Sorry for the delay coming back to you all and thanks for all the input so far! We had our second baby just after posting this so have been distracted since :-) Thanks for all the suggestions and photos I think you are all spot on and I just need to get rid of the terracotta and brown as much as possible. I've got some colour test tins from bunnings so when I can I'm going to try out the following scheme and will post back: Windows - Really not sure? Black/White/Silver? Roof - Monument or Woodland Grey Garage doors - Monument or Woodland Grey Gutters - Monument or Woodland Grey Fascia - Shale grey Eaves/poles - Shale grey Downpipes - Monument or Woodland Grey Driveway/Tiled area - Respray or stencil in some sort of mid grey (the tiles are all cracked anyway). Something like attached. Back paving - Adbri Eurostone in Zurich - http://www.adbrimasonry.com.au/homeowner/paving/see-all-paving/euro-stone - photo attached Couple of questions: Can you paint split face block work and it sticks ok? I didn't think you could if not will render I love exposed aggregate but didn't think you could recoat in this format? It doesn’t seem that common in Sydney compared to Melbourne. Really not sure on window colour and would love some ideas? Other things: Definitely planning on getting an awning once new pavers are down Windows I will get quotes to replace but if too expensive will get a specialist painter for now Zurich is on the right. It's a light grey paver with an exposed aggregate. Available in 400 x 400 and 600 x 400 Cheers, Frank

Further to Julia and Julia's decking and planting comments I would consider tidying up the front eave. At the moment the carport and verandah look like late add-ons (which they are) due to the "stepped" gable. By extending the verandah and carport roofs forward to align with the front gable fascia, then adding a consistant fascia and eave lining across the full width of the house the side additions will look more integrated. Don't even think about a faux stone as they look fake, and you will need to continue it down the sides so it looks less tacky. I would consider just painting below the beading line a darker shade of the wall colour to anchor the base of the house. I would not widen the windows as the rythym works quite nicely, but consider increasing the height to the ceiling line to give a better proportion using awning style windows instead of poorly proportioned sliding windows. If you have ceilings that slope to match the roof line the head of each new window should be raked to follow the ceiling line. If this is the case then you will have a nice looking home with a slight mid-century modern vibe, and which may even be the best looking house in the street! Best of luck Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

You have a classic post-war cream brick home, and the cream brick is the feature with its subtle variation in colour. The dark brown accent colours, which are not original, were probably added in the early 1970's. With your tight budget I would not be rendering the brick. You may like to read my blog post about why you should NOT render a classic home. https://secretdesignstudio.com/render-brick-home-tribute-triple-fronted-blonde-brick-veneer-home/ I would be looking at removing the "feature" awning and replacing it with something more appropriate to the home such as vertical black and white stripe which I suggested to these clients who have a similar brick and tile combination to yours. I would then look at repainting the gutters and fascias to co-ordinate with the awning. Introduce some landscaping to soften the look, and consider painting or rendering the dark brown base brickwork (but never the cream brickwork). Finish all of the timber window frames in the original Dulux Vivid White. I would not be adding the fake Victorian-style verandah to the home as you have proposed with its ornate iron lace. It will just look so wrong mixing these elements from different centuries from homes with very different proportions. I don't think I have actually seen a new renovation with fake decorative iron lace since the 1970s! At the end of the day, you won't be able to "modernise" or change the style of the existing home with your budget. What you can do is to celebrate the 1960's character that you already have and build on the original parts of your home which will be more cost-effective. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls.

The characteristics of the Queenslander house makes it the most iconic domestic building type constructed as well as being one of the signature's of Australian architecture. The sub-tropical residential architecture of Brisbane is acknowledged as the most original and distinctive of all the Australia cities. Owning an old Queenslander is a challenging task to meet our modern living requirements. Old houses have to be dealt with a sensitive & intelligent skill to adapt to today’s living. Our client owns a 1920’s Queenslander on a hill at Brisbane’s bayside. The land size is a standard double lot at 810sq.m, facing West. The original house was one level house with two bedrooms, one bathroom, T-shape living room and kitchen. The lower section of the house was semi enclosed for laundry and storage. Around 1930 the previous owner enlarged the house foot print by enclosing the south side verandah and building a new full length north side verandah. This alteration had created an odd room in the middle of the house which also acted as the passage to the north side new verandah. The house was tired, rundown and overall foot print of the house is not sufficient for the couple for living and home office. Our client decided to reconfigure the interior layout, and to open up the back of the house. How did we restore the original house facade? (*Note that it was important for the client to restore & correctly detail the front facade as the house is in a character streetscape recognised by the council) *Restoration of the front facade involved the removal of all casement windows and awnings for complete stripping and painting & reinstating. *Ugly plastic drainpipes and guttering were replaced with new charcoal colorbond gutters and pipes. Attention to detail involved the relocation of down pipes to be set back from the front facade to ensure the clean look of the entrance. *Verandah bat wing doors were installed at the top of the stair to emphasise the entrance and provide security. *Removal of 1970’s external window screens to unveil all windows to their original beauty of the house *Replacement of the rusted TL-5 square rib old profile roof with the new S-Rib corrugated roof *Repaint the entire house in a clean cut monotone colour scheme. FRONT FACADE: BEFORE AFTER: BACK FACADE: BEFORE DURING CONSTRUCTION framework of the addition section AFTER SIDE FACADE BEFORE DURING CONSTRUCTION The framework of the addition section at the far end of this photo AFTER How did we plan the addition at the back yard seamless joining the original section -Why we created the seamless new open plan extension? The existing old house had no connection or view to the large back garden. The sea breezes were blocked with fixed glazing & one single door led to a low roofed deck. -Why we did not raise the house to double storey on the original foot print? The site is on a double sloping low hill which would have required extensive excavation, retaining walls & drainage. Compromised excavated outside zones leading from the side elevations would have created poorly naturally lit rooms along with inefficient air flow. This house does not require air conditioning. The double storey would have required repeat height new internal and back deck staircases. -Why we did not clear and bulldoze the back yard for new landscaping? After a 50 year old feature tree fell over, the back yard was planted with native indigenous SE Queensland trees 10 years ago. This has now formed a back drop of native greenery which is now being enhanced with further planting to create the best coastal eco-system. A double front colorbond shed was recycled & is now repositioned in a happy neighbours backyard. We will share the interior part in next post. Keep watching. www.8designlab.com.au