Thank you for your comments, I do agreed with your comments of considering not rendering as we don't dislike the brick, we just thought rendering would bring it up to a more modern feel. We have an established tropical garden already....so would play on that with the timber and see what we think. Currently, the roof is manor red, but liking the Ironstone better than the current. Thanks again

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

I think lighter above and dark below would look good.

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