Ideally you want your home’s facade to create a welcoming and memorable first impression. Architect Jefferson Godfrey says homeowners can set the scene for what lies behind the front door with a beautiful and visually interesting entrance.
Jefferson recently undertook a renovation at his own home in Canberra. He transformed the entrance of a dated 60-year-old red brick to a striking modern facade with improved street appeal. His peers also loved his worked, awarding him Renovation Project of the Year at the HIA Southern NSW/ACT Housing Awards.
"The challenge was to revive a tired, old duplex on an exceptionally uniform suburban street and create a modern family home,” Jefferson says. “The addition of an interesting entrance way and modern, polished exterior ultimately transformed the home’s ‘first impression’ and the streetscape.”
Creating an entrance with impact is a combination of creative design and carefully selected materials to complement the dimensions of the space, he says. Products chosen were a cultured stone from Boral, offset against Escura smooth volcanic bricks for textural contrast and added visual interest.
"Our home has a narrow frontage so we wanted to add depth and texture without swallowing up the space. Each stone varies in shape, colour and size - we manually selected the stones and found it almost impossible to find two identical ones - so it looks like natural stone but is more cost-effective and easier to install.”
Installation is another important consideration when selecting materials for feature entrance ways or walls, he says. “Cladding products can be applied as a finishing touch, rather than during the build, which makes it easier to manage installation timelines and costs.”
