If you are on a tight budget I would not paint the roof. I don't like the brick color but I would not rush to paint the brick as once you do you will be stuck painting the brick into the future. I think if it were my place I would focus on good landscaping. Along the front of the house you could get some tall attractive plants in pots. Go for an odd number, e.g. 3 and 3 either side of the Left window and make sure the plants all match and are in attractive matching pots. On the right hand side of the door you would need three more potted plants one each side of the windows. Should you move in future years , you can take your plants with you or sell them.

I believe this softens the front of the house and covers the brickwork pretty effectively.

Some people might choose to grow a creeper over the façade of your house to cover the brickwork. But I don't whether this might cause damp issues?

Looks to me like you need a path to your front door. What style of garden do you like? Do you want low maintenance, drought tolerant?

Hi, sorry I don't know what to suggest. I would suggest you go to your local nursery and describe your requirements. e.g.hardy?, flowering? etc If the sun hits the front of your house, ie it gets full sun you would need to get some plants that can cope with that,

Do you have ideas for the color scheme or layout for garden? e.g. a friend of mine is doing her garden with only white flowering plants and is only using three or type of plants and is going for a symmetrical look.

Once you decide on the plants you want checkout ebay for bargains!

I don't have a colour scheme yet, I plan on focusing on the front of the house in the next month thats why I thought i'd get in early with some ideas from other people, will be my first gardening project.

Thank you Deborah. Yes the lace certain will be going, i'm thinking of getting due roller blind so that we can block out the sun when it comes in without having to keep the awnings. I wouldn't have a clue which way the windows face, but generally in the arvo the sun shines straight in. I can't seem to roll them up, theres quite old so the mechanisms have broken or are a bit stiff, either way once the roller blinds go in i'm getting rid of the awnings.

With those type of awnings you usually have to push inwards on the bottom rail then guide it up the side rails. They might need some oil? My apologies if I'm telling you something you already know!

I'd actually try painting them before getting rid of altogether. Just add a fabric medium to the paint. You could glue the loose scalloped ends up to give a straight edge.

If the roof insulation is good, I'd consider painting it Colorbond Monument and maybe put some spin-aways in. Fascia board a lighter colour.

If it were me I would look at rendering the brick (not sure what it would cost) get rid of the awnings and put up black shutters across the front, black front door. Pity the roof is green. Good luck

Going by the estate agent's phone number your house is in Parkes or somewhere nearby.

Planting some gardens would certainly soften the boldness of the brickwork.

The side fence also needs to be covered if there's a garden along it. A climber trained on wire along the fence shouldn't take long to cover it. I'sd suggest Chinese Star Jasmine but check with your local nursery to confirm that it will grow in your town.

Some taller shrubs to block out parts of the house will create a bit of mystery as well as softening. A small to medium tree or two will also create a bit of scale.

I won't suggest any plants as I don't know your soil or climatic conditions but your local nursery may be able to offer some advice. Also a drive round the neighbourhood will give you a good idea about what grows well in the area. Perhaps even a consultation with a garden designer or horticulturist will be money well spent as they will know the area well and make suitable suggestions for layout, selection and soil improvement.

It's best to buy fresh healthy plants locally even it costs a bit extra. Plants aren't like other goods which come on special from time to time. When a plant is on special it's because it's passed it's 'used by date' and generally has something wrong with it. Once a plant is suffering in the pot it's difficult to guarantee a happy healthy result down the track in which case you'll be paying out again and be further behind with your garden.

Best wishes.

Sounds like the Windows face west, you need the awnings in Summer. Do as Doh said, and push down on the bottom edge when moving them. Apply WD40 to the mechanism if that doesn't work.

i would get the roof painted a colour from your bricks. The awnings will look fine then.

looks like you're facing West if the sun comes straight in..you'd need those blinds so the sun don't hit the windows like Ann has suggested..

the other option is to plant trees to provide shade..

if you're going to move in 3-4 years I wouldn't put too much money in the house..

the house looks neat enough..a nice front fence ..landscaping ..new letter box

If you plant trees, keep them small, get deciduous ones to keep sun in winter, and keep them and their roots away from the house foundations. Don't choose a flowering tree with pink flowers, it will clash with the bricks.

Hey exciting for you, looks like a good solid home.

Ive painted a brick house we once owned & it looked amazing! You will have to repaint every 5 years. I can see youve got cream joinery so a dark navy blue brick with painted silver roof would look pretty awesome. As for the awnings you could just get some all weather fabric paint and do them in a navy aswell.

As for planting, Im in NZ so our weather conditions are probably different.

Im visualizing this planting with a navy blue house, if you can mass plant large tussock with a few cabbage trees planted amongst them, this will give you a striking contrast against the dark colour of the house its also a really cheap planting option. Looks like the letterbox needs to be moved over closer to the driveway and start your planting along the same line as where your letter box is going to go.

Have fun and trust me it will look amazing!

Send some after photos ( ;

Those awnings are not my favourite either but don't ditch them unless you want to roast in summer. They have cost quite a bit to install so they've been put there for a reason. If you are expecting to move in a few years, it's not worth investing in external cosmetic changes to an otherwise solid house. Put in some good trees and plant groups that tone with the roof colour and frame the house.

If you're still not sure which way your home faces, look your address up on a street directory or Google Maps.

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.