Fiona, you have a very traditional looking home, with some nice rustic looking brickwork. A rendered box added to the first floor is going to look like it was plonked in with it's contemporary smooth finish contrasting with the traditional, ground floor. Had you considered some other forms of lightweight cladding such as James Hardie's Linea weatherboards, which are much more low-maintenance than traditional weatherboards and work well for first floor extensions to traditional homes? Less labour to install weatherboard than to render a first floor.Best of luck with your addition, Regards Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

Hi there, we are building a double storey similar in style to pic one. Currently looking for 2 render colours within a preference towards neutrals (earthy greys preferred). Our bricks are blackheath and roof is monument however struggling to find 2 suitable render colours. We have tried Whisper Grey and Shale Grey however Shale looks baby blue outside. Quite like Dune however would love some suggestions. Also like the colours in pic 2 if anyone knows what these might be.

Dulux has about 4800 colours available to design professionals, and only about 10% of these are available as sample chips from your hardware store. There are so many subtleties and nuances with colours that are lost with digital images I would not want to make a recommendation online. The only way to make colour selections is to get paint colour swatches, stick them up, and observe them in different light conditions. Your perception and appreciation of them will change at various times of the day. I would not choose any grey for your home as grey is the mission brown of the future. I would choose one of the colours that is appropriate for the period of your home that works with the white window frames and roof tiles. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

When you have an idea of a colour you like, you can go to the Dulux website and see the details of the colour: light reflectance and the ratio of red to green to blue. Then pick some similar colours - I generally go for something slightly darker and something lighter but the same or similar colour. Alternatively you could go for same tone but slightly different colours - cooler or warmer. Order these 3 or 4 in the large A4 swatches and then use blu tack to put them on the walls you plan to paint. It is amazing how different these will look in different areas and at different times of the day. I number each one on the back and keep a record of my preferred colour in north, south, east & west facing spots in morning & afternoon light. The choice then comes down to which colour I picked most often.