1. colours...simple way to reduce choices is to start with the Colorbond selection and eliminate the ones you don't like and there will only be a few left to choose form...oskuee's suggestion for shades of the same colours sounds ideal..eg Colourbond Mangrove or Gully with Surfmist fascias and eaves and consider painting just the front windows for a fresh new look 2. if you can't live with the arches the cheapest way to modify the appearance would be to add a continuous painted panel of timber across the top of the windows (or better still custom made powder coated painted steel to match the windows...ask a steel fabricator for a quote including manufacture, powder coat and installation over the top of the window to hide the arch...try a piece of painted cardboard in place to see if it makes enough of an improvement to be worthwhile 3. balcony rails painted (powder coated is much more effort but gives a range of textured finishes and is more long lasting) in darkest grey/brown? to match the windows and check repair and repaint the balcony floor and the flower pots 4. balcony support columns look quite flimsy and i would check that they meet current required safety standards check Australian Building codes or a structural engineeer consult not cheap but worthwhile.. and regardless of being big enough i would prefer more substantial looking square support colums with an extra column between the garage doors and the balcony railing may not be tall enough for current safety standards (check BCA) and consult a fencing contractor to identify options to add extra railing across the top or replace the whole railing 5. garage doors will always stand out because of the angle of view...try the darkest shade of the new colour but lighter coloured doors may be worth trying (you already know how the dark doors look)...try hanging a sheet or similar over a door to see how a light colour feels and then painted newspaper stuck on the doors to test different colours 6. i would prefer the gable to blend with the roof..it's too small to be a feature from this angle..paint the barge board and gable end to match the tiles 7. if the concrete stairs are in good condition just try a water blaster to clean the concrete and leave natural 8 and, while you have the water blaster, clean the brick walls and driveway and check and repair any broken pavers or missing grout

Hello, Do you need those railings? I would get rid of them at least at the front of the house so you can see the facade better, and paint everything else white.

Yep , a modern charcoal ( a very dark grey ) with a modern door was one option Kate ( with the red and white canopies ) , the other was the existing door in crisp white with red diamonds . Darren thinks a charcoal garage door is bold , so I didn't want to suggest a bright orange garage door and front door and gutters too !

It is 'of a certain era' , and without spending big $$$ , that's always going to be the base , and why not ? I'd take the cue from the lower brickwork , and do the windowsills and gutters in a tone thats more charcoal than brown , but with a slight brown aftertaste . Likewise , I'd redo the upper level in weatherboard , whether its painted , coated , synthetic , but personally I wouldn't mix styles -- scyon or render done in that orange tone will look like an obvious add-on ( yes , I know , the well-worn boards do that too , but look at how the concrete railing has come up with a paint ) . Basically , keep it looking like up-dated period IMO . Basically , get rid of all the green , and the awnings , and work with the orange , the 'interesting' aspect of the brown , the roof , and the small bit of white .