hi Adrian and Erin, now that looks flash! and it is amazing the difference the small things make! we will certainly look at this and Erin, tks so much for the photo. Do you think the new square posts holding up the veranda should be painted the same colour as the windows ( we think we will restore the windows to the existing white) or made a feature, ie maybe dressed timber or another colour? Our landscape plan includes a pergola ( maybe dressed timber or painted white) leading up to the front porch and a few low retaining walls ( maybe rendered or sandstone?) and maybe the post colour can tie in somewhere? cheers kim

Great character home, shame to to see it rendered or such like. Render can make a house very bland. The bricks could be available but second hand/recycled, etc.. If the garage was setback behind the building line it wouldn't be as obvious that its been extended. That way using second hand bricks, with the white rendered corbel strip and garage door could reduce the impact of slightly mismatched bricks. I'd also try and keep the existing character look going by using the posts on brick piers. The brick sills are still done this way on many new houses. Not popular at the moment but thats due to the current style of home being constructed. They also cost a bit more to construct therefore they become unpopular..... The windows look like aluminium (?), change to painted timber with a quality glass. I'd also remove the window awnings and screens. Colour choice, I'd use white like Natural White on whatever is currently white and cream. Roof looks great as does the brickwork. White picket fence? Driveway looks ok, maybe just a repaint in a mid grey.

I don't think there is an "in general" response to that question. Yes, you can have a combination of brick and render on houses - our current house has that, plus some wood. But it is a new build, and was designed with that finish in mind. A house such as yours was designed with a different architectural vision, and I think that original vision should be respected. As it is, your house is vintage and quite lovely; add render to it, and just see how quickly that render becomes dated, and how difficult it will be to undo.

Jessica Craig, I thought you might like to know this. When my daughter was a baby and I took her for swimming lessons, I met another wonderful Mum Wendy and her daughter, Sophie. Sophie's father had recently passed away and so Wendy was trying to adjust to the hand that fate had dealt her. They had not long purchased their house too. We have remained very close all these years and I can report that both Soph and Wendy are a force to be reckoned with. Sophie (now 15) is a talented singer, is doing well at school and has oodles of personality. Wendy is studying online and working towards fulfilling her dream of one day writing a children's book. The house has been renovated and is a very warm and welcoming home. It has not always been an easy road as single mum for Wendy, but it continues to get richer as the years move by. I hope that in some of your harder moments, this may bring some small level of comfort to you.