Hi Donna - Look for a company that offer a 10-year warranty and a product that complies with Australian Standards. There are some companies that provide a 'kit' for your builder to install to make it a little bit cheaper again. There are also products that have a 'rack and pinion' design which minimises maintenance and eliminates the need for a motor pit - just do a google search for "dumbwaiter rack and pinion' . Good Luck!

I would look at respecting the period and the architecture of the home by keeping the white exterior. All you need to do is highlight the window frames with a black paint to give it some visual highlights and cleaner lines. I wouldn't get too 'out there' with the colour palette or doing too much to the facade as it will start to look like your trying too hard, respect what you have and don't try to make it something it is not.

Thank you all for your comments, photos and links. Thank you all for your comments, photos and links. This style of house is what I like but I only have a small budget -$5000.00. I have researched roof painting and read several forums where people have painted their own roofs with good results as long as they were meticulous with the preparation. I will remove the shutters and definitely engage the services of a garden designer. I live in Perth and we haven't seen rain for awhile. Seems sensible to get rid of the lawn. And I will further research painting or re surfacing the driveway and change in the future. But, where do I start? What should I do first to implement change? Thank you for any further comments.

The brick is beautiful so I wouldnt change this, think Californian bungalow style where the brick is a feature. I think something as simple as adding a faux gable trim, installing white plantation shutters (as you have a lot of windows and as window finishes are very visible from the outside the plantation shutters will soften and give more of a cottage appearance) and painting the window frames a soft neutral to match the internal shutters would be enough to achieve the cottage look (Dulux Antique White USA is a very good colour for external trims). Personally I prefer lighter trim colours with a rich red brick - such as a warm white, light grey or light khaki. I can see you take a lot of pride in your front lawn which is perfectly maintained, so if you dont want to do a lot of landscaping a circle shape cut out of the lawn (not centre, but off to the right near the driveway) with a single feature tree planted in the centre (possibly underplanted with grouncover palnts) and a brick or box hedge border would be enough to soften the front garden.