Remember, less is more.... so, keep it simple, initially.

Replacing windows with timber is great...but can be very expensive. Removing the shutters is quite easy for any handyman/woman.

A repaint would make a big difference but the cream isn't too bad, nor the green.

I would go with doing the maintenance jobs first as almost every house has some. Replace the light fittings, the leaking taps perhaps... Then do the landscaping, this will make your place something special if you engage a good landscaper or designer. Have them do a couple designs with different budgets. Seems like a bit too much plain concrete, but no actual path to front door.

Polished floorboards inside where you can, maybe a repaint. Remove the wall paper as its a bit much teamed with the carpet....

Thanks for your advice, you have some great points. I agree, we don't want to go crazy at the start - just do the bits that we need to make the house safe/comfortable to live in (eg fix electrical, put in heating and cooling) plus do the basics to make it look "nice" inside (paint walls, polish floorboards and new light fittings like you suggested). I'm sure this will end up costing quite a bit anyway so this might be it for now!

We also found today a few hidden surprises that will require attention asap, like asbestos vinyl in between the carpet and floorboards unfortunately and the fact that there used to be chimney hearths in the bedrooms that they have just replaced with cheap pine boards (not matching the rest of the boards).

Having a nice garden design will also make a huge difference I think. You are right, there is lots of concrete and a bit of grass - very different from what we are used to (coming from an established garden) so I'm longing for some trees there already!

All houses have hidden surprises such as patched up floors, a bit of asbestos in the older ones....

Repair the floor boards with some matching boards, refinishing the lot will give a invisible repair in most cases. Shame the hearths went....

Keep us posted on how it goes its already a great character cottage so its quite a good starting point.

Hi guys, your house seems to have great street presence even with roller shutters as it looks now - so it can only get better with your vision. Just a thought - if you don't want to remov e the shutters, possibly the window company could remove them when they replace the front ones - this could be an option?? I have also been looking for window replacements and some companies even seem to offer a double hung window with aluminium on the outside (
N white would suit your place - with interior and wood frame on the inside - I think they call it composite - which you could oil or paint if you want the look of wood on the inside of your rooms without the additional maintenance of wood windows sticking in winter. The house seems to have good bones - high ceilings in front rooms and and great sized kitchen meals space which is great to have. So lots of potential. All the best.

Thank you for your comments and advice :-)
The asbestos has taken up a fair bit of our time at the moment getting quotes for removal etc (in more places than first thought unfortunately and may impact floorboards a bit) so once we have that sorted we will hopefully will be able to power forward with some more fun things!

Sorry to be contra here, but unless the roller shutters are broken, leave them be for the time being. They are ACE for keeping out the hot sun in summer and keeping the cold out on winter nights. Being manual makes them less convenient to roll up and down than the motorised version, but still, they are more effective than any other shade treatment you can name. Love the sandstone facade by the way! Why not prioritse the indoor flooring (carpets and hard flooring) and window treatments? Think carefully about putting Venetians above your sink: they will always get regularly splashed with water drops and are a pain to clean.

I don't know how long you have been in this house but it is best to do a minimum like a paint work inside to start with. Live in the house for at least a year before you decide on what you really want to change and keep saving for when the time is right. Many people think they want to replace everything, but as the time goes by they realise that it would have been the wrong decision. Live with it for a while and keep learning and keep photos of what you like as a reference.

Take the roller shutters off the front, but keep them elsewhere for security, insulation, storm protection and noise reduction.