How about keeping the framework of the enclosed patio and the wall but opening it up... so pull off the roofing but keep the trusses... and grow some vines like a bouganvillea on a trellis over the area. It would protect your privacy and not waste the infrastructure of what has been built, but it would give the spot some beauty and street appeal. Bouganvillea or a similar brightly coloured vine would look amazing. Maybe a combination of vines so that you have maximum flowering... so some autumn leaf colour, summer flowers, spring flowers... think romantic like wisteria, jasmine, clematis, rose... or bold and tropical bouganivillea and mandevilla. You can paint the trellis a contrasting colour to add some appeal while the plant is growing up. Pulling off the roof will bring better air flow and light back into the living area.

You want your front door to be a feature and as it is timber it contrasts to the rest of your pallete so it stands out. By trying to match the garage door to the front door it will make the garage door look like more of a feature as it is a much larger area, and is more prominant. In addition your front door will be real timber that is stained, whereas the garage door will be a fake timber, probably a printed metal to look like timber, so you won't be able to get an accurate match. I would try and match the colour of the garage door to the brickwork so it is not a feature. Don't judge how your house will look from an artsist render - the colours are never accurate, just indicitive. The only way to judge is to get samples of each colour and lay them adjacent to each other outside. Your perception of the colours you have selected will change at different times of the day in different light conditions. I don't think there is such a thing as a "correct" colour scheme - everybody perceives colours differently, and has their own preferences. As long as you love it.... Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

thank you for your ideas and input. finally made the decision and yesterday started the task of external painting. i have selected an ironstone hue which is basically 1/2 tint with a bit of white added. indeed it blends in well with the bush landscape, and considering i am fairly traditional bordering on boring (my daughter's remarks) i am suitably impressed with my bold choices. rather excited to see the finished project for more reasons than one, but excited to finish and put the merbau timbers around the posts and the slats on the gable ends. thank you again..

I would go with Monument. The house is dark brown so adding some relatively small surfmist elements wouldn’t change the perception of the house. At the photo above the surfmist works well as the roof is visible from the ground and it’s surfmist as well. The brown brick has those dark spots which go well with Monument. The house will look dark but elegant. In order to make the house more cheerful I would invest into adding as much greenery as possible. You might even think about adding couple relatively large pots along your side wall and/ or at the front right. You can also paint the front door any cheerful colour you like.