Your house is brand brand new and so yes it does look a bit stark, but don't rush to repaint! Once you have added shrubs and it has settled in it will look really lovely. Put a little money into landscaping and it will look lovely. It just needs time to settle into the landscape. Definately don't paint it grey! That is not a look that works north of sydney in my opinion! It will look grim in the qld sunshine I think. Be patient, it won't take long for new plants to grow up in QLD. What comes to mind is your house is like a bride in a white dress... its the bouquet of flowers that really make her look beautiful. Try looking at bridal magazines for some inspiration for what garden style you like. 2 approaches I would try. Tropical foliage and tropical colour with bright gingers, lipstick palms, cordylines etc.. There are plenty of species that will do fine in the subtropics. Or the second and perhaps what I would favour for myself is to create an avenue of colourful flowering trees along the driveway like jacaranda, frangipani, flame tree, or perhaps one spreading poinciana out front in the middle of the yard if there is space. If you want some real wow factor employ a landscape gardener to give you something really unique, a great feature design. Or for a simpler approach just go to the nursery and pick what you like the look of. The house will look great with any sort of garden to soften the edges.

Hi...When mine was at the planning stage , I found the best way was to discreetly take photos of gardens I liked in the area..I like neat symmetry too and based my garden around hedges, paths and groundcover with some feature magnolias and 2 rectangles of lawn and it is easy to take care of and matured reasonably quickly. I also have some roses but I would probably omit them if I did it again. Garden centres are good for free local advice too. Hope that helps.

Kelli, Quite a few of the 70s and 80s houses (and earlier) that people are seeking to renovate seem to have this issue, so may be worth a quick scroll through "dilemmas" focusing on exterior revamp/improved street appeal of these? cheers

Hi Louise, We are a company based in VIC that specialise in artificial vertical gardens and hedging. Have you considered that to be a possibility? We ship all across Australia and our product is very high quality and UV treated to ensure longevity! Below are some photos of jobs we have done poolside to give you an idea of what it may look like. If this is something you may be interested in, get in touch with us!