Courtyards are coming back into fashion. Doesn't the wall give you privacy? What about a nice wrought iron gate in it for breezes and to stop any shut in feeling?

This is lovely!

Minimal urban living · More Info

Hi Brittany

Congratulation on your purchase, that central courtyard seem to offer a lot of opportunities, it is certainly a particular house slightly different from the rest a 70's gem.

The best way is to have a good brief and do a few sketch designs - this way you would get some ideas of possible costs and see if it meets your budget.

Even employing a couple of Building Designers to give you two complete different ideas could be a good long term investment, else it is a bit difficult to commit real time to the project and you end up with a lot of different ideas which may be difficult to join up to a good result.

But there are many ways to approach a design for a renovation, and as just as many solutions - but if you can get good advice at a reasonable cost - it generally pays back well.

Michael Manias mm407p@gmail.com

As the rest have said I would keep that courtyard, what a great little oasis. Yes please quickly remove those awnings. Some slated shades as John was describing would look more in keeping with the house style. I wouldn't use black however. It's the wrong color for that era. Possible a dark green or a bright blue to play off the blond brick and brighten the house. Tryian's big blue door would be perfect as an entry to your courtyard rather than the gate that is there now. I would paint the awnings and fascia one color and the door another . Congratulations on your new home. I hope your arm heals well.

Great house Brittany, so much potential. I agree with the others that the courtyard is a sensational space and the wall should stay.

The door, however, needs some pizazz as its essentially like your front door.

I've done colour schemes for quite a few yellow brick houses and find that a light stoney white looks very nice, particularly as your windows are light aluminium and can't be painted. This would be facia, eaves, timber above windows, downpipes, etc.

You could then paint the door (and your actual front door) in Namadji (as mentioned already) so that they stand out.

You then just need a really big black number on the wall to the right of the door to finish it off.

I wonder if some bi fold gates could be used in place of the wall? Provided they don't rattle!

I just know you guys will have some fantastic parties in your blonde brick house!

because, you know, blondes have more fun...

Brittany you have such a wonderful house there. Congratulations , how fun. Please continue posting questions and ideas, we're all interested in how this one progresses.

Tribble that is the ugliest dude I've ever seen. Just saying.

;)

Live there for a while before you change anything permanent. Feel free to change paint colours and other non-permanent changes though. See how you feel when you get settled.

I think it is safer to be able to see into the front courtyard, so maybe a more open gate. And beefing up the garden can do wonders for any houses exterior appeal. Enjoy!

Hi Brittany! I love your house. A few ideas...some of which are
repeats.

1. Don't change the
roof line! You have a '70's gem here and the roof line is a major part of the
appeal.

2. Keep your half wall
it's a great feature.

3. Keep your courtyard
as a light and air well for all the rooms off it. It's a great break-out
space.

4. You can paint
aluminium. There's a primer I love called Zinsser and it's
great http://www.zinsseruk.com/how-to-guide/how-to-paint-over-aluminium/

5. So, you can paint your fascia, window frames, and gate in a
unified scheme. It looks like your grout is quite dark so this could guide you
- deep charcoal would look great.

6. For now just paint the gate as above, but if funds allow
maybe go for a decorative punched steel.

7. Do you really need window awnings? If the windows face south
or east, likely not. Plus the tree(s) look like they are doing a good shading
job already. Get your compass out plus track the sun and use a site like
this http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/orientation to help.

8. Agree with posters
who say get big and water-loving plants away from the house perimeter. I speak
from bitter experience! A pebble-mulched garden bed planted with eg succulents,
snake plants, jade plants would fit and update the 70's vibe.

9. If you put a dark
coloured, flat border on the drive, around the tree (further out than
currently), and the garden beds you would sharpen up the landscaping. As a
bonus you'll get a great mowing edge. Extruded concrete edging is quick, clean
looking, and relatively inexpensive. One example
http://concretemakeovers.com.au/kwik-kerb/

10. Your lawn looks
like it could do with a bit of TLC. It needs coring/ aeration http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-aerate-your-lawn.html then fertilising and topdressing come spring and
summer. A healthy green lawn would set off the blonde bricks and charcoal
accents beautifully.

So as you can see, I'm
an advocate of working with what you've already got and just kicking it up a
notch. Have fun : )

Brittany, you must practise flicking your hair. It's all in the attitude. Aluminium frames can be painted. Rough them up a little after a good washing. Then the paint will adhere better. Use metal paint , ask at the hardware.

Please get rid of those outside window blind thingys! Terrible look - :)

@vee-2596 awnings. =)

Sorry! I had a mind blank!! :)

We did an external makeover on a 1970s blonde brick home. One word - rendering. The owners were thrilled with the result, the home is barely recognisable from its blonde brick days!

City Beach Home Improvement and External Makeover · More Info

There's nothing wrong with blonde brick.

Not at all , in fact blonde brick can be very stylish if treated properly.

They do say it has more fun.

lol tribtrub!