if you’re after a creamier/browner tone then this home is painted in Dulux Oyster Linen for the weatherboards and Aspen Snow for the trims.

Painting the shed the same as the house will help

These shutters look good and useful in you area.

Street appeal to sell? If you're on a tight budget and timeframe and looking for street appeal for sale I'd start with painting the fence and planting out in front of it, straightening the lawn edges, pack the hose away, include some pot plants in generous size pots and curtains in the front windows. If you want to go a touch further, paint the verandah posts when you paint the fence and put a chair on the verandah. At first glance it looks a little lonely and empty so you need to help people imagine what it would look like lived in and loved.

You've done well too have grass, do you have Bore water, sammy mentions keeping the grass trimmed it really helps, and lots of paint, Try to have window awnings pulled down to the same uniform level Cheers,

Thank's guys. I was thinking along the same line. Color-wise I was thinking of using a darker grey or even a darker blue/grey and white to make it more interesting. The wall I was thinking of doing in a darker tone.I definitely have to get it beautified with plants, perhaps the dark red flax like plants. It still is a very boring drive way and corrugated Iron garage

I am on a low budget and always like to use what is there and give it personal accents.

If I get the roof painted it has to be in a light color as dark colors attract the heat, and bleach out very quickly here. On an other house I had a very dark grey roof once which turned out very light grey after only 3 years. The shutters and colors recommended by 'siriuskey' would be definitely a great improvement. I was even thinking getting the front and side of the house clad in Colorbond and get french Shutters put on.

What do you think?

Just want to clarify that I just bought the house for myself and want to use part of it as a private gallery. It has to look attractive in an eclectic sort of way without costing me a bundle.

Up market the garage with something Arty, trim grass edges, red flax would look great and add colour, pait out the blue stripe on the awnings

will you have paintings and sculpture or...? what about an enclosed sculpture garden instead of the grassy driveway with open pergola (drive through to garage) enclosed with some lattice walls and full height gates to make an outdoor room with entry from the verandah..add some garden art and sculptures, potted palms, a bubbling water feature, a few tables and chairs and offer coffee to good customers while they consider their purchases

Oh, if you are doing it for yourself then that opens up a whole lot of options.... you could re-clad the side wall (& perhaps even the front) in reclaimed timber to give the whole build some warmth and a more complex appearance.

This could be done fairly cheaply and would add another layer of insulation to the build. If money permits you could also build a narrow pergola along the side of the house and perhaps grow a fragrant climber over it (climate permitting). Sort of like this but without the grecian style columns... again this would help cool the house.

Hi Tessa, Have you tried to look at local building salvage yards. You may find gates and items that they are selling from demolitions.

Hi again Tessa, do you paint or sculpt, we had artist Sally West Living next door to us in a beach town, she is a painter and due to family needs has moved to Sydney but still retains a small Villa, Sallys house was an old style house with cladding similar to yours but had a slopping roof. she painted it all white.

Needing space she turned her garage into a studio for storing and showing any excess pieces to potential buyers, others were hung within the house.

Sammy suggested a pergola along the side of your house, this could be extended out across the current drive way towards the front of the house with just enough space to allow for the gates to be opened. Your cottage is really special, what a great place for an artist.

If the roof is sound would you consider leaving it as is and not painting for a more rustic art studio look, but still doing walls as is or cladding as you thought.

Are you considering screening the front Verandah against insects and comfort for clients. some photos for you. cheers

This photo below could be your painted stone fence with hedging behind to fill in the spaces

Sally also used her garage as a gallery and on good days opened both doors wide open and art works were displayed on these on open days., so perhaps a bit of pergola out the from of this, depends on your sun., sounds a bit like the gardens of Babalon!!

Do you need to keep window shutters? I understand about them keeping out the heat but i think they age the house. Are you considering painting the whole house as this would dramatically lift the home! but i see you're considering a darker color. With your climate i would stick light as the paint will attract the heat and boil (happened to my own home) straighten the grass boarders and water blast the concrete and even the fence as i think you would be surprised by how much of a difference this would make

I love this! Such great potential.

I look forward to seeing what you do.

A big thank you for all of you for your interesting and valuable suggestions. As i do not know how to respond to each of you individually I send this message which hopefully answers your questions.I just bought the cottage. The photo shows the house as it was advertised in the real estate magazine and as it looks now before I did anything with it.

I am not a sculptor but a painter. I also give lessons. The gallery part of the house will be the enclosed veranda along side the drive way, which has a separate entrance door and consists of three rooms flowing in to each other (so to speak). The garage will be needed for my Van and for storage at this point. I was thinking putting an bistro-style roundish urning (?) over the side door.

The window eye-lids got to go but I need something to keep the heat out.

I have to do everything on a small budget and so that it does not need ongoing maintenance. A pergola over the drive way or alongside the house is out at the moment. I need one for the back, but that is another huge project and I will need your suggestions for that also.

I am aware that dark colors attract the heat therefore I would only use it for perhaps the wall, posts and trimmings. I also want to use a crisp white and have not made up my mind yet where I use what.

What is important that the cottage sticks out from the road and catches peoples eyes.

I just love your ideas, please let them come!

Cheers Tess

1) My cost saving suggestion to you is PAINT, this is going to give you the cheapest tool to change the Miners cottage appearance to attract attention.

2) Leave Roof as is, no Paint ,the roof being left natural to me gives it a studio edge.(and saves precious dollars

3) Wall colour in a darkish grey with all white trim, I was going to suggest a beige colour but it looks like your neighbour has these colours so that's why I'd go bold with wall & fence colour.

4) Perhaps you could build a small fence like the metal one I sent you, this would be made up with scrape material nd place to the R/H side of the driveway, can't see whats on that boundary

5) Gutter and eaves same colour as walls

6) Gates shinny black

7) Keep existing window & door shades and paint them all white, no stripes

8)Front door of your choice, Red and make the studio door a different colour to help students find there way, Yellow

9) Looks like you have a crushed gravel path running along the side of the house to the studio, try to define this from the gate so that you don't have everyone cutting across the verandah,

10) It would be good to have some screening on the Verandah, mesh or other affordable material.

11)Trim the grass, plant some hedging behind the fence and plant some red NZ flax plants off to the right side of the garden

12)Paint garage like house this would help to bulk out the building and make it look a bigger property

13) PAINT good luck

Magnolia little gem is a stunning plant it it's suitable for your area, grows by the beach

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=magnolia+little+gem&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&imgil=gBNVkBMSB67APM%253A%253BdlocEnqAQ51SVM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwarners.com.au%25252Four-plants%25252Fplant%25252Fmagnolia-grandiflora-little-gem&source=iu&pf=m&fir=gBNVkBMSB67APM%253A%252CdlocEnqAQ51SVM%252C_&usg=__by-Qe5wnLyZLMvNxbh2U2lfrd1Q%3D&biw=1366&bih=673&ved=0ahUKEwi6rPGP6dLSAhUDU7wKHeA8A4oQyjcIMQ&ei=3jfGWLrFFIOm8QXg-YzQCA#imgrc=gBNVkBMSB67APM:

I actually like your gates and would paint the brick fence to match exactly, this would stand out from the neighbours. You could also use this colour on the main trims without being heat affected, perhaps even the front of the shed as it would draw the eye down and connect front and back. I would leave the roof as it is practical and already looks great. Go for a silver grey or a pale blue grey for the house. I loved the idea of the art entrance being a different colour. Try sculptural plants that don’t mind the heat. Good luck