Old post here Anne, but it really comes down to the style of your home too and keeping that style as part of its character, assuming then that your furnishings and such would also be in keeping with the style. Focus on the big picture. A lot can also depend on the colour of the stain too, some look really rich and beautiful while others can be very heavy and depressing. As I said here originally, paint on timber is a lot of upkeep and work, although there are undercoats and paints now that mean you don't have to rub back each time you paint like you did years ago. If the style of your house is right, I do agree that white finish on timber does make the house look a lot brighter and it sharpens the colour of your walls too. Another option that would be a lot of work, is to rub back the timber to remove the original colour and then use a liming varnish. Feast Watson do a range of this, it is very easy to use and it dries quickly. You could use the white in that, which will still allow the grain in the timber to show through and you can keep adding coats until you get the level of white you want. I did some beds that were originally a really deep mahogony colour with this, I ended up putting 4 coats on but am thrilled with the result. It does give a beach vibe if that will work in your home. Another suggestion - some paint companies have a feature on their websites where you can download a photo of your room and "paint" it with their colours. Perhaps you could do this and "paint" all your timber white - that might help you decide. Good luck - it is a big decision to make when there is no going back.

Just me , but I'd start at the front , and just take the 'small steps' approach . The basics look well done . I'd go for repainting the front door in a 'popping' bright colour ( a bright red seems logical to me , as it would tie in with the 'plum' colour around the guttering ) , and see how that looks . The door does have the advantage and disadvantage that it is in the shadow most of the time , so it needs to be bright to be noticed , but you'd have to get the colour right . If that worked , I'd then be inclined to do the front and side window surrounds in the same colour as the front door , but initially only 30mm wide ( use making tape ) . The ones along the front and rear may look okay with the whole 80-100mm board painted , but I suspect the side windows would look overdone and out of character , So start smaller , stand back , wait a month , and modify if need be . Another thing , the 2 concrete 'bases' in front of the front door may get an uplift by doing just them ( they look like maybe 800mm tall by 300mm wide ? ) in the plum colour of the guttering -- ties the top and the entry together ? The pillars above them and across the front of the house , I'd leave as they are .

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.

I would start with making a decision on the carport first. Start by talking to the council as you may not be able to do a double carport (and the single carport at your neighbours looks like a tight squeeze!) Also as Missmel said you should probably also make a decision whether to paint or not early on. If you are going to go with carport, paint, new awning and possibly porch windows you are getting into a whole new look so I would start talking a professional about the best way to design it. As an alternative to the porch enclosure could you get the front windows double glazed to reduce noise? If it was my place I think I would only be changing the awning, paint the fences, landscape, and maybe do a single carport if its really needed (plus the tiling etc that you mentioned). Some new fretwork might be nice too. To me the main thing to change is the bullnose, as you said its not original and it looks heavy and dominating. You will have to post some pics when done I will be really interested to see how this all turns out.