Exterior Remodelling: Changing How the Front of Your House Looks and Performs
Exterior remodelling means changing the parts of the outside of a house that determine how it looks and how it performs: the brickwork, the window and door openings, the entrance and threshold, and the way the roof edge meets the wall. Most of it can be done without touching the inside of the house, and most of it is structural work rather than cosmetic, which is why it is planned as a build rather than as decoration.
Key Takeaways
- Changing the size or position of a window or door opening is structural work and needs a designed lintel.
- Brickwork repair and rebuilding is the trade that most often transforms a tired frontage.
- A recessed or reformed entrance changes the look of a house more than any other single alteration.
- Front elevation work is more likely to need planning consent than work at the back.
- Sequence matters, because scaffolding and access should serve several tasks in one visit.
A house can be sound inside and still look every one of its years from the pavement. Bricklaying is our main trade, so exterior work sits close to the core of what we do, and it is often the most cost effective way of changing how a property presents itself. It runs alongside our property extension and structural alteration work.
What does exterior remodelling actually cover?
It is a broad description, so it helps to break it into the work that genuinely changes a frontage. Brickwork is the first area, covering rebuilding damaged sections, replacing spalled or failed bricks, forming new piers or reveals, and building or rebuilding a front boundary detail as part of the wider job. Openings are the second, meaning enlarging a window, lowering a cill, forming a new door position or closing an opening that no longer makes sense. Entrances are the third, from reforming a threshold and step arrangement to adding a porch that gives the front of the house a proper focal point.
Then there is the roof edge. Where a house is being remodelled or extended, the fascias, soffits and guttering at the eaves are renewed as part of that work so new and existing sections line through and drain properly. We handle it inside a remodelling or extension project rather than as a job on its own, because the detailing only makes sense designed alongside the wall below it.
Which exterior changes need permission?
More than at the back of the house, because the front elevation is the one the planning system pays most attention to. As a rough guide:
| Work | Planning position | Building regulations |
|---|---|---|
| Repairing or repointing existing brickwork | Normally no consent needed unless the building is listed or in a conservation area. | Not usually applicable to like for like repair. |
| Enlarging or forming a window or door opening on the front | Often permitted, but the front elevation faces more restrictions and a conservation area or Article 4 direction can change this. | Yes. Structural opening with a designed lintel, plus current standards for the new window or door. |
| Adding a porch | Commonly permitted development within size and height limits, subject to distance from the highway. | Applies above a certain floor area, and to glazing and electrical work in any case. |
| Altering the entrance level or threshold | Normally no consent needed. | Yes where it affects access, drainage or the damp proof course. |
| Rebuilding a damaged section of front wall | Normally no consent needed for like for like rebuilding. | Yes where the work is structural rather than a surface repair. |
Conservation area status and Article 4 directions remove permitted development rights that would otherwise apply, and the Planning Portal explains how those restrictions work. We check the position for your address at survey stage before any design is fixed, because it changes what is worth proposing.
Why is brickwork the work that changes a frontage most?
Because it is the largest visible surface and because it ages unevenly. Spalled brick faces, blown pointing, a rebuilt section done badly by someone else, a filled in opening that shows through: these read as neglect even on a house that is otherwise in good order. Correcting them properly is not decoration, it is bricklaying.
Doing it well comes down to matching. The replacement brick has to be right in colour, texture and size, the mortar has to match in colour and strength, and the joint profile and coursing have to line through with what is already there. Get any of those wrong and the repair is more visible than the damage was. Mortar strength matters most on older properties, where a modern cement rich mix is harder than the brick and pushes damage into the brick face instead of the joint. The Brick Development Association publishes guidance on mortar and brick selection, and our own guide to repointing and brickwork restoration covers the practical side.
How does an exterior remodelling project run?
Getting the order right is what keeps the cost sensible. Scaffolding is a fixed item, so every task that needs it should happen in the same visit. Homeowners who do the openings one year and the brickwork the next pay for access twice, and the two pieces of work rarely blend as well.
What drives the cost of exterior work?
Access comes first, because a two storey elevation with restricted frontage needs more scaffolding and more time than a bungalow. Structural extent is second, since every new or enlarged opening carries a designed lintel, temporary support and an inspection. Brick matching is third, and it varies more than people expect, because a common modern facing brick is easy to source while an older imperial size or a distinctive local blend may need reclaimed stock. Condition is fourth, and it only becomes clear once pointing is raked out. We itemise our free quotes so you can see which elements carry what.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you change the position of a front door?
Yes, and it is one of the more effective changes you can make to a frontage. It is structural work, so the new opening needs a designed lintel and the old one has to be properly closed and bonded in rather than simply filled. Building regulations apply, and depending on your address and any conservation status the change may also need planning consent.
Will a brick repair be noticeable?
A well executed one is hard to spot, and matching is what determines it. We match the brick in colour, texture and size, match the mortar in colour and strength, and reproduce the existing joint profile and coursing. On older properties with weathered brick an exact match is not achievable, so we show you the closest option before starting rather than at the end.
Do you replace guttering and fascias on their own?
No. Roofline work is something we carry out as part of a property extension or a wider house renovation, where the eaves detailing has to be designed alongside the wall and roof below it. If your roofline is the only thing needing attention, a specialist roofline installer is the better route for you and we will say so.
Is exterior work weather dependent?
Bricklaying and mortar work are, in the sense that neither should be carried out in freezing conditions or driving rain, and we plan around that. It is not a seasonal service though. Exterior remodelling happens through the year in the North West, and the practical effect of poor weather is usually a day or two of programme rather than a stopped job.
Can this be combined with an extension?
It usually should be. If you are already extending, doing the front elevation work in the same project shares the access, the site set up and the trades, and it means the whole house reads as one piece of work rather than a new bit next to an old bit. We plan them together where the budget allows it.
How long does exterior remodelling take?
A brickwork and repointing package on a typical semi detached elevation is commonly two to four weeks. Adding structural openings or a porch extends it, and a full frontage remodel with new openings, entrance and eaves work can run six to eight weeks.
See what the front of your house could look like
Most homeowners are surprised how much of a frontage problem is brickwork rather than anything more complicated, and how much difference a properly reformed entrance makes.
We provide free designs and quotes for interior and exterior remodelling across Widnes, Liverpool, Runcorn, Warrington and St Helens. Our case studies show the standard of the finished work.