70s House Exterior Makeover: 8 Stunning Before and After Ideas to Get Inspired (2024)

Houses built in the 1970s definitely have their own charm. Whether it is the one-story ranch or other styles that were also popular, all of them leave a specific impression, including in the exterior design.

However, things can be different if the house is bought by people nowadays. A desire to change the outer look because of various reasons, including to update the visual to fit the most recent trends, to adjust the design concerning home addition or expansion, to meet the family needs, to increase the price of the property, and so on, is very possible to occur. In this case, a makeover can be the best solution.

Do you have the same experience? Are you looking for some ideas to change the outer look of your 1970s residence? If so, then you are already in the right place.

Here we will share some 8 stunning before and after 70s house exterior makeover ideas. Each of the projects will show you that the fantastic final result will affect the occupants of the house and other people outside the family who also see the building.

1. Fabulous Whole Makeover to A1970s Traditional Brick Home Exterior

For the first inspiration, you can take a look at this 1970s grey traditional brick house. And, the picture above is before the makeover.

The house has a solid traditional look here. Although it has the fab, still some things are lacking, and those become the reasons why the makeover was done in the first place.

The house had quite many windows, but it was not easy to enjoy the garden view from inside. Other than that, the facade also looked too ordinary that it needed some revamping.

It is how the home exterior looks now. There are quite a lot of significant changes that we can see here. The first is the wall that is no longer grey brick but is finished and gains a new warm white color.

All the doors and windows are new. They are now dominated with glass material that creates an open and airy feel and allows the occupants to enjoy the outside views right from inside the house.

Here the day view makes all the changes applied in the makeover project more visible. As you can see, there is also an extension with exposed brick material here. It matches really well with the new wood garage door.

The new concrete patio is also visible here. It gives a neater look to the facade and can function as a space for outdoor living. Just add some chairs, and a table and everything will be perfect.

The makeover project does affect not only the front of the house but also the back. At first, the space was dominated by lawn only. There was a raised patio with a table and chairs on it, but it was not spacious.

A neater look is also obtained in the newly designed back exterior, which impression is more or less the same as the front one. Thanks to the expansion of the raised patio with brick planters decorating the edges.

Another thing that we can notice here is the replacement of the windows to the simpler ones that have a stronger modern feel. Besides that, sliding glass doors are also included in the design, giving a chance for the occupants to enjoy the beautiful landscape right from the house.

2. Small Yet Significant Changes in a 1970s Mid Century Ranch House

Sometimes, a makeover does not always change the shape of the house significantly. Although so, the small details added can create a whole new impression of the 70s home exterior.

An example of this case occurs in the picture. It shows a two-story ranch house built in the 1970s. This one is the photo of the house before it gets a significant makeover in the exterior and interior.

This is the picture of the house after the makeover. As you can see here, the shape of the house does not change. However, if you take a closer look, you will find some changes that make the house look more stunning.

The most significant one is none other but the exterior colors. If the first floor was previously dominated with exposed brick material, the walls are now finished, and it gets a new grey color.

Another stunning color that we cannot miss is the red front door. This entrance obtains a new hue and wider sidelights that finally make it attached to the new wooden garage door next to it.

The horizontal siding on the second floor is still the same, but the color is new. If previously it was light blue, it is now grey with a darker shade than the one applied in the first floor’s walls.

From the updated second floor design, we can also notice that the glass styling is different now, although the window placement is still the same. Every window has a black frame and white trim, making it easier to see the outdoor views through it.

The last but not least exterior makeover that was done to this house is related to the driveway and landscape design. There is a new walkway added in front of the main entrance. A new lawn exists between it and the driveway, too, adding a refreshing touch to the home exterior.

3. 1970s Exterior Makeover and Garage Addition

Sometimes, an exterior makeover done to a 70s house is also completed with addition and extension for various reasons. A case like this is the one that you can find in the example above.

Before the makeover, it was clear that the exterior colors were dull. As a matter of fact, it seems to be the main changes applied to the outer and you can see it in the new picture.

The taupe and beige colors are definitely the most noticeable ones in this 70s exterior makeover project. Compared to the earlier look, the house looks bolder but still has a cozy and welcoming impression.

The new red front door is also beautiful. It seems to invite everyone to come in.

As we already told you earlier, this makeover also includes an addition. The detailed part that we talk about here is the garage. This one seems to connect the interior and exterior of the house for the sake of easier access.

Last but not least, there is an extended walkway added in front of the front door and the garage. It connects the house and the street.

4. Amazing New Covered Rear Porch in a 1970 Small House Exterior Makeover

When we first saw this project, we couldn’t help but think that it looked very striking. Here we want to focus more on the rear part of the house, although the makeover affects the whole parts of the exterior.

First, let us take a look at the photo of the residence before the makeover took place. Nothing was interesting in this rear part. It is not attractive enough for a family to spend time together there.

Now take a look at the new rear after the makeover. It is stunning and totally rejuvenated, with the covered porch and the small swimming pool at the side as the main stars.

From the fact that it is now closer to the big tree, it is clear that the new porch takes up new space in the backyard. It is a good thing actually because it makes the house bigger.

From this view, it is also obvious that a second floor was added. An addition like this is an excellent decision to make for a growing family.

As we already told you earlier, this makeover is a whole. It means that the front part of the house is also affected by it.

