Sometimes DIY projects take longer than you think, sometimes you have to go back for an extra pot of paint or spare paint brush, the right drill bit, but it feels so good when you get a job done. Bank holidays provide a great opportunity to get stuck in and make a few small changes, so I’m excited to finally be able to reveal the results of my ‘Make an entrance’ door makeover with B&Q! With a smart new door, fresh lick of paint, sparkling door furniture and a couple of plants, we’ve transformed it I think literally from drab to fab. Previously tired and run-down, our entrance is now smart and refreshed. There’s still a few little finishing touches to complete, such as removing the old porch door and installing a new piece of glass above the front door with a number on it, but it’s looking oh so much better already. And finally in that shade of colour I love so much – grey! Do you remember the before? It was a pretty uninspiring entrance, unloved and in need of a bit of TLC.

We had an ugly, flimsy PVC porch door leading to the old front door, which didn’t really fit properly and featured horrible floral Seventies glass panels. It wasn’t really a nice place to return to at the end of the day, it didn’t feel particularly safe and it certainly didn’t make us feel house proud. We wanted to put our own stamp on our new house and make it our own. All it needed was a few little updates to smarten the entrance up. After finding that our door wasn’t a standard size we had to wait a couple of week’s to receive a bespoke one. Our builder helped fit it for us and do the hard work then I couldn’t wait to pick up the roller and get painting. For our front door, I used: one coat wood primer (Ronseal One Coat Primer & Undercoat), two coats of dark grey undercoat (Dulux Weathershield Exterior Dark Grey Undercoat) and two coats of top coat (Dulux Weathershield Exterior Gallant Grey Satin Paint). The weathershield paint is perfect for a front door – it’s really long lasting, with a mould resistant paint film, it’s resistant to cracking, and washable, which is great for wiping any day-to-day scruffs and marks. 

If you’re fitting the door, I’d recommend painting the first few layers when the door is flat, otherwise use a small foam roller to get a nice, clean finish without any brush marks. You can also give the undercoat a quick sand to get rid of any bumps too. I found it was a bit of a labour of love with five coats, but I’m so pleased with the results – the Dulux paint is satin not gloss so has a lovely rich, matte appearance. garage door arvada coThe colour’s a really nice deep grey as well, giving the door a weighty presence on the street.garage door track ottawa (If the image above looks darker, that’s because the undercoat I bought was a darker shade, it didn’t really matter because they were both grey, and I even mixed in a bit of the grey with the white primer to ensure the finish was uniform).garage door repair san fernando valley

We then added new shiny door furniture, such as this House Nameplate letter box in chrome effect, to give a contemporary feel and bring the house bang up to date. I was going to add a knob but found that the central band of wood was too thin for a lot of the fittings so I’m still searching. I wanted to keep the door quite clean and modern, so the number will eventually be fitted in the glass panel above the door.cavity slider door stops Safety and security were really important for us, so we got a new lock and a deadlock at the bottom for extra security. garage door service hudson wiInside, we also have a new door chain that helps if we have visitors or people knocking and are not expecting anyone. garage door seal vancouver

The door now feels much more secure and I can close the door at night putting my mind to rest that no one will find it easy to get through it. Plants are a really easy, affordable way to spruce up an entrance and give a bit of kerb appeal. I was really impressed with B&Q’s plant range in the bigger stores, they had some ace succulents (2 for £3) and lots of your basics like lavender and hydrangeas. I love the soft sweet smell of the fragrant lavender as I walk through the front door. I also bought a wisteria plant – looking a bit small and forlorn now – that will eventually spread its way across the entrance. I’ve always loved the dangling purple flowers wisteria produces (at least I’m hoping mine will at some point!) and the sprawling branches that often frame the prettiest of front doors. I bought a big planter to give it a little boost for now. There’s still lots of work to be done on the exterior of our new house, we’re getting new windows and will be tidying up and painting the front wall, and will keep you updated here.

