I would paint or clad the darker brick monument or something else dark and just leave the top bricks. Although it looks as though you've tried painting them already so you may now be committed to painting them.

Yeah we did sample a bit on the top bricks but hopefully could clean that small section if we decided against painting it all. We like woodland grey and had picked that out for the bottom half (if split) + retaining walls.

I should also mention we'd be getting rid of those tiles at some point and replacing the railing with a more modern glass one perhaps..

I agree with the sentiments of Black Bamboo, you have purchased a handsomely proportioned, mid-century home that has had some ill-considered "additions" to it, so please don't add more to its misery. I would be looking at the colours of the feature stonework panel adjacent to the front door as a starting point. Don't limit yourself to the twenty or so standard colours out there from the Colorbond range as everybody else is using them. Dulux has over 400 colours available so you can find the perfect colours to complement this feature.

Celebrate the retro charm by maintaining the elegant baulstrade rather than the default glass balustrade solution. And consider taking it back to its former glory days rather than to try and modernise it and end up with a mediocre solution that has been done by hundreds of other home-owners.

Pity you have already painted the cream brick - I hope you can clean it off. Often face brick can be given a real lift with a good pressure wash, which is cheaper and easier than painting, then repainting again in ten years time!

This photo shows how good a brick can look when properly cleaned up, from Secret Design Studio's blog:

https://secretdesignstudio.com/render-brick-home-tribute-triple-fronted-blonde-brick-veneer-home/

Best of luck on your research,

Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visits

Update not modernise, so many make this mistake, love the original railing but do add an additional railing to bring it up to today's safety standards, and please no more dark grey. Woodland grey has a hint of green and is acceptable for the retaining walls, great looking house respect it's vintage, it's a future treasure.

I’m in favour of bagging and painting brick, mine is. Some brick I wouldn’t, like my last house, but your house I would.

Thanks all. Definitely made us rethink painting. We got most of the paint off the cream, still a bit to go.

Agree the tin porch is horrible but we like sitting out there in both winter and summer because it's sheltered What can we use instead that is updated and not just boring tin?

The biggest first decision is what to put over the red brick and then what to replace those old tiles with in the porch / steps. I like the idea of timber there but not sure. Suggestion of smooth sandstone tiles is good, will check that out.

If we got front windows redone would you suggest a dark aluminium trim? Assuming we kept the cream brick...

I think that you're house has such classic 1960s proportions, that it's always going to look like a 60's house; so you might as well lean into the era, and not fight it. Turn it from sad 60s, to funky, sexy 60s.

If it were mine, I'd do minimal interventions to the house front. Keep the sandy brick, and paint the lower brick with something dark that tones with it. I love your railings, but the white does make them pop. If you wanted to make them more subtle, then paint them whatever colour you do the lower half of your house. A dark colour will make them recede visually.

Your roof is bringing the rest of the facade down. A respray is definitely in order. Maybe not too dark, because dark coloured roof tiles attract and store heat like you wouldn't believe.

I reckon that in a couple of years time grey will be over. So I would be careful about too much of it, because it'll date fast.

Looking at your photo, I'm guessing your house faces west into the WA sun. In which case wanting to keep some shade over your front verandah is a great idea. Do you have room for an awning? This is a retractable black and white one from luxaflex which I think would suit your house. You could retract it to get winter warmth into the house.

I like the sandstone cladding in the third picture; although you'd need a different tone with your brick.

Happily spending other peoples money here, (favourite activity) but how about cedar for the garage door, and windows? It's a bit more upkeep, admittedly.

Then, I'd think seriously about landscaping. The driveway definitely needs a pressure wash, at the least. Maybe a recoat in liquid limestone? Replace the sad looking tree in the planter at the front door with something a bit prettier. (I like frangipani with 60s gardens, but whatever takes your fancy).
If you are in Perth, then google Palm Springs landscaping for inspiration; as the climate is similar; and nobody does the 60s better.

I'll throw a curve-ball here .

Leave it as it is , even the garage door . A wooden sectional always looks classy , but I actually think the roller door just fits .

Get rid of the downpipe .

Plant some gardens , nice variety , taller leafy shrubs , lower grasses , cactus , interesting ones that suit your climate . In the white stones , along the fenceline .

No curveball yet . So here it is -- do the gutters and barge boards ( so around 25cm wide ) in mid to bright orange , AND double down by doing the wrought iron the same . Orange , not taupe or bronze . And most definitely not grey or woodland grey or woodlqnd hint of green or woodland hint of boredom .

Done .

I wouldn't change out the windows unless there is something functionally wrong with them. It's just spending money for the sake of it. But if you have to, then match them to whatever colour you do the gutters and roof.

With regards to the porch, replace it with a nice pergola and a vine, since it's sun protection more than rain protection that you are after. It's not that it's boring, it's that it's hiding the design of the facade which was supposed to have a void there to enhance the entrance. Its boxy and ill proportioned for the house. Pergola's can be designed and made to be almost invisible or to be an attractive architectural feature of the home. Your porch is the classic builders approach, make it to fit, all standard materials and stick the downpipe wherever it will go. No consideration to appearance, all function. But your house deserves better. You have an opportunity to do something amazing with shadow play there and bring your home to life.

Step 1 safety upgrade. Your railing doesn’t meet current code and you need railing where you have a 1 m drop down to driveway,
Step 2 double glazed windows if they aren’t already
Step 3 landscaping.
Step 4 facade. Not white, that s fine for a character home but bot yours, go a little darker, and keep base darker still.

