Here are some of my thoughts on your front garden ... 1. Create a better "welcome walkway to your front steps . remove the hedge currently there ... mass plant an architectural wow-factor plant and uplight so peoplre know where the front entry is during the nightime. 2. "Correct" the sloping lawn, add a paved area for extra parking. 3. Create a garden bed along neighbours boundary and plant up with a hedging plant for privacy. 4. Create a garden bed in front of the wall using plants that will not block out the view from the windows. 5. For the remaining garden bed toward the kerbside, xeriscape with drought loving plants, choose plants that will not be taller than 5 feet (1.5mtrs) 6. All the garden beds with gravel, crushed river pebbles, or small river stones to compliment existing driveway. No need to change colours of house! Now there'll be no lawn to mow - but a valuable extra parking space - a designated "welcome" pathway to guide visitors to your front door - and a gorgeous "garden" to view from the front windows.

I like all the garden ideas ( it does look a bit sparse and 'rental property' look about it IMO ) , with a low fence along the front , a wooden screen a couple of metres in front of the door , etc , BUT when I looked at the very first photo -- the wider angle one -- the one thing you notice first is the yellow marker post on the left hand side of the driveway fence . So take that as a cue , and paint the garage door a bright colour to stand out -- primary or metallic or trendy , just one that you like , and personally I'd probably change the curtains ( or even dye them ) to the same colour as the garage door . Right now , everything is various derivatives of off-white and red brown earth brick -- needs a decent spot of colour to lift the houses look IMO . Another option would be 'natural' timber blinds , especially if you had them the same shade of stain as the screen and the front fence , but I'd still do the garage door ( and maybe the guttering ) your current favourite colour .

I'd definitely leave the brick and the roof, it looks like a good, solid and classic house a and the front door would come up beautifully in a smarter colour. I'd paint your front door, gutters and garage door Dulux Monument and it would look fantastic, particularly with your brick and roof couloirs and that lovely sandstone. Then the gables in the same sandy colour as your posts, though if it's too yellow-creamy you could use a warm grey taupe like Dulux Dieskau. Replace the coach lights with a sleeker but still classic version like Beacon's Southhampton and an additional pair either side of the front door. Replace the urns with say 3 simple tubular pots of varying heights on the left side with some interesting crassula and rounded Japanese box. Trim your hedge right down and thin out to shoulder height. Not sure if you can replace the finials on your fence as this Victorian style doesn't suit your house and is a bit dated. Then rip out any ratty looking plants (poor roses always look ratty!) and replace with plants that are ideal for the aspect - if they're in the shade only put in clients that in part shade even magnolia little gem is versatile. Otherwise a lovely sweet viburnum will add softness and bright foliage. Plant mondo grass in the tall pot and remove the pew bench and rectangular planters and get a new small batch of fresh pebbles for between the square pavers. You could even put an interesting bench (or that pew) along the wall on the right of the front door, style it up with a couple of outdoor cushions (KMART even have some smart stripe ones). and finally get the roof cleaned but otherwise leave it! it's a great house, it won't take much to make it look really fresh and stylish.

I actually like the bones of the house , and the tree , and the round garden . So on that basis , trim the tree a bit by cutting half the branches , opens it up , you can see out a bit more . Add flaxes and cactuses and easy maintanence plants under the tree , and the other garden -- some brown ones , some broad leafy ones , a yellow one or two , red lancewood , etc . Probably some small stones , and several larger rocks too . Change the yellow ball light haha -- a stainless or even copper one would be the go ! The bricks are a kind of nothing , but I wouldn't render , and definitely wouldn't change to grey . The blinds look weird -- at first glance , they looked like garage doors ! Go charcoal for them would be my pick . Do the gutters in charcoal too , or bright red with the front door in bright red too . Then there's the carport ! It looks like its 100mm too tall , and obviously the roof clashes with the house roof , so it just looks disjointed . It won't be easy , but colour match to your house roof as much as you can .That will hide a lot . Assuming you don't want to lower the entire carport , visually lower it , by adding a board along the front , the same height and in line with the guttering , at a guess 80mm tall ( and 20-25 mm thick ) . Undercoat and paint this board the same as your gutter ( charcoal or red ) so it looks like guttering . And then paint everything above it ( the roof and any of the upright you can see ) in the new roof colour . Suddenly , your house looks fresher , longer , more co-ordianted and cohesive . With the new garden too , you have changed the whole look for $2-5000 and a couple of days work . Re-grass the front lawn and you are then ready to plan your next step .