@ambulastar1985 - The lack of insulation in Australian homes is indeed appalling. Coming from a European background where insulation standards are very strict (although they differ from one country to another), I fail to understand why Australia is so behind on that matter. We may not have much cold weather compared to Europe but our summers can be extremely hot and it's silly to rely solely on air-con to regulate temperature. So much energy (and money!) could be saved by just planning the house and insulating it properly to start with, without affecting much the initial cost or construction time frame. In France - which is definitely not a leader in environmental matters! - these days, when selling a house, you have to get an expert to estimate how energy efficient your home is and to indicate the energy rating on the ad and sale documents. Houses that are not energy efficient sell for less and can also be taxed at higher rates by councils. It's been a great incentive to get people to think twice when building and/or renovating.

Hi JV, I think unless you are planning to do a huge facelift to the home, I would just embrace the retro feel rather than trying to mask it and have it looking too random and shoddy. I actually think the cream brick at the sides is quite cool, it looks in really good shape, I would definitely leave that! And the trellis, I just think you can't fight it as it's all the balustrade too. Replacing that with glass will just look like a 70s home with bad out of place glass added. I like your timber idea, though I'd just go a regular cladding rather than decking which will look... well like decking on the wall! Get a cladding (Even a Scyon style product), paint it a light charcoal (or even a dark olive/khaki colour) and it would look stylish, retro and actuallypretty cool as I'd expect from an IT guy. Add some plants (mother in laws tongue, a crassula, another succulent) in a few pots of varying heights (say 3), add a stylish outdoor light, maybe a plaque wiht your business name, a cool doormat, remove the screen door and I think it would look great. Look up mid century modern references, there's a lot. Even though it's not mid century, you could stretch to that. I think it would look far better than trying to mask what you've got and have it come off as looking really amateur.

siriuskey - rendering over fibre cement board tends to crack after a few years. Render board (foam panels) work ok. Hebel panels also ok. Hard to give too much info without knowing what the covenant says. A lot of sites have covenants such as a percentage of face brick/rendered brick/weatherboard. Some also say no corrugated steel for cladding. Unfortunately this why so many new subdivisions have houses all looking similar, but thats another story.

I'm afraid to say that I think your Dad is right. I love the look of Scyon Axon but I think it has a slightly more contemporary feel and the vertical recesses are quite subtle. In your photo example the verticality to the gable element is provided by timber battens which are much thicker than the Scyon Axon recesses. Your gable end has a strong vertical emphasis and the horizontal weatherboard will give it some counterbalance, a more classic look, and more interest with the horizontal shadows. In this photo I used Scyon Axon and the vertical recesses are very subtle. Your Dad probably prefers the weatherboard as it is easier to install than the Scyon Axon panels. Have you thought about the horizontal joint between the Scyon Axon panels for tall vertical walls, such as your gable? This joint has not been drawn in your elevation so here is a photo of how it should look: As you can see the horizontal weatherboards are much more dramatic. Best of luck with your considerations. Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls