You need pop.... I do not think gray would give you enough. Maybe you could paint the door red and replace the awning with something more refined. if you could find some of the of the same or coordinating bricks from the chimney then you could make two poles out of them and a wooden roof painted white. Or for a less costly route just paint the door some vibrant color an all the trim a nice clean white. You could also get some potted plants for a little more color.

I agree with GPG - if you can increase the window size and update to a modern frame (black in keeping with the image you included) it would make a big difference to the look. You could also install some external shutters. I would update the garage doors with something minimal and replace the latticework at the bottom with a modern timber screen (remove the unnecessary lattice at the top). I would be careful of introducing too many horizontal lines though! Think about a solid colour garage door and maybe update the handrail to glass.

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.

the two doors are confusing and the glass in the laundry door is darker and makes it more obvious in the photo .. consider a a dramatic new colour for the front door and a small gable roof to create a definite entry porch with extra posts and short entry path with symmetrical planting ...the new gable could be added when you're ready to renew the roof and a light coloured roof with dark trim and a bright new front door eg Colorbond Surfmist with Basalt gutters, eaves and posts with a bright blue door?