Hi Melanie

What a great house! I think what your intuition is telling you is that the surroundings need to equal the mass of the building.

I agree with the idea of finishing off the fence. I would not use slats on the house however as this will add bulk.

I suggest planting a hedge behind the boundary fence and allow that to grow higher than the fence. This would give bulk AROUND the building. Plants near the house will only add to the building's bulk.

Having said that, perhaps growing some kind of vine across the side wall would soften the appearance.

Some colourful planters on the front balcony with eye- catching boganvillea would distract from the bulk of the house.

Thank you heaps. I definitely agree that the fence needs something. We have planted a climbing rose at the base of the tall pillar. But, we'll continue to build up the garden along the fence line. Thank you once again everyone. Garden gloves are at the ready!

Further down the line you might play around with programs that allow you to envisage the house with different coloured windows (blinds or whatever is currently black) and garage doors.

This is just typical of today's new subdivisions - large homes on small blocks of land. The developers usually flatten everything to build so you have no trees to help 'settle' the homes into the environment and the homes stick out like sore thumbs. There is now no room for anyone to plant decent trees.

If you hedge your fence that will take the place of doing anything more to it, but I would seek assistance from your Local Council to improve the nature strip. It looks like one solitary tree has been planted but Councils will often supply more for you to plant and care for. It looks like you have no power lines to worry about either which is helpful. You have great footpaths as well as a wide nature strip, so there is plenty of room to improve the whole streetscape Maybe get your neighbours to join forces with you and create tree lined avenues, these will be of so much benefit to the environment, clean your air, reduce summer heat and will help your homes fit into the environment better. Our cities really need people to be more proactive in this respect.

In-fills to the fence would make a massive update.

But definitely have landscaping done. A designer could come up with a design to soften the brickwork. There looks to be a lot of hard surfaces, but seems even more so as it's a corner block so you essentially have two frontages that need softening. The existing landscape doesn't do this house any justice. Shame really as it's a great looking statement house. Great starting point though.

Have you thought about building an almost continuous awning/hood above the lower floor windows? It would protect the openings from rain, give sun protection and effectively reduces the visual bulk of the building. I love it when an addition adds value in lots of ways

I definitely agree the garden needs massive work. A great idea to ask the council for more trees, Olldroo! I reckon the neighbours will definitely get on board. It's a wide street with a lot of big, brick houses! The developer/ builder of the entire pocket lives a few doors down from us, so I'll need to be careful not to be too critical and focus on environmental/ street scape positives when addressing it with the neighbours.

On the other hand Melanie, maybe he needs a bit of a wake up call for any future developments he may be planning. Tree lined streets can significantly improve the value of an area too. Your home is lovely and it looks a nice area.

You have a lovely home. The photos depict a slightly pink render - I would be painting it that shade of pink.

The fence does to be finished off - as suggested wrought iron. Standard roses (if your area can cope with them) would look lovely around the inside border.

I definitely agree the fence needs finishing and black patterned wrought iron would look fabulous, also the same pattern to finish the balcony - at each of the rendered or brick columns between the windows I would plant very tall dark green pencil pines, between them in front of the windows white standard iceberg roses and carry on with the Iceberg roses close together along the inside of the fence, these would soften the whole area, I would not put too much in the way of trees or bushes on the verge, just have a nice well kept green lawn, you don't want to hide your home, it looks lovely and a home to be proud of, it may take some time to re-figure your garden but take your time and enjoy doing the changes you will then be able to enjoy your lovely home. Good Luck.

Some great ideas, but which ones to choose?

The fence looks incomplete so finishing that off, although expensive, is advisable.

There seems to be very little grass in the front yard so the idea of planting out the front with shrubs, including a hedge, will soften the view of the house.

Street trees are a good idea. It looks like you could plant two along the 'side' street and there's one already out the front. The mature trees will frame the house just like a good frame enhances a lovely painting.

Well chosen street trees can enhance a neighbourhood as well. Councils can assist with advice as can your local nursery. It would be great if your neighbours joined in as well.

Best wishes

Arthur

www.arthurlathouris.com

What function does the fence actually have? Finishing it will cost a bomb so why not get rid of it altogether? Then the garden will visually extend to the kerb and the house will sit better in a seemingly larger plot.

I'd also change the colour of the garage doors to match the house so that the house does not look so top heavy. You can easily paint the doors so the house will appear wider and the garage doors won't pop so much. Lighter doors don't absorb so much heat either so the garage should stay cooler.

