Like your choice of grey. Is the house well insulated? If not, you said you didn't want to sheet the ceiling rafters but it would help with cooling inside if that is an issue. I did a similar house in Mt Tambourine, replaced the first metre of timber decking that had been weather affected and then clad the underside in corrugated iron to let the water runoff but keep the ground floor verandah dry. You will have to get an engineer to check out the load bearing before you replace decking with tiles. Then the tiles will need more cleaning than a timber deck. Don't paint your brick, do all your improvements and then take stock. Painting means creating work for yourself or employing a painter. Every time I render I put an oxide in the cement, its fiddly but the results are worth it, never have to touch it again. Try to make a feature of your Front Door as it is a nondescript at the moment. Two nice pots with plants or hanging baskets either side, paint the door in a contrast colour to make it stand out. Good luck and enjoy the journey.

Hi, we are living in our old townhouse & would like to replace the old stairs but to do this we know we will need two structural posts with a joining beam to support the upper floor. I dont even know where to start with this project so seeking some upfront guidance - would I need to get a builder to coordinate this, a building designer or a seprate staircase & engineering company of some variety...?? I will attach a pic that a neighbour did (they sold so cant ask what process they went through but believe they were in the trade themselves...) many thanks in advance!

Hi Caz Your house has a lot of character. To freshen it up I would look at painting it white. Resene Triple Black White. It's a beautiful soft white but not creamy. The red guttering, which you decided not to touch, I would paint a grey with a green edge. Perhaps look at Resene Half Gravel or Resene Tapa. What I'm trying to do is find a dark colour that blends with your existing roof colour. For all the beautiful fillagree work, (what appears to currently be painted a shade of yellow) and poles, use a paler neutral with a green undertone like Resene Ash/Half Ash. If you want to accentuate the details on the poles or those corner pieces, you can double the strength that is used on the poles i.e. If you used Resene Ash, use Resene Double Ash. Have a play around and decide what colour intensity you like for all the details but don't go too dark, just so you can see a contrast. I think having the beautiful red tiles on the porch is fine and you don't necessarily need to keep the red on the guttering as it is drawing the eye to look at it. That scheme will freshen the house up beautifully. No pictures of front door but a glossy dark grey colour, similar to the colour in the porch tiles will tie it together. It will look beautiful. Would love to see more pictures.

Haha -- I've got you thinking ! Look at the pic you posted today , and the first thing you see is the timber . Its got a golden honey tone , its natural , it looks nice . You've enclosed the beam and thats noticable too . The white door is a couple of steps up from plain , and you notice that too . The house itself is still a grey box IMO . The only good thing you did ( again , just my opinion ) was that darker grey . But imagine if you ( or your builder ) got up and did 3 pieces of 150 wide timber ( varnished / stained ) around that upstairs veranda-y thing that pokes out above the upstairs window . And we've never seen the other side of the front of your place , but see if there is something there that would get a wooden surround -- balance the place a bit , add interest . It isn't even really colour , but it is a pleasant colour , its natural , it adds interest .