Hi, I like the overall concept of the darkish grey, it suits the home. I am a colour consultant and have been working with the Dulux range for 17 years and you are on the right track with the Guild Grey. The Dulux Signature will give you a dark blue house. Another option if Simone Weil which is just a bit lighter than the Guild Grey, if you find that one too dark. Sample pots and A4 brush outs onto white cardboard are the best way to decide, because computer programs give an overall impression of the "look" but are not accurate with colour choices, you can't beat the human eye. All the best, it's going to look great.

Are you sure the roof is stainless steel?? That is VERY expensive and only used in very exposed corrosive coastal locations since it lasts forever. I think it might be Zincalume, a low cost but very durable and very common roofing material that has a light silvery surface and should last for 50 years. Definitely do NOT paint the roof black (or any dark colour), it would add more than 10° to the internal heat load, and you would have to spend so much more on insulation and on-going AC costs just to get back to where you are now. Have the roof checked and repaired by a roof plumber instead. If it's an old leaky galvanised iron roof at the end of it's days, replace it with zincalume. The porch roof looks like it needs replacing, but I would replace it with new roofing, possibly the insulated sandwich panel kind, that has a smooth white underside, then add a gutter to the front edge so you don't make your visitors walk under a waterfall in the rain. The canvas awning suggested earlier would not last as long without looking tired and would require the removal of existing roof structure, so I think it would be the more costly option (and you would still have the waterfall problem). I would leave the front fence as is, it ties in nicely with the house, but trim the tree. The back deck could easily be roofed to match the front, and be more useful to tenants with weather protection. It would be good to make all trim colours the same, and against the cream brick I think the dark grey you have on the front door and columns works quite well. I would make the other windows and trim, as well as the weatherboards over the back door match that if it just involves painting. However, it's not essential and if it means changing powdercoat finishes it would be too costly to be worthwhile in a rental.

1. First Impressions Are Everything Even though you may do your best to teach your children not to judge a book by it's covers, unfortunately we all do it occasionally. Let's face it first impressions really do make a lasting impact. So when you take a look at your home from the outside with fresh eyes, ask yourself - "is this really portraying the best impression of my family to anyone who would look at it for the first time?". If not an exterior house painting service can improve that for you. 2. Brighten Your Daily Mood Even though you may have become used to coming home to your house in it's current condition. You will be surprised how much better your mood will be when you come home and see your newly painted home. With a fresh new coat of paint your home will be brighter and more vibrant. Your mood will also uplift and this can help reduce stress and depression. 3. Protection Against Weathering This is a big positive of exterior house painting. Whether your home's exterior has metal, timber, both or some other material on the outside, these materials are facing the harshest elements. Fierce sun, strong winds, salt from nearby oceans or rivers, the list goes on. Without a protective coat of paint on these outward facing materials they will quickly weather and deteriorate. Rust or timber rot can then quickly travel to structural supports and before you know it your entire house could be at risk of being unstable. Ensure your homes exterior is painted completely with weather resistant paint and protect your most valuable asset - your home. 4. Update with Current Colour Trends Looking back on old trends we often think, what were we thinking. Yet at the time it seemed so cool to mix pale pink and green. No thanks! If your home's exterior is stuck in a time warp, it's time to update the colour scheme to something a bit more modern. Better yet choose neutral colours to stand the test of changing colour trends over time. 5. Match The Rest of Your Home As we spend so much of our lives living inside our homes, the inside often gets updated and even renovated much more frequently than the outside. If this sounds like your home, isn't it time you finally reconnect the outside to the inside? Whatever the design style or trend you have going on inside your home or even on the outside with the landscaping, ensure your homes exterior paintwork matches it perfectly. 6. Increase Your Property Value When you get your homes interior and exterior paintwork updated and looking great your can add tens of thousands to your property value. Even just by updating the exterior paint your can add significant value. Not only is this beneficial if you are wanting to sell your property to turn a profit, but also for when insuring against the value of your property. 7. Become House Proud Once Again Even if you are not wanting to sell your property, you owe it to yourself to increase your standard of living. Also by having a well presented and visually attractive home to come home to, you will become house proud once again. Just like the time when you first moved into your new home. Be happy to have friends, family and guests come round to your newly painted home with an exterior painting service. For the best painting services at competitive prices request a free quote from Sydney professional painters - Advanced Painting.

Thanks @siriuskey. We had the same thought, but our builder said the frame style moulding is for interior use only and would perish in 2-5 years in the full sun on the front of the house. Perhaps there is moulding that is suitable for outdoor use... I do like the look. One of our neighbours has done it (blue-grey paint, white window frames) and it looks good. We have done the kitchen window in the back as an experiment; it is undercover and out of the sun though. I like the grey idea, but our neighbour's house is shades of grey (not like the book ;) and we didn't want to be too matchy-matchy. We might have another think about the paint... thank you for your comments. :)