The façade cost will depend upon the materials you pick and site specs (sloping blocks are a bit more challenging) and labour costs ( just make sure that you check your trades licenses, insurances and references for everyone who works on your house) - once you're structurally sound then the rest is straight forward (it's also been my experience with my builders - who are awesome - that they can come up with some amazing ideas that are cost effective and have a real wow factor). If it were me I'd ask around the neighbourhood for builders that can be recommended - they should be able to do it all at the same time and save you some money. On the materials - I'd be tempted to go with natural timber that will weather naturally without needing maintenance - personally I'd lean towards a Japanese technique of charring the timber so that you don't need to do a lot of upkeep - called Shou-sugi-ban - the reason being that the dark colour will tone in with your window frames.

Yes you are right, oskuee, the cost of this renovation was commensurate with its location in a prestige suburb of Sydney. Having said that, the budget was not limitless, so we chose to retain and enhance the bones and style of the original house by making 'simple' changes, rather than reinventing the whole house's look & layout, which would require more extensive and costly changes. This is how I usually approach renovations, to get the most out of the client's budget, no matter what the size or cost of the project is.

Hi Jaimia, I tend to agree with 12sally12 sentiments. Celebrate the house and it's foibles (boxiness, entry, colour, balcony treatment). However it's great to adapt a home to make it yours - just making the right decisions is the hard part! The extent of change depends on your budget and your tolerance for inconvenience. I've listed a few ideas that vary from 'nice to have' to significant structural (and cost) changes. These will affect the colour scheme, and therefore the way it will appear overall. Roof – dark colours appear heavier and more dominant. Your home looks to be built in the 70's, it's likely due for a new roof soon. Consider a fresh new zinc or white colorbond roof. Upgrade the gutters and downpipes at the same time. Balcony – remove the clutter (replace handrails), and extend the balcony beyond the face of the main facade. This will give the effect of elongating the front elevation of your home. The detail of the new handrail extending along the continuous balcony frontage should in turn provide a fresh new look (more contemporary). Arches – these could remain, or go (depending on your desire to keep the quirkiness). These are likely to be aesthetic brickwork only - but check with a structural engineer if these can be removed. Entrance – there are two parts to this: The first aspect is to do with the appliance from the street frontage. Prioritise making the front door the most welcoming part of your home. This can be done with a pathway from the front of the site, with garden areas and great planting to accentuate the entrance to your home. The other aspect of the entrance is how entrance 'reads' from the outside of your home. This depends a little on your location (and climate). As a guide I'd suggest revising the entry wall, including the door and windows proportions to 'open up' this part of the facade to the street. This should be designed in the context of those iras listed above, as well as benign conscious of security and protection from sun loading. I hope this helps Jaimia, (Keep in mind many of the aspects listed above will require structural design asa minimum!) Cathi

The 2 brick photos still look slightly different to me , but thats not overly important . Most of the fence is very basic , and not looked after . The front fence is 'sort of' artistic , but I don't think even that is well done . And then there are those panels 'stacked' 3 high further back , where they can't be seen . Oh , and the letterbox is really basic . In fact , the whole place looks like what I call a 'rental' -- lacking a bit of love . Do you know if those bricks ( either colour haha ) are readily available in your area ? Cause here's my suggestion -- if the budget stretches , and the neighbours agree , do the side fences with brick posts , and brick up to 500-600cm , maybe even a metre further back , with a single panel above . The front fence -- brick posts , and panels similar to present , but you'd need 1 less panel wide as there would be 'those' brick poles in between each panel , and of course do a slightly taller 'post' with a letterbox ( probably using the same brick , with a stainless steel letter slot and numbers -- or maybe keep it low ? ) . That would add a heap more reference to the house , the bricks , the carport , and the panels . Presumably its more $$$ than you intended , from your painting comments , but it would add a lot IMO . Just a thought . . . . . . . . . . .