Crafting a Home with Stunning Street Appeal
You’ve probably heard of the catchphrase ‘street appeal’ once or twice before. But what is it and how can you achieve it? From cladding to render and brick, there’s a lot of elements that come together to form the face of your new home and we’re here to help you make a great first impression.
Episode 4: Shelley Guides You Through Designing a Timeless Facade
Image: Create contemporary street appeal with the Oakland facade. As seen on the Avalon 35 on display at the Elara Estate, Marsden Park, NSW.
Make Your Facade Stand Out on Your Block
When building new, you’ll have a few big decisions to make early on in your home-building journey.
Once you’ve narrowed down your favourite floor plan with your New Home Specialist, your next step will be to pick the face of your home.
In other words, your facade.
With hundreds of modern Simonds facades to choose from, ranging from traditional and timeless to edgy and contemporary, you’ll have a world of options when choosing a facade design.
Remember, your facade will allow you to put your best foot forward and create not only a great first impression, but a lasting impression on guests, those wandering by and any prospective buyers or tenants if you find yourself looking to resell or rent in the future.
Most importantly, your facade will also be the view that welcomes you home as you pull into the driveway each night. As your family grows and evolves, your facade will also be the sentimental backdrop for many of life’s big milestones. Your photo and Facebook albums will be filled with first day at school photos and snaps of the youngest heading off to university, all with your facade placed front and centre.
Image: Embrace relaxed coastal living with the Heath facade. As seen on the Leyton 21 on display at the Aura Estate, Bells Creek, QLD.
So you want to bring street appeal to your new home with a facade that’s brimming in contemporary charm and character.
When thinking about facade designs in Australia, our minds are drawn to the quintessential look of red brick, the decorative brickwork found on Art Deco apartments and the windswept weatherboards scattered from the country to the city and out to the coast. With each design bringing plenty of charm and personality to the streetscape.
Once you’ve chosen your favourite facade design, your Simonds Gallery Consultant will help you to bring your unique vision to life, by creating a face of your home that reflects your personality and the way you like to live.
Whether that’s opting for a classic facade which comes as a standard inclusion or investing in a show-stopping look that will dial up the wow factor in your estate, we’ll guide you through creating a timeless facade that will withstand the years to come.
Our Top Tips for Choosing
the Right Facade For You
Take a step back and think about your facade from all angles
Take a step back and think about your facade from all angles
When trying to decide on a single or double-storey facade, it can be easy to be swept up in the latest Instagram or Pinterest trends, but it’s so important to take your time and not make any hasty decisions.
First off, you’ll need to finalise your chosen facade design with your New Home Specialist before you head to your Simonds Gallery appointment. Our Gallery Consultants can change elements, such as the style of cladding and colours, but they’ll need you to lock-in your facade choice before you come for your selection appointment.
If you do choose to upgrade your facade, remember that you’re only upgrading the structural elements and not necessarily material and colour choices of bricks, doors or roof tiles that you’ve seen on display homes or in brochures. Your New Home Specialists can walk you through this, so don’t be afraid to ask any questions!
It’s also important to look at the big picture when it comes to your facade choice. If you’re working to a budget and your heart’s set on a large, statement fence or sprawling trees and shrubs in your front garden, perhaps you don’t need to invest in a stand out facade. But if you’re wanting your facade to be the star of the show, then a little investment will go a long way.
Our team will help you to navigate all of the ins and outs
Our team will help you to navigate all of the ins and outs
If you’re building in an estate, you’ll need to wrap your head around your land developer’s guidelines and covenants.
Covenants are a set of rules and restrictions that your developer puts in place surrounding the different types and usage of materials on your home. They can include guidelines about your roof line, the location of utilities, colour choices and even your landscaping. Developers have these in place to ensure that there’s a coherent feel to the neighbourhood, as well as a variety of facades and homes on your street.
Our New Home Specialists and Gallery Consultants will work with you to ensure that your new Simonds home achieves your desired look while still adhering to your developer’s guidelines, as you can run the risk of delays or additional costs if you miss the mark.
When looking for land at the very start of your home-building journey, one of the first things that you should do is read any guidelines from cover to cover. That way, if you’ve already fallen in love with a Hamptons-style facade or a dark and moody colour palette, you can make sure that your land developer gives the green light for your desired look.
Strike the right balance with energy efficiency and style
Image: Design a timeless facade with high-contrast white and timber features. Explore the Carey 23 featuring the Angeles facade on display at the Aura Estate, Baringa, QLD.
Strike the right balance with energy efficiency and style
Not only is colour selection important when it comes to your developer’s guidelines, but it can also have a huge impact on your energy efficiency. In some regions and climates, having a black roof can even drop a star off your energy rating.
While you might love a dark colour palette, we want to make sure that you're maximising your energy savings and creating a home that’s liveable and comfortable throughout all seasons. So, we’ll work with you to find the perfect balance.
Look at the big picture in terms of maintenance too. Painted external finishes tend to have less upkeep compared to timber features, which depending on the orientation of your home and other weathering factors, could need sanding back and refinishing every 12 months or so. So be honest with the amount of touch ups and maintenance that you’re willing to do over the long run.
If you’re building on the coast, or close to large rivers or lakes, small details, such as marine grade stainless steel external light fixtures will also fare better when faced with the harsh Australian elements.
And let your unique style shine with your facade
And let your unique style shine with your facade
Most of all, it’s important to choose a facade that speaks to your personality and allows you to continue your internal look and feel out to the kerb.
For a great place to start, walk around your local neighbourhood to find out if you’re drawn to facades that have high-contrast materials, or if you like to blend your hues and let the different textures of the cladding, render and brick make a statement.
When it comes to your facade, go off the working drawings that match your home design and floor plan, rather than any brochures or photos online, as these drawings will have accurate details about all of the different profiles of your specific facade elements, such as cladding.
Creating a stunning facade is all about adding depth, balance and interest. Most developers will have guidelines surrounding a minimum area and depth of any porticos or balconies, which will help to bring the entryway to the forefront and shift your garage into the background.
If you do decide to upgrade your ceiling height to 2590mm or 2740mm, think about doing the same to your window heights as well. This strikes the right balance and keeps everything in proportion, while also giving you a beautiful outlook onto the street.
Stay tuned for next week as we head inside the home for all of your interior fixtures and fittings!
Explore the Stannis 38, a relaxing family haven on display in Grovedale, VIC.
Don't miss Shelley's tips and tricks
Sign up to stay in the loop
Simonds acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.