I have to agree with Crafty Countess about having a vinyl flooring. I would recommend Loose Lay by Karndean. The range comes in wood plank and stone tile effects, does not have to be glued down except around the edges of the room and damaged "tiles" can be easily replaced. They are made for commercial use, so are very durable and will retain their looks for years to come. From our own tenants, I've found that white or off- white works best. You'll never get a colour right for a tenant. In the past, we've hung curtains, which our tenants always ask to take down and put up their own. We've painted lightly fresh or richly cozy feature walls, which our tenants have asked to paint over. So we always use a neutral paint now. We allow our tenants to hang pictures, providing they repair and paint the holes when they move out and use wall stickups that they can take with them. The less colour you put in, the more you allow your tenants to make the space their own.

Gutters, barge boards and soffits need to be "hidden", so paint them in the same colour as the their surroundings - otherwise they stick out like a sore thumb.

It's a shame that your neighbours are not willing to have the two cottages done at the same time. It would really help to spread the cost and for consistency's sake. I am no fan of candy coloured cottages and think a muted or darker shade suits the cottages better. Bright colours look better in sunshine, maybe for the coast like Copenhagen waterfront. Think about the longevity of the colour too. A light colour although fresher would need repainting more often as the water stains would show sooner. Its hard to say whether to act independently or wait to hear what colour they have chosen. I think I would just choose my own and since they are not interested just hope that they don't clash too much.

Agate grey is more blue undertones, whereas Pebble grey is green undertones. If I had to choose between the two I'd go for Pebble as it's a warmer colour and less grey than Agate. But think it would be nicer with a creamy-white colour (yellow undertones to go with the yellow bricks). Not stark white as that'll be too harsh, but something warmer that is similar undertones to the brick (without being too yellow!)