With the renovations I’m slowly learning that things take much longer than you think they will take, but hopefully we’ll finally have the builders in at the end of September. For now, while we wait for the interior to be nice and ready, we have made the first step in making this house our own – starting with the front door. It’s now a lovely entrance to come home to in the evenings – smart, clean and fresh. It gives us a sense of pride that this is our new home. And it really doesn’t take much to give that bit of kerb appeal – a tidy up of your doorstep, a new door mat, a big tub of fresh plants. A few little changes can make a big difference. This post was written in collaboration with B&Q, all thoughts and opinions are my ownHomes to Love chatted to Davina Harper, a Dulux colour and design specialist, about which colour schemes sell at auctions and how The Block NZ: Villa Wars teams’ choices stack up Interiors:  Dulux ‘Remuera’, Dulux ‘Dannevirke’, Dulux ‘Spirits Bay Double’, Dulux ‘Southern Alps’

The exterior colour that Sarah and Minanne used is absolutely stunning – Dulux ‘Pukaki’ (a soft blue grey) which works perfectly with the roof colour they had been given. This is our favourite exterior choice! It is subtle and appealing, but also provides a real point of difference. Interior:  Dulux ‘Southern Alps’, Dulux ‘Castlecliff’, Dulux ‘Black’, Dulux’s Duramax Blackboard paint Exterior:  Dulux ‘Southern Alps’ and Dulux ‘Natural White’ By using black and white throughout their house, Jamie and Hayden have created a bold statement that isn’t for the fainthearted! Black and white can sometimes work well together, but they must be used carefully. They used pure-black in their lounge which may be seen as too bold for a living area, and the judges criticised their “vampire-like” master bedroom. We think a softer shade of black, such as a very dark grey or charcoal – like Dulux ‘Castlecliff’ – would have been more effective.

Interior & exterior: Dulux ‘Manorburn Quarter’ Brooke and Mitch’s house is gorgeous, but a few more colours would have added interest and made the house seem less stark. Colour can be used to lighten up darker rooms, or make smaller rooms cosier. By using only one white without any variation or texture, Brooke and Mitch have missed an opportunity to add character. Interior: Dulux ‘Lake Camp’, Dulux ‘Manorburn Quarter’, Dulux ‘Morrinsville’, Dulux ‘Aniwaniwa’ Exterior: Dulux ‘Marton’ and Dulux ‘Cardrona Quarter’ Cat and Jeremy have used a variety of colour to great effect. The colours they’ve used help create rooms that feel inviting, relaxed and easy to live in. They have also cleverly selected wall colours that complement some of the amazing artwork they have in the house. The lovely blue (Dulux ‘Lamp Camp’) they have used in the kid’s bedroom is a good example of using soft colour to create a lovely, relaxing space. Who played it safe and why?

By only using one colour throughout the house, they’ve missed an opportunity to add some interest. They could have used splashes of colour to add a sense of warmth and personality to some of the rooms. In saying that, their plain white colour choice could help them on auction day. Jamie and Hayden with their dramatic use of black and white.  This monochrome look is quite polarising; you will either love or loathe their style! This is a difficult question to answer as each home is appealing in a different way.Generally homes that have whites and neutrals throughout are appealing to potential buyers as people might be put off if they don’t like your colour choices. Whites and neutrals create a ‘blank canvas’ for potential new owners to easily visualise how they would inject their own personality into the home. However, there are exceptions! If you have used colour and design to create an amazing look, a potential buyer may fall in love with the home you’ve created, and you could end up with a buyer who’s willing to pay over the odds to get your style.

So if a buyer turns up to the auction who adores black and white, Jamie and Hayden may even be the team to beat! What’s your colour advice to people choosing a colour scheme for their home, or for those who are selling? Unless you are very confident with colour, keep it soft and neutral so that people can visualise themselves and their furniture in the home. A good tip to remember is that colour can also be used to hide design flaws or highlight features of your house that you want people to notice such as a beautiful front door with character features. Do you have any colour advice for those who have just bought a new home and want to freshen it up? Try and live in your home for a few months without making any drastic changes. That way, you get a good feel for the house – which rooms you spend most of your time in, which rooms get the most amount of light, etc. With digital tools now available, it’s getting easier to visualise paint colours in your home without having to pick up a paintbrush.