From the raked cladding to the gable and the design of the stair balustrade I would guess that underneath that bland render there may have been lots of character in the original brick for a 1960's/1970's house which has been smothered and now looks stark, instead of slick and contemporary.

The timber-look garage door and the timber steps are now the most interesting part of the facade, as they have some visual warmth. Rather than trying to distract the eye with pots and planters to disguise the blandness, I would be looking at softening the visual mass with a warmer colour, or combination of colours that relate to the interesting elements of your facade. For instance the garage and lower level could be a warm mid-tone colour, with the main level being a lighter version.

Boocock House · More Info

The bulk and height of the front gable could be softened with a shade sail over the terrace. The external light fittings look mean, cheap and out of proprtion to the rest of the building. For such prominant light fittings you should select something less utilitarian than ugly spotlights and look at lantern-style wall lights.

Once these elements are addressed then finish off with pots and planters to further soften the starkness.

Best of luck,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

BUILD Architecture Award 2018 · More Info

consider a pergola roof over the deck ...the horizontal line above the windows will reduce the "high forehead" feeling

Julie where did you find those metal cut out posts? Fabulous.

this is the classic issue with rendering - it needs to be strategically used.....it's a fine line between going too far and then having to put back aspects of what has been lost, which in this case is texture and the horizontal element of brickwork that helps to keeps the facade proportions of these era residences (more) balanced.......now you have to add aspects back in to get that balance back.......it probably would have been better to have taken the brickwork out from above the windows and finished with the dark element insert like the detail you have over the entry further back - then you would have had some architectural consistency and expression of the form.......there's art to understanding what to do and what not to do in these situations which is why we bang on about the importance of seeking professional assistance with these decisions, because it's always cheaper to talk about it all beforehand, rather than try and fix problems that could have been avoided or arguably managed differently/better......

I'd agree that potentially a pergola structure would help bring in some lighter/softer/textural aspect to the frontage, and paint it dark to match the trim/barges - or even some external venetian awnings to the windows - we've sometimes introduces sections of batten cladding or screenings to counter & balance expanses of blandness......one way or the other there's not a cheap way out so perhaps think about what will provide some practical benefit as well so you're getting bang for buck/2 for 1 & not just tarting up to fix aesthetic issues

Good Luck! PD :)

Thank you all for your suggestions - very helpful. I will look into cladding/screening/pergola. This area does get rather hot in the afternoons, so some shade would be practical. We have already planted a lot more which has been good for the lower level, its really just that space above the top sliding doors that bothers me. There were previously 2 sections above each door up to the window that were the dark cladding like further back, but when we updated we were advised to go over them, in part to help keep the westerly wind and rain out of the sliding doors. Do you think it would be possible to add this across the top again now? would that be a more cost effective solution? I am assuming that installing a pergola would require council permits etc too

cladding over the space above the door would look OK but the shade roof would make both the deck and inside the house more comfortable...some pergolas do not require development applications to council but a quick phone call to the local council building inspector will confirm what's allowed

Thank you!

As oklouise suggested a pergola would look great and add visually to your house, a Vergola Pergola would be perfect.