Here are some of my thoughts on your front garden ... 1. Create a better "welcome walkway to your front steps . remove the hedge currently there ... mass plant an architectural wow-factor plant and uplight so peoplre know where the front entry is during the nightime. 2. "Correct" the sloping lawn, add a paved area for extra parking. 3. Create a garden bed along neighbours boundary and plant up with a hedging plant for privacy. 4. Create a garden bed in front of the wall using plants that will not block out the view from the windows. 5. For the remaining garden bed toward the kerbside, xeriscape with drought loving plants, choose plants that will not be taller than 5 feet (1.5mtrs) 6. All the garden beds with gravel, crushed river pebbles, or small river stones to compliment existing driveway. No need to change colours of house! Now there'll be no lawn to mow - but a valuable extra parking space - a designated "welcome" pathway to guide visitors to your front door - and a gorgeous "garden" to view from the front windows.

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.

Sorry - know I didn’t mock up the white fret work - family had originally voted a no - so hadn’t bothered... I’ve asked the painter to do the fret work white so we can see what it’s like in real life and if it’s good we’ll keep it that way - hopefully have a photo to post in the next week or so

You could replace front fence with a more modern type, add electronic gates for added security while away, your path could incorporate large pavers to add a stylish look, remove large conifer near letter box as they look a little dated now, use water wise plants like lomandra, ornamental grasses, black mondo looks wonderful planted amongst bright green foliage, add an automated watering system and stone mulch as this retains moisture , hopefully you can save your tree, you can cut the roots away from where they are damaging path and relay path, our trees did that and we removed part of the root and added a watering system and that seemed to work , exciting times ahead for you.