Why Your Home Facade Matters
Yes, first impressions do count. Imagine turning into your street each day, approaching your house … and not loving what you see each and every time? You might have the loveliest interior, but your home’s facade is part of its personality too. It’s where street appeal meets the true expression of your style.
At Clarendon, we recognise the importance of getting your new home’s facade just right – one that’s eye-catching, while in harmony with the streetscape. The right facade will help to highlight architectural features, boost street appeal and add the “wow” factor when friends and family arrive.
Online Facade Styler
The good news is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to create a facade that makes an impact. It’s more about being creative, and our online Facade Styler is a great place to start playing with options. Choose a single or double-storey home, choose your customisable facade design, then click on individual features to see options for colours, materials, finishes and styles. Save your creations to discuss later with the experienced consultants in our Lifestyle Studio, where your vision will start to come to life.
Here are some tips for putting your home’s best face forward - without breaking the bank.
Make your facade interesting
One of the biggest mistakes to avoid? Using one type of material. All brick homes can look dull on the outside, if you let them. That’s why the entry-level Classic facade included in the price of our homes blends different materials to add character, interest and contrast.
Even on a modest budget, why stop there? You can customise all our facades, from laid-back brick to magnificently modernist. Aim to choose two or three different materials - for example face brick, painted render and feature stone - and then stick with those, adjusting the tones and colours slightly. Once you’ve settled on a palette of colours and materials, use this as a guide for the look of the roof, garage door and driveway.
For inspiration and an indication of the price of various materials and finishes, check out the many facade options available for our popular Boston series of two-storey homes. There’s a wide range of styles for a range of budgets, including the elegant but value-for-money Elouera, Hamptons with its signature horizontal joinery, and the thoroughly modern rendered Newport.
Be timeless
It can be tempting to make a strong statement with bold colours, but for long-lasting appeal try to steer away from colours that are overly seasonal or trendy. It’s likely they will date and it will be costly to re-paint later on.
Take a look at the Airlie single-storey family home. The addition of a Contemporary facade creates an affordably luxe look with feature stonework and render, a statement door and carefully placed lighting - all in a palette of warm but muted colours that will stand the test of time.
Consider the environment
Dark colours such as charcoal, grey and black may be on trend for houses featured in magazines, but the reality is they might not be the most efficient choice if the home has a cool load issue, which depends on factors such as the home's orientation, size, and design. Those dark-coloured materials can significantly influence the assessment of a home’s BASIX rating because they tend to trap and absorb heat, making them less energy efficient. This can lead to a range of challenges, including the need for additional cooling solutions, such as fans or changes to window sizes, which can affect the cost and environmental footprint in the long run.
Instead, choose earthy and natural tones for your bricks, and look to the great outdoors for an overall colour palette that draws from natural elements to stand the test of time.
Lighter colours also do well in relation to thermal performance. White, beige and ivory reflect the light, and therefore heat, away from your home making it more comfortable inside without having to use a lot of energy. Take a look at the Brighton or Elouera facades to see how the right blend of lighter colours can create contrast and interest.
Budget tricks to add value
A statement front door is a cost-effective way to lift your facade. It’s one of the first parts of your house people will see, and it could take only a lick of paint in a bright or bold colour to uplift your street appeal and make an entrance. It can make any ordinary door profile pop!
Adding feature or decorative wall lights is another budget friendly way to make your facade stand out. Be careful not to go overboard and put lights everywhere in an attempt to be light and bright; think about functionality and where you need illumination the most, which is likely the front and garage doors. See if you can use those lights to highlight architectural features as well.
Go for green
Potted plants are a cheap and cheerful way to complement your facade. Having a cluster of plants in varying heights by your statement front door draws the eye to your entry. A beautifully landscaped front garden can work to invite people towards your home, especially if it features a winding path, while well-placed greenery will not only draw the eye but also work to soften harder materials such as brickwork.
Get inspiration
Even before you choose your Clarendon facade, we’ve done a lot of the hard (less fun) work for you. We start by ensuring the architecture and articulation of your facade is right for your home design, then develop combinations of materials and colours to suit every design, style and budget. You’ll find these with our Facade Styler.
We give you a lot of choice, so to avoid being overwhelmed, set aside some time to explore the surroundings of your new home. Check out the materials and colours on the other houses in your street (and visit at different times of the day so you can see how changes in light affects various colours) and visit Clarendon’s display villages.
When you understand the look and feel of your suburb you can design a stand-out facade that suits both you and the neighbourhood.
Ready to take the next step towards your dream home?
Talk to our Sales Consultants about our range of 70+ modern designs, with floorplans, options and styles to suit your family, lifestyle and budget. Not quite ready to visit us in person? Take a virtual tour of our Display Homes, browse through our video gallery or create an instant price estimate on our website.
For more information, call us on 13 63 93.
Related Articles
View All Blog Articles
BASIX: Building Your 7-Star Home
Getting Started / 7 Star BASIX
With energy costs on the rise, it makes sense to ensure that your new home is as energy efficient as possible.
Read More
Creating a House With Soul
Getting Started
Your new home marks a new chapter in your life so create spaces that tell your story in the most beautiful way for the years ahead. There’s a point when you’re in the process of moving house where the place you’re leaving no longer feels like home. Often, the furniture is still in place but the things that made those spaces feel like yours have already been packed in the moving truck.
Read More
Bowral 44 - Tranquil, Expansive Living at your Fingertips
Getting Started
Walking into the Bowral 44 single storey acreage style display home in Lochinvar, you can almost hear the whipbird call over the treetops as you immediately transport to a new era of Australian country living: cool, clean and refined design, with expansive living and cosy, serene escape in one
Read More
Choosing a Demolition Contractor
Home Building / Knockdown Rebuild
Choosing a demolition contractor can be challenging particularly when this is not something you have had experience with.
Read More
