I love this house - it's got so much potential for "wow" with a small budget, depending on the materials you use and if you're prepared to do all/part of the work yourselves. A trip to your local hardware store will help you get costings and work out what you feel able to do yourself and where you're going to employ experts. If the pergola is council approved, I'd keep it, extend a deck (eco wood is easy to use for a beginner handyperson) where the pergola is. I'd add a louvered roof over it so that you have a living space (I'd use specialists for this), and a way of keeping hot summer sun off the front of the house. As it looks like you've got a metal roof, I'd think about painting it, the house trim and the garage doors the same colour to give your home a sense of cohesiveness and keep the exterior walls white as it looks fresh, doesn't date and is in keeping with the style and period of your home. Refreshing the front garden beds will make a huge difference too.

Frig is the most used item in the kitchen, consider moving to the other end of bench so people don't have to walk through the kitchen to access it. I know it is standard to have a bath in the main bathroom but consider who in your family is likely to use it the most. If it is you try and put it in the ensuite and make more room for a larger laundry. I don't know if there is any way to reorient your family room but at the moment all the seating appears to not face your views. Put the TV in the lounge room and turn the seating in the family room to face the views.

IMO the picket fence is at odds with the plain and fairly timeless house. Nothing wrong with corner windows per se, however if your climate would benefit from it you could enquire about replacing them with a more modern and energy efficient style. I don't see the need to spend on painting the bricks or roof tiles with possible maintenance issues down the track, unless you genuinely dislike the existing colours and have a clear vision for what you want instead. Sure they're sold as modernising tricks but the results vary and if not well done the house can look like nothing more than 'an old house, modernised'.

Fabulous advice, love your work.