Even though that is a fairly small space you could put some decorative trellises just in front of the fence with some ever flowering vines on them. Install a paver patio between them and the windows you hope to transform into doors.. You could also have the wisteria trained onto a pergola that would create a little shade for the patio as well. Some beautiful potted specimens/flowers and a couple of attractive outdoor chairs and you would have created a beautiful "picture" to act as a focus to the room. Additionally you have extra space for entertaining. Obviously the reason the previous owner obscured the window was because there wasn't much to look at. By creating a "view," you change the dynamic of the room as well as getting the light you want. Actual light will brighten the room like no change of floor would.

an old house in an area that you want to live in while you do all the work of a very carefully planned renovation staged to minimise big loans will add value only if everyone who lives with you can either contribute financially or physically and has the time and energy to at least make dinner while you paint. Building new is much cheaper than renovating but old places are often in better locations. Provided the old place is liveable you can save rent while you save for the next stage of the reno but there'll always be unexpected costs of both time and money eg for our latest reno: about $4000 to remove asbestos from an old laundry and bathroom, $8000 to remove trees, weeks of back breaking labour to remove old plasterboards and carpet, ripping thousands of nails from timber floors to discover the boards were beyond restoration, collecting rubbish and rubble from demolished brick walls and loading at least 20 loads into the ute and driving to the tip and paying to unload it ....but the old stove, doors and windows sold on Gumtree and Ebay and redundant electrical wiring and metal taken to the scrap dealer paid for quite a few take away dinners and didn't we have fun together?

Make the most of the era and the exposed bricks. Put in a large skylight and fit wall garden system to "green up" those bricks and larger pots on the base. The brick base is perfect to hide the drainage system you'll need. Get a steel fabricator to weld up a drip tray to fit inside. Mesh over the top covered in your choice of pebbles or a sheet of CoreTen rusty steel laser cut to a design of your choice. Some Balinese statues maybe. Year round herbs.

Hi Anna, what colour(s) are your features? You may find changing up the window frames, gutters etc. will change how you feel about the wall colour. If they are all aluminium and can't be changed, even adding a pop of colour with a strong front door colour can make a big difference, as can landscaping. Have you tried searching for homes with Colorbond Dune to see what other homes with Dune render look like?