Thank you. Corten steel Leaf sculptures by Lump Studio, Melbourne. We love their work. www.lump.com.au

I quite like the concept of the garage timber thingy but the style you show is too 'colonial' for your house. You could have something more contemporary made to suit however. You could also put a modern pergola in front of the garage that joins onto the pillar outside the front door and grow something over that. The garage door looks lighter than the render which makes it pop more so I would paint the render the same colour as the door. I might even render the bricks which I'm not in love with but you only need do this at the front. Plant something low and bushy along the front where the gravel is. I planted lavender bushes to soften the front of my house and keep them well pruned. It made an amazing difference. Replacing the garage door with one with windows would cost about 4 grand and would make a little difference I guess but not substantial.

the painted arbour would be the easy solution, photos would help

if the original asbestos walls are in good condition then they can re-be painted but if the walls are too damaged to be saved the asbestos needs to be removed by professionals and the cladding replaced, no reason you can't have different profiles on the front and sides as long as joints and corners are sealed properly but if you plan to install new windows it could be better to wait to repair sections of wall as the windows are replaced (i'd prefer to have all the roof and external walls in good condition and then do the internal work at leisure)... .modern fibrous cements are excellent ...we've just used flat fibrous cement with curved battens over joints and very happy with the results for our 50's house (there are several different brands available through the big hardware stores and research on line is much easier than trying to work out the variations in store) the gabled portico can be made as a separate structure or as a extension to the roof with valley gutters depending on placement of the solar panels (and/or solar panels can be moved)