrace the bricks and work with them. I’d like to see the roof painted dark grey, which would really set off the greens of the garden and surrounding bushland. With the letterbox gone, we could put in a path with lighting, guiding visitors to the entrance. A colour is always nice on the front door, and I’m loving yellow at the moment. It would work in tonally and add plenty of personality.