Linda the image above uses a pediment type of scenario, and creates a recessed gable, however with one side of your home having a parapet and the other, a floating gable without a soffits, I think it wouldn't work. I think the strapping i showed yours easiest and most effective as it won't look like fixing an error. As for no shingles, they are my first pick, but very particular and you lean either way, I'm for them, but only real ones, not the fc product ones which have wrong proportions all round. I could only suggest using a batten arrangement in the same way as your gable, otherwise the lining boards look best. These can be sheets, so fixing would be easy. It would tie in with your porch roof being lining boards too. The main thing for me is that window awning, put architraves to the exterior of that window frame, paint it the dark blue colour, to conceal the white window, that's why I suggested white timber details, to make sense of this error.

Linda Do you like the idea of mid- blue laminate for the bottom doors with slightly lighter blue for the top run. Then the mid-blue could be used for the front of the island - perhaps with a patterned laminate or glass with a hint of the green in the pattern. Lots of house plants would finish it off well. Let me know what you think.

Go nuts with sample pots and gaze at the colours throughout the changing daylight! I wanted a soft, fresh backdrop for greenery and used 'white disclosure', a British paints colour, but mixed in Taubmans (prefer Taubmans quality over dulux) , it is a really beautiful 'white' that looks fresh but not at all stark. I started with very 'white' sample pots and was surprised at how awful (and bright!) they looked and that 'white disclosure' actually appeared a muddy brown against them.

I wonder if you should look into this a lot further. I find it hard to believe that you can't sell a house in the kind of location you describe, walk away, and find a nice place maybe in one of the more peripheral areas, that will meet your requirements, give you cash in hand, and not touch your $100,000 nest egg. No, you certainly wouldn't end up in the inner city but you could end up in a situation that provides the facilities you need and gives you a financial cushion. That said, my real concern would be how to make this house workable for boarders while preserving your privacy. I think you need to provide a floor plan of what you have for anyone to make anything approaching informed advice.