I have just painted lower level of my brick house monument also gutters. I love it & less maintenance also & you don't see the cobwebs or mould. I used it on the eaves of another home in a tropical location where mould was a problem & paint additives didn't work. I would do window frames & all timber surrounds white & Gge & front doors a soft taupe. For internal walls in rental situations for the last 20 years I have used ' foxtail 1/2 strength' it is a warm grey & with white timber work it looks very modern & crisp. Before & after pics of exterior

Weatherboard first floor additions to a red-brick ground floor always look like additions. As long as you are happy to accept that it will look like an addition you will be fine. Rendering the red brick to match the same colour as the weatherboard won't improve things as the smooth render texture will contrast with the strong horizontal linear nature of the weatherboard. It will look like you are trying to camouflage the addition (but failing). It needs bold, unapologetic design to make it look good, and not be half hidden away like a box lowered into your roof. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

so relieved you don't want to spoil a great looking brick home with more render but is there a view from upstairs? when funds allow extending the deck/verandah across the front of the garage would add extra upstairs outdoor space and modify the look of the garage doors and consider painting garage doors and rendered wall in the darkest cement colour (greenish) grey with white eaves and fascias with black gutters and simply pressure wash the driveway to retain the natural concrete colour and add climbing plants to fall down the side of the retaining wall

(echoing others here) No, no, no NO! ............The issue isn't the brickwork nor the roof tiles.....rather it's the currently multicoloured trim of say your guttering, garage and windows etc... I'd also argue that the idea of the "award winning" example posted above, will most likely date in time.......although I like the landscaping aspect of that one - but otherwise it's too heavy tonally for my eye and the rear extension is a harsh juxtaposition formally........anyway,I digress.... On your home here I reckon you best to work within the inherent style rather than try and force it into something that it is not. Other things, some not that expensive, will go a long way here, for example, bring the trim colours into consistency, consider relocating the downpipe on the far left brick column, and focus on a proper front landscaping design (including removing the concrete aspect) and de-cluttering the verandah will also make a world of difference. Looks like you have a beautiful established (jacaranda) tree in your front yard - perhaps make that that the "hero" of your frontage / streetscape That's what I did on this project, whilst completely different style the point is it was more about the garden - the house and structure becomes supporting and complimentary to the external landscaped spaces Good luck! PD www.pauldistefanodesign.com