You’ve only got one chance to make a first impression so, when it comes to your home, the front facade and entrance are the place where the wow factor needs to start.

In the case of House 12, located on a busy main road with hectic traffic and tricky parking for Sarah and Cath’s guests, we wanted to make sure that once they approach the front gate it feels like they’re walking into a big warm, comforting hug, leaving the hustle and bustle at the roadside.

Kerb appeal is King and here are 5 ways we make sure our facades are throne-worthy….

1) COLOUR IS KEY

Choosing your exterior colour scheme can be a little bit scary and we get that. It’s a big decision because it has a big impact to the overall look and appeal of your home. We love changing the exterior colour of our homes because paint has the power to totally transform the way a home looks. For maximum impact, we paint everything - including walls, gutters, fascia, window trims and doors… and even the roof. At House 12 we called in the Dulux Roof Restoration team to restore the old roof before spraying it in Surfmist, to complement the Dulux Pozieres cladding and Dulux White Dune trims of the cottage and shed.

If repainting the entire exterior of your house is beyond your budget, consider just painting the trims, gutters and fascia. This can really lift the overall look without all the expense.

Top tip: Don’t contrast your downpipes with the exterior walls. They are not a feature, so don’t make them stand out, just paint them the same colour as the walls.

We chose the gorgeous colour Dulux Pozieres to pay homage to the heritage of the town of Windsor and this little cottage. #house12 — *We chose the gorgeous colour* *Dulux Pozieres* *to pay homage to the heritage of the town of Windsor and this little cottage. #house12*

2) MASTERING YOUR MATERIALS

Selecting materials for the facade of your home is a bit like choosing your home’s personality. Will it be brick, render, cladding… or something totally different? (Clue: your vision board has the answer to what yours should be!)

At House 12, we replaced the old cladding with brand spanking new James Hardie Stria™ and ran it vertically rather than horizontally to help put the ‘contemporary’ in to Contemporary Cottage. We love James Hardie cladding products because they are fibre cement which means they are much more durable than timber.

We like to think of windows as the eyes of the house. And they look into the soul of the house, so they need to be special. At both House 11 and House 12, we added Axent from James Hardie around the window frames to make these babies POP! Axent is a thick trim that’s easily attached around existing window frames, it is also a fibre cement product so it has the added benefit of being hard-wearing and low maintenance.

3) PRETTY UP YOUR PORCH

There’s no better way to dress up your front entry than with some sexy new tiles. They can really take a boring concrete porch to next level amazing.

We LOVED the Tile Cloud tiles we used at House 10 so much that we’ve brought the Bondi back at House 12… but this time in tan. When you’re on to a good thing, stick to it, right?! Did you recognise them in this colour way?

The decision to tile the front face of the porch was last minute but we’ve got to say we think it totally makes the entire porch! #thatgoldedging 🙌

4) LIGHT IT UP!

Don’t leave your friends in the dark… or your Uber Eats driver fumbling over your french fries in the front yard! A good lighting plan is essential for any welcoming exterior.

Most of the exterior lighting was in all the right places at House 12 and we just replaced the old fittings with some antique brass stunners from Beacon Lighting.

Adding your street number on the façade of your house under a spotlight is another way to add some charm and to help after-dark guests avoid the awkward situation of ending up at your neighbour’s place instead.

5) FINISHING TOUCHES

It’s hard to go past some statement pots to finish off the perfect porch - filled with gorgeous greenery, of course.

We love to group three pots together with a variety of plants in them. TBH we’re not great on plant names… we just go to our local nursery, pick out the ones we like the look of and then check that they’re suitable for pots and porches!

In addition to these you could try a bench seat with some gorgeous cushions (practical as well as pretty!) or a hanging swing to finish off your wow factor.

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Hey, flippers - remember that this rings true for flip properties too - any real estate agent will tell you that first impressions have a huge impact on the success of a sale, so don’t forget to factor your facade in to your budget!

Want more details on our facades? You can always find a full list of products we use on our Get the Look pages.