Hardwood is still a great option and will last for decades if maintained. It would still be my first choice. In particular if it does suit the existing house. The new composites like Millboard, Inex, both look good once down. The Inex for example gets stained (or painted) like a standard timber but the product is a bit like a fibre cement so is almost unaffected by moisture. How long will they last.... well they are quite new to the market.....

Thanks for this suggestion. I've just had a look at a photo of a fence painted in this product and it looks great. ... It's been almost three years since we posted our original question on this site and we still haven't painted the fence! Some parts of the fence have turned grey, as they are exposed to more sun, but overall I do think a dark charcoal finish would be more attractive. :)

Thanks to nickybaruch I am now considering doing the floor (which is now sanded back ready for finishing off) with white liming with a slight tint colour in it. Some say you have to be very careful when liming. Is this a problem? I would have thought it would be just like putting on a stain? Anyway doing it that way we would still see the grain of the timber floor which would be lighter than the dark cedar it was before and keeping the pine lined ceiling with the cedar coloured beams will blend in well I think with the lighter timber floor and the white walls we now have. What do you think?

Hi siriuskey So the large coir mat from Bunnings is much cheaper than the Chilewich. I'm confused now. Do you recommend the coir mat or the Chilewich? I'm not sure if I can even find a Chilewich in Adelaide to bring home for a look ....