For the car port I would keep it simple and open. Use a skillion colorbond roof attached to the house and timber support posts. Do you want to continue with the Tuscan theme? If so I think either go a whitish colour or a darker charcoal colour for the windows and doors. If you intend to paint the exterior walls then you open a whole other world! The front fence would look amazing out of sandstone if that is in your budget, otherwise what about a stackable stone finish which you could glue into a Hebel wall?

If you are planning to move in a few years, leave the decision whether to paint the bricks to the next owner - they may not wish to have the regular job of re-painting! The awnings , as already mentioned, may be there for a very good reason - wait until mid summer before you decide to ditch them totally, it would be good to get them working properly again to get the sunshine into the house in winter . Central West NSW is a hard place for plants - hot and dry in summer, frosty in winter. Chinese Star Jasmine is an excellent choice along the side fence, but will need watering when young, especially if that fence is exposed to sunlight the whole day in summer. It will grow and become quite heavy, make sure the fence is up to it. You could plant some deciduous trees in the front lawn to give shade in summer to those front windows - crepe myrtles are tough enough, Chinese pistachios are good - anything will need watering to establish, but once they are growing well you can gradually toughen them up by decreasing the watering; the deciduous trees will lose their leaves in winter and still let the sunlight come pouring in to the house. Grass will struggle under their branches once the trees start to spread, so plan to create garden beds underneath them early on. You could underplant with bulbs - tulips will love the cold winter, daffodils and jonquils will love the winter sunshine when the leaves are bare. You will need to know the path of the sun in midsummer and in midwinter to work out the best position for trees, so take pictures of where the sunlight and shadows fall in the different seasons to refer back to when planting. Roses also love a hot dry climate, but you may not wish to get involved with rose pruning and thorns etc! Talk to your local nursery person, they will be able to give you good local advice and recommendations - if you have an idea of what you need the front to do that will help - do you need lawn for kids , are you happy to kiss the lawn goodbye etc. Wander around your neighbourhood in the different seasons, and if you see something that catches your eye, either talk to the house owner or take a picture and visit the nursery again! Most people are thrilled to be asked questions about their garden, and will prove to be mines of useful information. See if there are any open gardens open to the public in spring / summer - these are often really spectacular, and the grand country gardens are wonderful for ideas , which can be modified for a smaller area and budget.

I just googled & found this site, which quotes cost of R2.5 75mm. there are other suppliers as well. What was quoted to you for cost of roof installation, and was it itemised so you can see exactly what thickness the foil-backed insulation builder will use? I'm guessing the thinner (lower R factor). So, the new quote should reflect a credit for the cost of previous insulation, since it won't be used, then cost of thicker insulation added. Does that make sense? If you are unsure, best to speak with the builder. https://www.pricewiseinsulation.com.au/product/heavy-duty-fletcher-permastop/

consider Colorbond steel fencing panels, the same profile as the fence and similar colour to the pool house, easy to cut and install using gate fixings and readily available at Hardware and fence suppliers but try full height vertical doors of the half lift up door