I love the open palings but it needs to suit the house, I also love the picket fence with THAT house.

Thanks for the photos, they help clarify your situation. A few points. The front wall, going by the brickwork, is approx. 700mm high. You could get this down to 600mm by sloping the lawn or garden slightly. Doing this should be fine and then you can pass the construction off as complying and replacement of existing wall. I'd assume the garden in front is part of the council nature strip in which case you can't move forward. I can't see neighbouring front fencelines so it's not obvious. Often there is up to 600mm between the boundary and the footpath but not always. I think there would be too much gabion. Contact a landscaper for a comparative price with sandstone. Obviously it's cheaper if you were intending to build the gabion yourself. The driveway is quite narrow. Widen it towards the lawn, not the boundary. You need to leave that narrow garden for softening of the fence in particular. A picket fence along the front should look fine in white, if that colour appears on your house but the paling fence should not be white. If you are doing a major reno of the house then the landscape items would be best left until the major work is complete. Then you can consider the landscaping in relation to the new look of the house.

Bi Je, they are dark green at the moment but will be changing once i reach to the point of painting the house

The 'underneath' is really nice , and that would be my preferred option . The current cladding does remind me of a Queenslander -- well , a Queensland shearing shed . Sorry to be so rude , but it's not great -- even the windows are different sizes ! The only couple of positives ( apart from the obvious fact that it is your home ) is that the windows appear quite dark , and that front stair looks quite pleasant in charcoal or black . The gable in a faded green doesn't help , nor match anything . A green like the Houzz house may suit , a mid blue , a steel blue , a yellow -- hell , most greys would be better , and thats saying something ! So that would be my step 1 . Step 2 would be better steps ! Even if you kept the existing ones , added railings , horizontal boards around the base in charcoal . If you are on a real tight budget , get a couple of sheets of smokey grey perspex cut so that they are about 100mm smaller than the holes in the railings , and attach using 10mm wide strips of stainless steel . Likewise , close in around the base of your house , as you quite rightly said , with horizontal railings , 100mm wide , 25mm gaps , stained charcoal . Maybe do the top rail in the same colour as your gable , so it looks a bit planned and interesting . The side fences -- stain in charcoal . Around the windows -- mask ( masking tape ) and paint in a metallic charcoal so that the sizes appear the same . A front fence would help , but all it needs is a 100 x 100 rail , with chamfered corners , mounted at a 45 degree angle , about 250-300mm above ground level on short posts , stained charcoal too . Add a letterbox , keeping to the monotone theme , so the only real colour is your gable . The life will be , as you said , in your excellent garden , and that is all it needs until you have the $$$ or braveness to go back to the houses roots .