Hi, we are extending upstairs over a older red brick home. we have Ironstone windows, gutters, roof. We are going to render the extension but don't want to go lighter like a Dune colour but more of a medium grey. We will be replacing our posts and garage door with timber (also have a timber gate) so I feel like we can get away with a darker grey upstairs render. Do you know a good medium grey that goes well with Ironstone? Initially I was thinking Simone Weil and maybe even Guild Grey if it's not too dark?

What a great backyard! The pool is the stunning centrepiece so you really want a fence colour that blends into the background. Having those hedge trees popping over the fence means a colour such as Woodland Grey® would make a great fence colour option. It would blend more with the tone of the trees and allow the pool to be the hero. We hope that helps.

We're going through this at the moment. We have way too many primrose windows and doors to ever consider changing them, so we're embracing them. They suit the house, which is a tan coloured brick with a red tile roof and apricot tiles like yours. We like native Australian colours and are considering some of those (muted greens, beiges, and blues) for our living and bedrooms, but we are struggling with the main wall colours, which we want to be light. Our approach is a trim colour that provides a way to transition from the primrose aluminium to a warm (not yellow) white , and what we have so far is a Resene Double Pearl Lusta for trims with Resene Half Pearl Lusta for the walls. I actually have Half Pearl Lusta on the walls of my office at work and it's a great, warm (not yellow) white that I think will suit the primrose and the tiles. I've experimented with Dulux Berkshire White for trims but they're too bright and white and clash too much with the primrose. I think the big lesson with primrose is that you have to embrace it and not fight against it. It's never going to look any good with really stark whites and monochromatic furniture. Embrace the warmth! Once solution I've found is to also change door furniture (including hinges) to black, because it goes really well with the primrose. Black door furniture and fittings, primrose aluminium windows, and a warm (not yellow) white actually look really good together and provide a solid base for experimenting with other warm, muted colours for feature walls, rooms, and statement furniture.

Restore the facade. Don't render as you'll loose the fabulous brickwork. Just re-point it. Do maintenance on the roof as needed. I'd pressure clean then see what it comes up like. If it's still a bit ordinary then paint it. I would do a bit of investigating on other original colour schemes before choosing charcoal, even though I admit the charcoal does look really good! By the way we render as we don't want to pay brickies to really use their craft so we buy cheap bricks and render. Render does look fine when used as a feature rather than a whole facade. Don't compete with neighbours make your house more desirable by keeping its character. I would however consider spending some good money on the landscaping. There are some superb gardens on these wonderful homes around the inner suburbs of Melbourne for example and would work great with yours.