Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to respond. Your first photo siriuskey is the colour scheme I'd love to go with so good to hear that you'd think it would match with the blonde brick. I also like the shale grey roof idea butterflyroof and you're right that you don't see much of the roof at all (mainly when looking out the upstairs bedrooms). The olive green is definitely another possibility to look at oklouise and I've made a note to use 'mid-century' in search terms. Definitely plan to pressure clean bricks and a bit relieved to hear that leaving them is the better option. I'm still finding it hard to imagine a darker grey cladding like monument with the blonde brick debluc but it's certainly been suggested a few times so I'll keep searching for inspiration. Thanks again :) (attached is a photo of a house near us that I like and that has a brownish tinge to the cladding that would hopefully work with our bricks as it seems to work with their sandstone - maybe dune colourbond?)

Picture 1 , I can't tell if that is tree branches or timber rot showing on the front right area ? Anyway , I quite the colours , they are quite period and suit the house . Having said that , if you do have to replace weather boards and repaint , then my response would be different , BUT assuming they come up okay with a pressure wash , I'd stick with them . What I would change is the barge board around the top , and the wrought iron -- I'd go charcoal on both . I just feel it would freshen and balance the look . Then I'd do some landscaping -- 5 or 6 two metre tall shrubs/trees , maybe a bark garden or white chip stone . Wait a year or two , and re-evaluate .

Agree with dreamer. I would do the roo (probably wide profile matte colour bond), remove the wrought iron work, re-tile verandah and do landscaping. This will make the house shine. Painting the bricks or rendering or trying to weatherboard it will never make it look better. I live in a similar house that was rendered and how wish I could shake the previous owners now I've lived in it for 10 years.

Progress report…have gone against general consensus and opted for moving away from the traditional colours. The painting is not yet completed but am personally loving the transformation.