Honestly, cladding the house in grey because it is trendy right now is only going to date your renovations and is not going to do anything special to the house. What is the finish on the house now? I'm assuming you are cladding to save on maintenance which is very wise, but if you paint the windows you are only going to start another maintenance issue. The finish on them now has been designed to last - paint won't. I also note you have brown posts on the verandas, brown/cream tiles on the ground and a cream fence - this all has to be taken into consideration if you want to change to a grey palette and achieve something really special. It has to be a total package. Unfortunately, colours do not reproduce on computer screens so there is no point in me suggesting colours, but I would call in a cladding specialist or 3, they are used to doing this type of work and generally know what the finished result will look like to advise you. They should be able to suggest colours that will blend better with the browns and creams but still give the house a more individual and timeless look. If you are still not sure, put the photos of your house onto a Paint Company's website and paint it in a similar colour. To me though, this house really needs some softening, I think a bit of a cottage look will make it look much more warmer and welcoming. It is just not blending in with its environment. Work on your landscaping - look on Houzz for some ideas for a front path to lift your home out of the ordinary, you don't have to spend a fortune, just be creative, change the hand railing, maybe even fence the veranda or grow a hedge in front of it and screen one (or both) ends of it to give you some privacy to sit out there, Perhaps grow a creeper across under the guttering to really soften the front of the house and make the veranda more welcoming. Beautiful, well kept lawns and gardens and some special outdoor areas in your back garden will really enhance the house so the brown windows will cease to become an issue.

Hi Naz, yes you can paint both aluminium windows and bricks. The key to both is in the preparation and using the right products, particularly with the windows as if they are not prepped properly the new paint will just scratch and peel off. Keep in mind that once the bricks are painted they can never be stripped back and will require ongoing maintenance (re-painting). Not that that is necessarily a negative, just something to keep in mind. If you're budget is tight I'd go with painting (or replacing) the garage doors, iron security door and window frames to start with as they are the dominant features from the street. The red tile roof is in keeping with the spanish style, the green and brown colours not so much. Good luck with your project(s).

the shutters are usually made out of powder coated aluminium so check with the local specialist paint store for suitable paint and there's very detailed information online for painting powder coated aluminium (same as painting aluminium windows) tedious, time consuming but well worth the effort for a fresh new look and it could also be worthwhile to contact the shutter suppliers eg EZYFIT shutters who sell through Bunnings to ask if they have any service or advice that could help

Thanks so much for the response Julie. Love the picture of the stairs you put up, definitely the style we had in mind and also similar paint colour we thought of going for. We will be getting rid of the fruit trees at the front of the house and will certainly be doing some sort of low maintenance garden, so thanks for the ideas. We might reconsider painting the aluminium windows maybe?? We aren't in there yet, so just throwing around some ideas until we can get in there!!