If time and budget permit I would add horizontal screens (timber stain or charcoal/woodland grey) from the right pillar to the garage (hiding the down pipe) and from the left corner of the house (hiding the bins) Do basic landscaping, two narrow beds either side under the windows, bark mulch and simple plants e.g. Lomandra longifolia (a native low grassy dark green clumping plant) is common but easy spaced every 30 cm Valuers like safe and neutral schemes, so keep with the Woodland grey roof/fascia & Classic cream garage door and repeat this on the upper feature slats for now. Then add a warm complimentary colour for the front door, this is Dulux Rodham Then get a lush new plant for that pot too. If you keep it simple (KISS Principle) for now it will come together for sure :)

Hi quokkaz,,, how the devil are you,, no not done anything to the bridge yet, we have had some major rain over the winter and large amounts of water have washed away one of my waterfall as well as damaging a second just under the bridge, so I need to repair these before I finish the bridge, we had some good weather last week so got around the garden and mowed the grass for the first time, now its turned very cold with a north wind with snow forecast in places, so will look at the waterfalls and bridge when i have tidied up the garden after winter

wow I love all these suggestions. I was going to suggest a grasscloth wallpaper, because it has wonderful texture. But I'm quite taken with the shelves idea now.

strip part of the brick and mantle back to orignial if the exposed colour lines up with the room, strip the whole thing. Looks so well crafted not to pay respect to the past