Ok, I've read many blog articles on the web and many discussions here. And now I'm more confused than ever!

Some people say that painting outdoor bricks can add value and refresh the style of the house.

Others say "bricks are beautiful, leave them alone".

I don't particularly like these natural bricks, unless it's a casolare in Tuscany, and it seems to me that they clearly date the house back to the 80s...but hey, I'm here to learn!

My house is in Sydney (Australia), from the '80s and I was thinking of whitewashing the bricks, even just under the patio (second picture...apologies for the mess, we are still doing renovations in the backyard).

Our goal is to give to the patio a more "coastal" look, that's why we are considering whitewashing. We will put a few wall decorations with shells, we'll paint the laundry door and the gutters white, add festoon lights and - in a couple of years - we want to put new white windows. If I imagine it with all this and still the natural bricks, I'm like "Meh", but with whitewashed walls, it might have an extra wow effect.

What do you recommend?

1. Is whitewashing as "high maintenance" as painting, meaning that now and then it has to be retouched?

2. Should I just whitewash the patio and leave the front of the house as it is?

If you have experience with Australian real estate (the market might have different trends here or in other Countries, especially since my house is definitely not historic) can you tell me if it's true that painting might add value to the property?

Thanks in advance!