I did post it in Design Dilemma, but I am not sure if it did load it.

This is just like our Mediterranean house in Canberra. It was rendered white which never cracked or got mould on it, though I would prefer it to be done in a modern colour like our current home on the Gold Coast which is a rich sand colour with a heavy bagged appearance that has faded from a strong dark sand. With beautiful dark patterned orangey tiles all outside that reflect their colour on the walls during the day it is quite magical. Roof tiles also spray painted after being re pointed. I suggest you amplify the lovely quality of arches and don't go for what is trendy. But go with colour scheme for the house design. At our entrance there is a built up garden courtyard feature with wonderful iron gates and a large water feature in the courtyard that the lounge room looks out to and has the French doors that also opened onto the courtyard garden. Commence the courtyard wall to the left side of the steps and create a flat area at the gated entrance where we had a north single gate and a west double gate. The Pines were planted on the outside of this courtyard wall and gave extra privacy and blocked the westerly afternoon sun. The house always looked impressive, yet was just a simple presentation.

I detest rendering with a passion. If you go down this path, the whole period of the home will be lost forever. Rendering can be high maintenance after some years and it also affects the breathability of buildings. I assume it's solid brick? So why remove the natural insulation of brick by covering it with a product that is already losing its appeal? And the colour of the brick is beautiful and neutral. I would remove the garden blocking the view of the home. I would have a 1.5 metre hedge at the front with a taller one to hide the neighbours fence. Then consider a tree, off centre in a lawn (deciduous). For a first home and garden, this is simple and will be low maintenance after a few years.

With such a large house I think it would need some other darker colour along with white to help "ground" the look. Also, as mentioned above, pure white on an exterior looks very glarey - surfmist would be perfect. I would strongly suggest getting a colour consultant to help with such a large project - and get some mock-ups done with different colour ideas.