Do you have saw palmetto, it is a native groundcover plant in Florida, that has a tropical look and covers the ground through underground shoots, and would give you a bold look, in which you could weave an entrance walk from the street to your entrance terrace at the foot of your front steps. A less tropical choice would be spreading juniper. No lawn, just beds of shrubs. Be simple and bold. When you build your front steps, please use dimensions for outdoor steps. That is, the tread should be at least 12'(30 cm) and the ratio of risers to tread should be approximate: two risers plus one tread equals 26"(66 cm).

I would remove those two knobs on the railing at the bottom of the stairs, otherwise the railing would be OK and I would paint that a medium grey. I would paint any window frames a light grey which will tone in with the aluminium and the guttering a dark grey. I would also paint those two big gates at the side dark grey to draw attention away from them or get a new remote controlled gate, depending on finances. The verandah surface will need more and I would tile that with a tile that looks like timber in a weathered wood colour that has greyed. All this grey will tone down the red and orangey colour of the exterior and the tiles will stand up to the weather even though they look like wood. If you remove the hedge you might find more than you bargained for, but I would wait until the rest is done and then rethink the landscaping because the look will be different.

From the look of the under whelming front Stairs the house looks about 450mm (3 steps) or so off the the ground. So could make more of a presence redo the front door entry / stairs quite cheaply with a timber deck that starts at the front door wraps around the each side if the house a bit, then flows down onto the entry path and terraces down the sides. Along with the other suggestion of painting the front door a brighter colour would create character lift the entry nicely. Does the front of the house face north or If your budget allowed a narrow deck say 1.2m (with pergola) along the entire front would transform the place entirely.

I wouldn't replace the fibre cement panels under the windows with weatherboards, that would just accentuate the different window heights. Instead I would paint those panels a darker colour, say a charcoal grey, with the corner posts and other window trim in the same colour. (You are right, grey is timeless, while any blue would date very quickly.) Then the windows and panels become consistent vertical elements on a lighter facade. You can also pick out the fascias and gutters in that same grey to tie it all together. If you stripped back the brown painted battens to the undercroft and the balcony timber railings, and instead gave them a coat of decking oil for natural timber warmth and integrity, you could make a similar oiled horizontal batten front fence using hardwood decking boards on 50x50 galvanised steel posts. Then the fence and the undercroft battening would match. If the garage door is a tilt-a-door I would be tempted to replace the steel with oiled horizontal battens. Otherwise, paint it the same charcoal grey. Then you have a 3-tone colour scheme that will give the place simple understated elegance: White, grey, and natural oiled hardwood. I am curious why what looks like the front door is not accessible? It looks like there might have been front steps there at one time instead of the current deck. Probably a casualty of a previous renovation.