You have some great space their for an amazing landscape. It really depends on the style you are after. There are a few that will work with the house! The picture posted above is a great example of a planted out native front garden, or you could go for more of a Palm Springs style with feature curved beds at the points of the lawn while keeping the turf through the middle. This would work well with succulents and great architectural planting. The horizontal lines of your home even lend themselves towards a Japanes inspired garden. You can perfectly frame your house with some beautiful Japanese Maples and underplant with soft foliage plants such as Acacia cognata 'Limelight'. It does depend on your climate and aspect, however so be mindful of where the hot sun might be! Here are some ideas on finding your style to suit your home: https://australianmodernistlandscapes.com/2016/05/27/establishing-your-style/ All the best with your project!

Plaster damage like yours is most often caused by insufficient or damaged / bridges damp proof course around the perimeter of the external walls.Damp is wicking up the walls. The damp proof course can be a slate layer placed between the lower brick courses in older homes , or more common ( and better ) , a strip of thick black plastic placed between the lower brick courses to stop the damp from entering the wall. The damp mortar is is raked out and the plastic inserted a section at a time , and the brick joint is re - pointed with fresh new mortar. No simple/quick fix I`m afraid.

I have painted houses light grey, white (twice) and black. Each time I have used semi-gloss vivid white for my window and door trim. The semi gloss does draw ones eye more and makes it a feature (so good if thats what you like - looks fabulous when the house is matt white) but what I enjoy the most is that it is much easier to keep clean.. Hope this helps

Pressure wash all concrete areas. Replace outdoor light for larger and brighter one (marine grade). The small one pictured isn’t doing much for illumination and it’s too small for size of wall. Leave brick as is. It looks fine. Whatever paint colour you choose for fascia and shed door should complement bricks. Trim and tidy all bushes and landscaping plants. The shrub obscuring the steps to entry need to be trimmed by one-third. Does the metal ballustrading & handrail need paint as well?