We had a similar experience about 30 years ago. Along with that same pine tree we had a huge full blue spruce right next to it in front of our house. Both trees were full with branches right to the ground, healthy & beautiful. It made our house disappear & look like a matchbox house & prevented light to come in. Both were 75' tall & growing nonstop. It started to affect our pipes. I don't like cutting down healthy trees. I began calling some large landscape companies asking them if they'd take them. One company had a customer who wanted live trees as a fence & barrier in an expensive suburb near Boston. They gave me a price & thought it was fair. We were really happy they wouldn't be destroyed. What a day it was when they came to remove those trees! Neighbors came over & cars driving by pulled over to watch. It was fascinating how a huge machine fit around the tree & lifted it up, roots impact & no damage at all. It took two days & the landscaper handed us a check which paid for filling those very large & deep holes. IMO I'd leave the tree for the new owners to decide whether to remove it or not. It's not that uncommon as you'd think.

It would be good to use Dulux fine Texture Outdoor paint with a texture/spaghetti roller in a sandy (pale yellow) light to mid colour range on the all brickwork, including fence. Horizontal powder coated steel inserts to fence to finish it off in a the same blue as roof, guttering, etc. Leave the garage door colour as is (blue). I'd take out the tree you have planted in front yard as it just doesn't look right and will give you financial pain as it's roots damage your drains, and home. Just have one or two blue large round (you already have lots of straight lines) planters near or on the entrance to doorway. Large succulents like Agave in the pot would look striking and need little watering. Plant dwarf or regular Lilli Pillies on the council strip on both sides of corner in a line about 1.5 metres apart. They are a very fast growing native, that don't drop very many leaves and only need watering in the initial stages. They also are more tall than wide. This will give you more of a private, lush feel without the problems of planting trees in your extremely close front yard. Don't go with any suggestions of hedges....they are fickle and the work involved to keep them looking sharp would be horrendous. You just want to enjoy your home, not be a slave to it! Good luck:)

Thanks everyone, yes I love the look of old shearing sheds, which is the rustic look I'd ideally like to achieve, however the house design is a bit more modern - it is a long rectangular shape like a shed but the roof is curved at the top (like the Glen Murcutt house in Kempsey) instead of the traditional pointed gable. We're actually thinking of using the Ritech product for the roofing instead of Colorbond, as it has a high bushfire rating and comes in Colorbond colours. We like the darker grey roof because it doesn't stand out too much in the bush landscape and therefore 'anchors' the house. So as much as I love rusty gal, I think we will have to leave it to the outsheds (our current cottage 'the shack' is clad in the old galvanised roofing, which we replaced with a Windspray colorbond roof). It looks great because it's already rustic. I'd also like to use it as a feature inside the house (e.g. behind a woodstove) but don't have enough to clad the new house. The Dune colour is a good match with the creamy grey trunks of the Brittle gums, which is why I thought of using that. I also read somewhere that it's the best match with traditional gal (which I've tested and tend to agree with, although it doesn't have the rustic colour variation). Dune is also a good tonal contrast with the darker bricks and timber, so I'll probably go with that for the cladding as we don't really want a light roof, despite better reflection properties. I'm hoping having the high roof inside (to 4.8m at highest point of the curve) and good insulation will mean a darker roof is okay. My only real concern now is that I can't get standard aluminium windows in the colour Dune (they come in Shale or Woodland grey). I might be able to have them made in non-standard colours, but it would cost a lot more. Hence I'm thinking Woodland grey for the window frames, but am not sure if this would make it look too busy (i.e. with the bricks, timber and lighter cladding).

TAKE YOUR TIME before you commit to plan. Don't rush and don't let others rush you. The section will talk to you and tell you what it needs - if you are prepared to take the time to look and listen to it. Where does the sun rise and set? Does the site face North, South, East or West? Where are the views? What direction do the prevailing winds come from? Are there any water courses that might cause flooding issues? What direction do you approach the site from? Are there existing trees or other natural features that need to be included and considered. What soil type are you dealing with - rocky, volcanic, boggy, clay etc. Make a list of all the things that you think will be important to know about the site itself for ever starting picking out floor plans. Once you have the answers to those questions, the type of floorplan you require will begin to automatically narrow a little, making your job a lot easier. When you have a good picture of where you feel your basic rooms might be best located, then work out a budget. Build in a contingency amount that you will not go above. THEN go and talk to an architect. I know, the idea of employing an architect sounds expensive and it can be but it can also be the best money you ever spend. Friends of ours have just built an architecturally designed home on a very modest budget and it is just the most wonderful wee house, with loads of unique features that had they gone for a standard 'off the plan' house, they would have missed out on. I'm not going to suggest the type of house you should have. You don't need to know that from me. Formulate what design types you like. Make a scrap book of colours and styles you like. When I read your letter, your thoughts seemed to me, to be all over the place. You are excited - I get that but start to control you enthusiasm and begin to narrow your focus just a little..... actually, quite a lot. I get that this is your dream home but if you don't focus, you can make it your nightmare and that would be such a shame. Start with the basic approach above. Listen to others by all means but once you know the basis of design you are going for, stick with it - and that's why I say to use an architect. A good architect will help you to focus. Best of luck. It will be nice to see the progress.