I agree with the comments on changing the garage door colour, replacing or infilling the fence with a hedge and balancing the size of the house with a line of street trees.

It would be good to use Dulux fine Texture Outdoor paint with a texture/spaghetti roller in a sandy (pale yellow) light to mid colour range on the all brickwork, including fence.

Horizontal powder coated steel inserts to fence to finish it off in a the same blue as roof, guttering, etc. Leave the garage door colour as is (blue).

I'd take out the tree you have planted in front yard as it just doesn't look right and will give you financial pain as it's roots damage your drains, and home. Just have one or two blue large round (you already have lots of straight lines) planters near or on the entrance to doorway. Large succulents like Agave in the pot would look striking and need little watering. Plant dwarf or regular Lilli Pillies on the council strip on both sides of corner in a line about 1.5 metres apart. They are a very fast growing native, that don't drop very many leaves and only need watering in the initial stages. They also are more tall than wide. This will give you more of a private, lush feel without the problems of planting trees in your extremely close front yard. Don't go with any suggestions of hedges....they are fickle and the work involved to keep them looking sharp would be horrendous. You just want to enjoy your home, not be a slave to it! Good luck:)

Thank you to everyone for all of the great suggestions. I think we are heading towards knocking the fence down and building up the garden. Changing the colour of the doors, windows and roof is on the cards. However, I'm a little hesitant to paint the bricks. There's a light render on them and we live near the beach so the salt air may prove to be an issue.

Hi Melanie, that was a great idea to knock down the fence, opening up your garden, particularly if you live near the sea, the salt would destroy any metal no matter how well it was treated. Good luck and keep us posted

Yes, I can vouch for salt air damage too. The render would have the colour added to it so is permanent - painting it would mean you would be always repainting as it chips and peels. Always think of future work before doing anything, especially in a house that size that would need scaffolding and probably a professional to do the work. It is such an ongoing unnecessary expense.

A lot of garden designers will do plans for you too that you can then use to work on your garden in your own time which defrays the cost too.

How much pedestrian traffic do you get in your area? Consider this before removing the fence, especially when you are on a corner block - people do try to take short cuts, and I feel a corner block especially needs the boundary clearly defined.

Hi

Your house is very palatial! and could be the star of the street!

Consider painting the driveway, as this will add a more finished and luxury feel. A dark grey or charcoal would work better. The garage door could be painted darker as well for a more modern look.

Finishing the front boundary fence with more classic wrought iron work in the same dark colour as your gutters and balustrade would work well.

Planting hedging, and a more formalised garden will complete the look. The colour of your planting is really crucial for the colour of your home. Try to opt for darker green foliage, to tie the area all together.

If you are up for painting, have a look through Bodo's ready made colour concepts, ready for immediate download. You can then give the colour selections to you painter, and get started!

The concept that we recommend for your house is here at :

http://bodoboards.com.au/collections/paint-concept/products/the-grand-paint-concept

Good Luck!

Pleeeeeease don't knock down the fence it is truly an asset. This applies especially if you want to claim your front and side yards as private spaces, with private garden outlooks from the ground floor rooms. Hedging plants would be the most effective, and cheapest, solution for filling in between the pillars. I can also see three trees front, corner and side. 'Black' leaved trees such as black Gleditsia, Agonis After Dark or even Prunus Blireana would really complement your colour scheme and anchor your house in its plot. Choose deciduous or not depending on orientation. As always check out what works in your local area and ask at a good nursery. Could be grand!

Great idea about checking what plants work in the local area and visiting your local nursery. I'm not sure I've actually seen a reference to where you live, Melanie. Your location and soil will have a bearing on what you plant.

Before deciding to remove the fence find out the cost of removal and disposal compared to finishing it off. Also, factor in what you're going to do with the solid concrete footing once the fence is gone. Remember, it will be wider than the fence and just below ground level so nothing will grow in that space and mulch will keep blowing off and possibly leaving the concrete exposed. Not a good look in front of such a lovely house.

One possibility is to lower the piers to just above, or level with, the wall. This will define your property. Reinforce this with a hedge or selected planting behind and it could look better than the original intent of the higher wall/fence.

Fiddle around with the photo and see if you can simulate a variety of options.

Best wishes

Arthur

Federation roof finials & Dutch gables? :)