I really like this building, and I love the railing... I would not change the railing. Is the railing the same thing as balustrade? (sorry I am not familiar with that term.... if it is, I think that I agree that I would do my best to maintain the character of it when I am trying to meet building code requirements). I think that it is reflective of the period that this house was built. I think that some nice landscaping of the property would add to its street appeal. I would love some hedging, and perhaps some flowers. I would remove the white railings that are next to the parking area (I am not speaking about the staircase railing, which I like.) The railings that are next to parking area, and entry into parking area are not very appealing... some hedges here would definitely add to the appeal. I would also remove all of the straggly looking plants and opt for something slightly more formal. The parking garage next to the building is unattractive. I think that this is much less appealing than the apartment building itself. The area definitely needs to be paved and I would explore the costs of improving this area. I think that while people like car spaces, this whole area detracts from the apartment complex which is actually quite nice. Also, is the paved area that is outside the stairs for visitor parking? I think that could be improved as well. If you do not need visitor parking, I would put a grass area here, and possibly a gate or formal hedging at the boundary of the property. I might even add something for tenants to use. Perhaps a bench or picnic table. I am not certain what the horizontal bar is that is between the windows on the upper floor. Can you have something more decorative there? (perhaps the street name 32 Hill Street (or whatever the street number is) ... written out in a decorative font that is in keeping with the time period of the building. I have seen this on some buildings in Sydney, and it actually looks nice. I think that I might change the red color on the end of the stairs. Is the seemingly paved area outside of the stairs a parking area? In one of the pictures I see a set of blue curtains in the upper window. I would replace this with something like a roman blind, so that all window treatments are the same. (I think that it has more appeal from the outside.) Good Luck!

The back looks more inviting than the front at present , but anything can be worked with . Is it a permanent home , or a beach place , only used occassionally ? The design and needs will vary a lot . Also , you said there is a carport to the right , that you are adding a door to , but the image seems to show that on the left ? Likewise , is that an addition to the right , or is that the carport closed in ? Anyway , assuming the windows are staying , and assuming its a holiday home ( the only reasoning is that 2 x 9kg gas bottles wouldn't be what most people would fit to a permanent home . I wouldn't do a footpath along a wall , I'd be a metre out -- allows for a garden , but also in case you need to get to plumbing , power , etc . Roof in a light grey ( yes , I know , but it is tropical , so don't go dark anything ) with charcoal ( or orange if you dare ! ) gutters and white eves , and slightly off-white walls , with 2 timber doors . Boring eh ? But then I'd have black steel frames around the windows ( not the window frames ) with security bars across , BUT with stained 80mm x 80mm timber rails screwed over the crossbars , so that is all you can see . The combo of white and a reasonably deeper toned stained timber exterior will look classy , clean , modern and be secure . The additions much the same , some rock or bark gardens , tropical plants , ferns , palms , knock yourself out !

Bear in mind that lawn needs to be mowed. How practical will that be in that tiny courtyard? If you want to remove the tiles I would be inclined to put gravel and stepping stones down with a walkable creeper in patches. There's a good amount of sun there so you should be okay with many choices. Choose a variety that works well in part-sun with a nice fine leaf. Thyme is actually a fantastic ground cover that smells great when you walk on it, tiny leaved, loves to be in dry places and is covered in masses of either white or purple flowers at the end of summer. At the moment your plantings are a bit more spanish than french, which is fine you could take inspiration from Riveria places like Nice. To go a bit more french I would swap out the succulents for either lavenders or roses or both! Both will work beautifully with the geraniums and olive tree. I purchased a beautiful lavender this year called Forte from Bunnings. It's a spanish styled lavender with the big petals on the flower head and is the most vivid shade of violet imaginable. Very fast growing in 6 weeks mine have doubled in size. Nice low mounding variety that will look good in pots. Floribunda roses are ideal for courtyards and small spaces as the bush only reaches around 80cm high and sends our bunches of roses on the bush. Floribunda means abundant flowers. I would avoid hybrid tea's as they are a large bush with loads of thorns. Or a climber would be good there too. My personal favourite is Lady of Shallot. But I also have one called Hot Cocoa which is very special and a floribunda. Roses love courtyards especially near a brick wall that radiates heat onto the bush. It keeps blackspot away because water never accumulates on the actual bush due to the heat. We associate roses with England but actually they come from the middle east and are a hot and dry country plant.

Good job on the bench. I like the colours that you have in the space. It’s not as noticeable as you think but I’d consider a paving paint or one the Dulux textured paints. Just a light coat over the base blocks more like a tinted moisturiser than a full foundation layer. In a colour the same as the base blocks.