Here is the picture if you are curious about how the house looks from the front. Unfortunately, we cannot find any picture of it before the makeover was done as a comparison.

5. A Whole Exterior Makeover Done to a 70s Tropical House

This 70s tropical house is another example showing that an exterior makeover should not always be done by changing the shape of the residence. You can look at this picture to know how the house looked before the project took place.

Now, look at this picture as a comparison. The exterior makeover done to the house really changes the look even if the building structure is still the same.

The most noticeable part changed in the project is the warm white paint color applied to the wall. It makes the house look more on the neutral side now.

It goes really well with the blue color applied on the doors, shutters, and railing that also add a refreshing touch to suit the tropical theme even better. If you look closely, the door seems to be replaced too.

Another thing that is also very nice to see is that the front landscape design of the house is updated too. It looks neater and more beautiful now.

FYI, this house experienced a whole remodeling and renovation. Those include the rear part where the swimming pool area is located.

Before the makeover, the rear looks ordinary. It also does not have any shaded area to get away from the sun after spending time in the pool.

Now, look at the rear of this house after the makeover. The same thing that we can find here is the color theme. It is the same as the ones applied to the front.

However, unlike the front part of the house, where the shape does not seem to change, there is a pretty big difference here. It is caused by none other but the permanent patio cover addition.

As for the pool, it does not receive any changes. However, you can see that the floor is new now. It looks more gorgeous and stylish than the previous one.

6. A Warm and More Welcoming 1970s Facade after a Stunning Makeover

A makeover can also make a 70s home exterior design look warmer and more welcoming. An excellent example of this exists in the picture above.

It shows a traditional split-level ranch house with an earthy color scheme. If we take a look at it, there was actually nothing wrong with the design. Although some updates could make it even better.

Let us talk about the changes one by one. We can start by taking a look at this picture of the 70s exterior after the makeover.

Honestly, we do not really know whether or not the wall paint color is changed with the new one here. If it is, it seems the color looks highly similar to the old one.

From this picture, we can see clearly that the house does not lose its main features. In this case, we specifically talk about the doors and windows.

However, we can see some updates in this part. For example, the frame of the windows gets a new color.

Other than that, the larger window on the upper level is now changed into a bay. It also affects the roof styling if you notice it.

In the lower level, the exposed brick does not exist any longer. As the replacement, there is natural stone material used to cover the lower part of the wall.

Another part that also experienced a significant update is the front door. The shape is still the same because the old frame is still used.

The difference is that the material is now solid wood without any glass. It has the same stained appearance as the garage door, and together they contribute to making the new exterior look warmer and more welcoming.

Talking about the front door, you may notice as well that it obtains a new portico now. Besides increasing the comfort value in using the entrance, it also gives an accent that makes the exterior even more gorgeous.

The last but not most minor thing that we cannot help but notice is the update done to the landscape. It looks fabulous after the makeover. And the change on the walkway makes everything even better.

7. Updated 1970s Exterior with Preserved Original Features

This 1970s makeover project keeps the original shape of the house and preserved its features. The exciting thing is that we can still see some revised details to style up the residence.

From this before and after the front photo, you can see how the house looks from the front view. Let us talk about some most interesting updates here.

The front door now gets a new portico. The windows on the wall beside it still look the same, but the frame and louvered shutters gain new colors.

Talking about the window, there is a very interesting new detail after the makeover at the attic part. It is related to the fact that the dormers there get new gable roofs. It significantly enhances the style value of the home exterior.

On the landscape part, there is a new walkway extended for access to the front door. Another thing that is not less interesting is the stone fence, complete with the dog statues. We definitely love this because it does not look like it is a new addition at all. It just seems like the original part of the exterior,

If you are curious about how the back of the house got affected because of the makeover project, you can look at this before and after photo. Like the front, this part also gets a significant change in the paint color and other details, such as the window frame and shutters. Other than that, the dormers also obtain the same new gable roof.

8. Simple and Cost-Friendly 1970s Ranch House Makeover

Sometimes, a very simple new thing is the only one needed to change the 70s home exterior. Something like this is also perfect when you want to do a makeover project, but your current money is not enough to do a big one.

You do need to worry about that because you only need to find a suitable feature to makeover. We see a fascinating example from the 1970s ranch house shown in the picture above.

This is how the house looks after the makeover. Yes, it is true that overall there are no significant changes we can see here. The shape of the house and other features stay the same.

However, you can take a closer look at the windows. If previously there was cream-color vinyl siding under them, they get a more refreshing replacement, the cheddar tongue and groove siding that does not cover the wall entirely.

The unique design it has, which covers some parts of the window and some parts of the wall, create uniqueness. It is a perfect simple addition to the ordinary-looking exterior.

Closing

70s house exterior makeover projects can be performed in various ways. Although so, we can narrow the options to change the whole look of the residence or keep the original characteristics and features of the 1970s home while giving some refreshing updates to make the house more suitable for nowadays living. All the ideas that we share above show you some stunning examples that you can see.

Although it is not always like this, exterior makeover projects like these often come together with changes in the interior. These are meant to enhance the quality of the place and make it more suitable for nowadays living.

So, even if the exterior shape is still similar to the old one to keep the uniqueness of the 1970s building, the inside can guarantee a more comfortable living. An idea like this is quite interesting for you to consider.