I found a website that might be quite helpful for you http://www.colourtouch.com.au/ to visualise what colours and finishes could look like on your house. You can choose a style of house that closely matches yours then choose a number of set schemes, or start with a blank canvas and play around with any colour / finish you like.

If time and budget permit I would add horizontal screens (timber stain or charcoal/woodland grey) from the right pillar to the garage (hiding the down pipe) and from the left corner of the house (hiding the bins) Do basic landscaping, two narrow beds either side under the windows, bark mulch and simple plants e.g. Lomandra longifolia (a native low grassy dark green clumping plant) is common but easy spaced every 30 cm Valuers like safe and neutral schemes, so keep with the Woodland grey roof/fascia & Classic cream garage door and repeat this on the upper feature slats for now. Then add a warm complimentary colour for the front door, this is Dulux Rodham Then get a lush new plant for that pot too. If you keep it simple (KISS Principle) for now it will come together for sure :)

I would paint the weatherboard cladding and potentially the garage door charcoal or another grey colour. If they're not grey already, I would paint the gutters, etc a complimentary colour. I would consider going bold with the front door, maybe gloss black. Some plants on the front porch will help to soften the entry a little. It may also be worthwhile getting the driveway professionally cleaned and getting a matching path to the front door to replace the current pavers. If the window above the front door is open to a void, I would think about installing a really nice pendant light there (i.e. so it is viewable from outside). Finally, the balcony appears to have an odd, secondary balustrade (perhaps the brick isn't high enough). I would look at either removing it (if Council regulations allowed removal) or replacing it with something that would be naked to the eye.

It is a big house, and it would be difficult to remove the arches and make a neat job of the brickwork where it has been cut square. This means that if you do remove the arches you will need to render to disguise the cuts and any new brickwork. If you do go down this track don't compromise and just render the front facade, as it appears the end of the house is fairly exposed to the street and will need to be rendered as well. The main issue is the brickwork which doesn't have much visual appeal. If you would like your home to stand-out, and not look like other homes of the period that have been modernised, consider working with what you have, and embracing a contemporary spainish mission style. This would involve not removing the arches, and bagging the brickwork (which is cheaper than render), introducing some wrought iron elements in external lighting, balustrading, and landscaping with succulants and palms. The photo below is a bagged wall where the colour of the brick is disguised by a thin layer, but the outline of the brick can still be seen, whereas a render coat is a lot thicker, with a smoother finish, and completely conceals the brickwork. Your house is large enough to carry off a Spainish Mission makeover (it is already half-way there). If you are not familiar with this style it was used a lot in Hollywood in the 1930's, and there are lots of examples on Houzz if you do a search for Spainish Mission. While a contemporary Spainish Mission makeover is not to popular modern taste it is going to be very much cheaper, a lot more distinctive, conceal that unfortunate brickwork, and give your house a big lift. Best of luck with whatever direction you decide, Dr Retro