we used to be in the burbs..always popped by my neighbour for a chat as she was a stay at home mum..then we moved to a Mac mansion lol knew both neighbours weren't as close.. we've since downsized ..moved closer to the city..we are in the commercial /retail area..only have one neighbour as he lives on top like us too..really nice guy so all good one thing I find as you move closer it's more traffic..thank goodness we live across from train station..one time I went to the shops came back peak hour took the main road..20 mins to get back we are only 3km from the shops.. now I just take the train they come every few mins..and only 4mins to shops no need to find parking. the other bad bits is there's no parking we've only got space for two cars council gave us a permit for the third..kids are growing up and learning to drive ..they won't be able to have their own car living with us.. also privacy..when someone has a party we can't sleep lol too bunched up the music seems much louder.. more apartments going up around us..they will be looking into our deck pretty soon.. we relocated because kids were older couldn't justify one hour drop off pick up each way for schools.. also because we couldn't upkeep our mansion anymore ..too busy ..place too big..it became a burden..now it's much more manageable :)

lucky you! your water tank is below ground. I have to look at my 20,000 litre tank outside my kitchen window. It sits on a concrete plinth so I can't even plant around it. I'm too terrified to grow creeping fig on it incase it affects the integrity of the tank. At the moment it has wisteria draping over it, looks lovely in spring but deciduous and it's now becoming too invasive so need to get rid of it.. I also have star jasmine approaching from an arch beside - can't wait for it to take over the tank.. I love all the decorative features suggested but I reckon something like star jasmine might work with some other landscaping features to the side: bench, rock, more plants. The beauty of star jasmine is that it doesn't root, will drape over and can be pulled aside. Every couple of years I put the blower over the top of my water tank it to make sure the leaves don't mulch to create soil on top.

you'll have a much better BASIX energy savings rating and a more comfortable home with a light coloured roof and the house will look so much better if you consider white walls, black window frames and one of the light greys like Windspray or shale Grey for the roof with gutters in black, fascias black or white, downpipes matching the walls and garage and front doors in Timber tones...enjoy your new home

(echoing others here) No, no, no NO! ............The issue isn't the brickwork nor the roof tiles.....rather it's the currently multicoloured trim of say your guttering, garage and windows etc... I'd also argue that the idea of the "award winning" example posted above, will most likely date in time.......although I like the landscaping aspect of that one - but otherwise it's too heavy tonally for my eye and the rear extension is a harsh juxtaposition formally........anyway,I digress.... On your home here I reckon you best to work within the inherent style rather than try and force it into something that it is not. Other things, some not that expensive, will go a long way here, for example, bring the trim colours into consistency, consider relocating the downpipe on the far left brick column, and focus on a proper front landscaping design (including removing the concrete aspect) and de-cluttering the verandah will also make a world of difference. Looks like you have a beautiful established (jacaranda) tree in your front yard - perhaps make that that the "hero" of your frontage / streetscape That's what I did on this project, whilst completely different style the point is it was more about the garden - the house and structure becomes supporting and complimentary to the external landscaped spaces Good luck! PD www.pauldistefanodesign.com