Wow everyone, it's 6am and I opened my emails to see all your comments. (I'm in NZ). Great way to start my day. Thanks so much!

That's great advice re the colours Design Organisation, I've been trying to work out how to choose the right greys to create the same effect as the one in your photo (still looking for a door like it!) Unfortunately budget doesn't extend to replacing the gutters which are that very 80s primrose. I've spoken to builder re your suggestion about the width of the poles and we might now replace them with timber posts, you've been really helpful!

I say go for it as your door is the window to your home. My advice would be to consider the colour of the flecks in your brick to make sure your chosen colour works with it and not to forget about the colour of your roof and window frames. For example I would have loved a red door but it would have looked ghastly with the green roof on my 25 year-old house. Instead I did black with dark grey window frames (which truly just look black) which works to pick up the black in the brick. I added my big pot plants with green foliage and still got a touch of red in the form of an old chair I picked up from an op shop years ago. The entrance is welcoming, attractive and reflects what is waiting inside. Have fun and if your chosen colour isn't quite right do what I did and find a way of incorporating it into the scheme somehow.

Extending the woodland grey as the colour for the pergola, windows and timber will complement the terracotta bricks nicely and give it a more contemporary edge. However I would use a complementary colour to both woodland grey and the brick colour to make the new door more of a feature. I would consider a deep olive green, similar to Colorbond's Mangrove which will work well. Best of luck with the selling, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls