We love everything about bricks and aim to offer you some inspiration to get the very best out of your old home. If you are seriously lacking renovation ideas for old red brick houses or a federal style home but understand their value, this blog will answer some of your burning renovation ideas for brick homes.
The first step is to ensure you respect the origins of the building and the look and feel of an old house and do your research before stepping into the unknown of home extensions and renovations.
To get your project off to a great start, here are some brick renovation ideas from one of our home building partners, Spacemaker Home Extensions. Spacemaker are award-winning Master builders in Melbourne, specialising in custom built new homes, single and second storey extensions and renovations.
Why renovate and restore a home’s brick exterior?
There are many advantages to renovating or restoring an old brick home, but most importantly, it is a clever investment decision to give your brick home exterior a makeover, as first impressions always count.
Buying an un-renovated brick house can be too daunting for many, only seeing the mess and lacking the imagination to visualise how simple a tidy up job can be. Many homes need to be rebuilt or rendered on the exterior, but there is immense resale value in original brick homes once a renovation has been accomplished.
Salvaging materials or bringing out the original fabric of the house adds more character to the interior and shows the history of the building in an authentic way.
Will renovating your brick home increase the value of your house?
Are you giving an old brick house a modern style? If the answer is yes, a renovation will most certainly add value. If you are adding extra space, the house will usually gain even more value. Everything depends on the modifications you make to both the exterior and interior of the home. If you are working with an expert such as Spacemaker Home Extensions, you can plan your home renovation to potentially increase the value of your home.
Renovation ideas for brick homes
With many decades of experience in the construction industry, our design team have many unique ideas on how to renovate a brick house to add even more character to your home.
Get stuck into these six brilliant brick veneer renovation ideas now and your future project will be off to a good start.
1. Be bold and colourful
Opting for colour doesn’t need to be intimidating. Follow your taste and instincts, and remember to consider your environment. Your surrounding landscape, regional architecture, and neighbourhood will give you plenty of inspiration to make an informed colour decision. If a darker colour doesn’t appeal to you, we recommend something unexpected but still classic, like soft clay or earthy tones.
2. An eco-friendly renovation
Bricks are long-lasting, can be recycled and are one of the most eco-friendly building materials available. Using a brick exterior is one way to do your bit for the planet. Whilst upgrading your home to be more fire-resistant and mould-free will also result in lower electricity and heating costs.
To make the move towards a more sustainable home, you can also add more insulation into your walls, floors and roof cavity, replace old weatherboard with corrugated metal, shift to double glazed windows and add solar panels to the roof.
3. Glass links bring in light
To connect two sections of a house, consider introducing a glass link that will add more natural light to dark, older buildings. This is a trendy design idea that is on the rise for home extensions when old and new sections need to be joined together seamlessly.
4. Add more volume
By removing unnecessary walls and adding more strategically placed roof lights, you create the feeling of space during a single-storey home renovation. Only having necessary internal walls and designing towards a more open floor plan gives an extra sense of flow and freedom in your house.
5. Give existing openings a facelift
It can be a real challenge to update an older house to make it convenient and lifestyle appropriate for modern-day occupants. Create some shared indoor spaces with exposed brick, or make an outdoor social area part of the kitchen and you can completely transform your home.
Consider adding other natural textures and stone features, such as pavers or stack stone walls to complement the brick exterior of your outdoor living area.
6. Melbourne Brick’s brick matching service
If you are unsure where to find the type of brick originally used to build your brick home, the Melbourne Brick team offers a brick matching service to assist with identifying and sourcing the right bricks for your project. With plenty of experience up their sleeves and a passion for anything brick-related, they can usually find an exact or very close match to your old bricks.
Everything starts with one step, or one brick.
Renovating or extending an old classic brick home can be daunting and challenging, but anything is possible with plenty of experience and knowledge up your sleeves. Some of the most incredible transformations are possible with the right advice and team by your side.
Be brave and take the first step to giving your old brick house a facelift. Learn more about renovation ideas for brick homes by contacting us or shop online now.