I agree with several other commentators. I love the look of your house, arches & all. Retro is in! I would pretty much leave as is & concentrate on cleaning concrete & landscaping. You will be amazed at what a difference good landscaping will make to the street appeal. With the right colors in your planting you might even come to like the look of your home like most of us already do. In a busy world the last thing you want is more upkeep & I think you would be making a rod for you own back if you render or paint the brick. And keeping it true to the era could add to its resale value. The only things I would change is the color of the garage doors & facia to either Dulux Natural White or Antique White USA whichever you prefer & the gates black if you want to be safe or a bolder contrasting color. As for the window frames I keep tossing up between the black & the white. Maybe black window frames with black gates would look good. Good luck with it all & look forward to seeing the finished result. Cheers Jenny

I am with you Zara - I think it could definitely be a contender for ugliest fibro ever. I think I prefer the neighbour's house. Why would someone choose to place the bathroom at the front like that? And the front door opening off a gloomy single carport - definitely a mid-century modern touch. My suggestion would be to build a modest addition that would draw the eye away from the boxy elevation - possibly convert that carport to a decked outdoor entertaining area and open the wall next to the front door into the living room (guessing that is the floor plan). Or push something up through the roof, maybe a clerestory window to capture light and air - this would give the building a bit of vertical energy. Then paint the original fibro monument, as fulton & salomon suggested. Or matt black. Very dark colours will make the building look more substantial and work well with the texture of the fibro panels. I saw a very impressive building in North Fremantle once - three storeys + roof garden with a big concrete curved panel falling over the front like a waterfall. It wasn't until the owner/builder pointed it out that I realised that the ground floor was actually a single storey salmon-brick 70's house. The roof had been removed and the upper floors cantilevered over the original walls which had been painted black. The original building just disappeared. Lately I have been fantasising about doing something similar with a fibro beach shack like yours - flying a lightweight, open-plan structure with strong geometric form over the top but keeping the core of the shack for bedrooms, laundry etc.

Hello lovelies - you guys have been busy this afternoon. Thank you sincerely for all your efforts to accommodate us and our limitations. I really am touched by the thoughtfulness and time you have invested in our little project. The rest of the house for some reason is not really bothering me... I guess because I'll be spending a fair bit of time in the master, that's probably the reason why I need it to be 'just right'... I need it designed in such a way that will help, not hinder - whilst also be practical, safe and beautiful. Simple things that will promote independence for me, rather than continue to dictate reliance on others which I bloody hate :( Little things like that will do wonders for my self esteem and self confidence and go a long way for me, being the person I used to be... somewhere along the way, I feel that person has gotten lost in a fog of chronic pain in my chest and my back. Others have it worse. Please don't think I'm playing my own orchestra of violins here lol. But if we can nail this, then the rest of the house will be easy lol! oklouise has got my studio room sorted perfectly. And I'm pretty sure the kitchen/butlers pantry and laundry/mud room are looking very schmick already. So I'm hoping once I have this sorted, I won't be around to bother you guys again - hey, there's a light at the end of the tunnel lol. I love what you are trying to do for us siri... it looks like a glam bathroom which I appreciate.... all the practicalities of a hospital style bathroom, but with some gorgeous glamour... I think that is very cool. This is all so very new to me and it's been a great journey of discovery about what is out there.... the picture you painted, the coloured tiles, timber etc... I could see it and I think it would be perfect. Just so I get it right in my own head to clarify - does this awesome large double walk in shower have those narrow walls on either side for a little privacy, shower curtain or glass sliding doors? I guess that is one thing that has me tripped up at the moment. Pro's and con's for all of it. I need something that will look beautiful and still show light, whilst giving me some 'privacy' .... I don't tend to cry in front of my children but if I want to have a moment to let some things go, it would be nice to have a little sook in the shower without anyone seeing me. Obviously I'm very self conscious also so I do think Philip's original 3D image of those large glass sliders was very appealing to me as I could hide behind those without fear of being even more vulnerable in front of my children. I love the romantic idea of the shower curtain and believe it would bring a lovely softness to the space....cleaning wise, it may be a good option if I can swap it out with another to clean as you suggested Siriuskey... something that will be easy to 'clean/maintain' with all of my issues will be key either way. I do have a cleaner that comes once a fortnight to do all the big jobs that I can't do anymore so I'm conscientious of still having a beautiful space in between those cleans and I do worry that the glass may be quite high maintenance for someone like me who physically can't keep it clean in between the cleaner doing it for me if that all makes sense. So I guess that's why I thought maybe the short walls at either end might work? I did a little research earlier tonight on HOUZZ that mentioned about a treatment applied to glass that helps with soap scum etc???? Anyone familiar with that? If that is the case, then I would pick a lovely tinted/sandblasted glass I think - that will still allow light to fly around. Brixnmorta - many thanks for the security film suggestion!!! I appreciate the link for it - thank you so much. I have saved it for future reference. Thank you oklouise for your beautiful plans. You don't have to continue guys. I have some excellent plans as they stand now to take to the builder so feel free to help others :) You've already done more than enough for me xx PS. Siri - that fireplace! OMG! How nice is that?! We'll use a fireplace or set up an awesome fire pit/fireplace in the alfresco area - and that will be perfect. I also am a lover of candles so can have mini fires all over our bedroom lol xxxx

I wouldn't replace the fibre cement panels under the windows with weatherboards, that would just accentuate the different window heights. Instead I would paint those panels a darker colour, say a charcoal grey, with the corner posts and other window trim in the same colour. (You are right, grey is timeless, while any blue would date very quickly.) Then the windows and panels become consistent vertical elements on a lighter facade. You can also pick out the fascias and gutters in that same grey to tie it all together. If you stripped back the brown painted battens to the undercroft and the balcony timber railings, and instead gave them a coat of decking oil for natural timber warmth and integrity, you could make a similar oiled horizontal batten front fence using hardwood decking boards on 50x50 galvanised steel posts. Then the fence and the undercroft battening would match. If the garage door is a tilt-a-door I would be tempted to replace the steel with oiled horizontal battens. Otherwise, paint it the same charcoal grey. Then you have a 3-tone colour scheme that will give the place simple understated elegance: White, grey, and natural oiled hardwood. I am curious why what looks like the front door is not accessible? It looks like there might have been front steps there at one time instead of the current deck. Probably a casualty of a previous renovation.