Your house is such a great example of it's period it would be well worth engaging

Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visits, with one of his virtual visits, it's all in the planning and details and this is his speciality, He will be able to make suggestions and show them in a Render format and more so you know exactly what you will end up with. worth spending a few dollars for an excellent result. Your house will thank you for it.

Great project. Love the balustrade and wonder if it can be raised with extra metal price across the bottom rather than above the balustrade. The cream brick is gorgeous. I agree the lower brick is not so good but certainly makes sense with bore water staining issues. For my money ( and it’s not!) the FRONT PATH is really clashing with the era of the house. It’s got that faux Edwardian thing going, beloved of the 80s, at odds with your great 60s look. The path is too narrow as well. Perhaps you could re-lay the path in a different brick pattern using the same bricks if budget were an issue. Avoid the diagonal look. Or get broader stone pavers, reinforcing the lateral horizontal look. Best of luck

All great ideas ..

The house is east facing. All winter we would sit out there in the morning as you get really good morning sun but also on days where it was raining it was nice too. Whatever goes there would have to be weather proof.

We had to rebuild the driveway retaining wall on the central garden bed as it had failed, that's why the bed is empty and is definitely on the radar.

So for the bottom half, if we were to go with the stone cladding... Would we do the same thing on the driveway garden beds as well or better off painting these a dark colour due to bore staining? When you say a dark colour, which colours did you have in mind. We couldn't find any that went with the cream!

Thanks all.

Your porch would look great with a simple timber pergola fitted with Vergola Pergola in white, this will allow the sun in and keep the rain out

Black and cream are a classic combination. Bore water might still be a problem, have you considered a dark copper look paint?

We had a balustrade problem similar to yours a simple similar metal rail was welded and raised to todays standard across the top, looked like it had always been there

Just at a look , the base brick colour , the retaining wall and the pathway are all different bricks . So the first thought is to paint or render or cover with stone cladding , but as you have already discovered , where do you stop ? What will it cost ? Will it look much different ?

From the street , I doubt anyone notices the small differences now , but you know the difference . Unless someone stops and looks at your 'updated' place for a minute and 2 , I don't think they will notice any difference if it is rendered or clad . So do you spend $15k , $25k , for something that you know is different , but I suspect will still be a bit of a compromise . Or do you just freshen what is there , embrace the era , do some landscaping , and spend $20k on a pool or the kitchen or a car ?

I wonder if something like this might work for stone cladding? Is the tone right for cream brick? https://www.armstone.com.au/products/wall-cladding/stone-cladding/nostra/

Love that random stone and would certainly fit with your house

I think it is too close to the lighter brick , and unless you do a definite 100mm or so plastered 'break' , slightly protruding , and paint or render it say charcoal , it will end up looking like a large beige box . The only slight advantage I can see is that it would then suit a timber garage door ( in fact , it would need one , or possibly paint the existing door a brighter colour , to add some interest ) but just me , I don't feel the result would justify the cost .

That cladding is gorgeous. (expensive I bet, but lovely). It's almost impossible to know if the tone would work with your house: if you wanted to go that way, I'd get a sample and hold it against the brick. Pottsy could be right about too much beige.

With paint for the lower half: I think maybe something like this: it's dulux caveman, a kind of taupey/grey/brown. You can paint some large pieces of card, and see how it looks in different lights, against your brick.

May I suggest that you could quite quickly and affordably:
1 - paint the roller door and the white beam above it in Terrain - https://colorbond.com/colour/terrain - which will stop them drawing your eye. You may still want to put in a wooden roller door but you will get the effect quickly.
2 - replace the eyesore round light fitting at the same time with a modern one
3- left hand side - the next door dirty cream fence is also eye catching either put a fence and gate there to block it from view or just paint it a dark colour so it recedes and separates from the house.
4 - yes the roof either needs a good clean or a repaint
5 - yes the down pipe - can it be replaced by a chain style into the garden bed? Paint it dark anyway to stop it popping. It may be possible to drain it to the side gutters

Love the railings -
5- the house isn’t sitting in its own space visually planting darker evergreens to left and right will help to settle it.

I've just been looking againand actually think, aside from awning and drain pipe in dodgy spot, that some landscaping and changing your steps would make a big difference.
your house is designed for a flat yard and it looks like its been plonked onto retaining wall.
I think fiddling around with bottom half and leaving top half is the way to go (aside from fixing entry).
I'd love to see terraced beds incorporated in steps for example.

Am I correct in thinking that if we were going to clad the bottom half then it would need to be rendered first anyway? That would end up being quite expensive.

Is a better option just to render and paint bottom half in one of those suggested colours, taupe etc?

I really like the Palm Springs colour palettes and textures. Can we be retro and palm Springs at the same time?

It depends what you want to achieve .

Right now , it has that 2 tone effect , which 'lowers' the look and adds interest .

Rendering in a light render will make it a big flat beige blob . Rendering in a darker render will get a slightly smoother version of what you've got .

The lighter toned cladding is sort of Palm Springs , adds interest and randomness , but runs the risk of looking too 'beige' , and there's the cost versus the benefit .

A browner or redder stone cladding is getting away from the Palm Springs image that I have , it is 'authentic' to the upmarket 60's places , it does get the two toned effect and visual benefits , but again it won't be cheap .

Personally I'd stick with the existing , add gardens ( maybe low palms and those fan type plants ) and some colour around the 'roof join' and railing , but a lot of others have different views .