If you are considering using aluminium windows then ensure they are thermally-improved or thermally-broken frames, standard aluminium windows conduct a huge amount of heat into and out of your building, decreasing comfort and increasing running costs. Timber windows and thermally-broken aluminium windows are similar in terms of thermal performance. Well painted timber windows should be maintenance free for 10-15 years, yes they will require more effort over time than aluminium but it is not a weekly event. This is still a major factor for many people in making this choice. Accoya timber (have a Google) is relatively new but does appear to allow a painted finish to last even longer. Double glazing, yes it costs more but not twice as much. If you buy good quality frames why would you not also buy good quality glass (and vice versa). It can be relatively easy to replace the single glazing in your existing frames with double glazing although this depends on the frames themselves. These are probably the largest areas of glass in your home, if you use single glazing you will lose more than 50% of your heat through them (depending the level of insulation in the remainder of the building, possibly more) hence choosing the right glass is incredibly important. Building comfort is a product of many many factors, each decision contributes to the whole. Be mindful of 'death by a thousand cuts'. I hope this helps a little.

Honestly, cladding the house in grey because it is trendy right now is only going to date your renovations and is not going to do anything special to the house. What is the finish on the house now? I'm assuming you are cladding to save on maintenance which is very wise, but if you paint the windows you are only going to start another maintenance issue. The finish on them now has been designed to last - paint won't. I also note you have brown posts on the verandas, brown/cream tiles on the ground and a cream fence - this all has to be taken into consideration if you want to change to a grey palette and achieve something really special. It has to be a total package. Unfortunately, colours do not reproduce on computer screens so there is no point in me suggesting colours, but I would call in a cladding specialist or 3, they are used to doing this type of work and generally know what the finished result will look like to advise you. They should be able to suggest colours that will blend better with the browns and creams but still give the house a more individual and timeless look. If you are still not sure, put the photos of your house onto a Paint Company's website and paint it in a similar colour. To me though, this house really needs some softening, I think a bit of a cottage look will make it look much more warmer and welcoming. It is just not blending in with its environment. Work on your landscaping - look on Houzz for some ideas for a front path to lift your home out of the ordinary, you don't have to spend a fortune, just be creative, change the hand railing, maybe even fence the veranda or grow a hedge in front of it and screen one (or both) ends of it to give you some privacy to sit out there, Perhaps grow a creeper across under the guttering to really soften the front of the house and make the veranda more welcoming. Beautiful, well kept lawns and gardens and some special outdoor areas in your back garden will really enhance the house so the brown windows will cease to become an issue.

I love that you're looking to invest in restoring it. I initially would have wondered whether there's still risk of it being bought by developers when you put it on the market again as they may retain the existing home to appease the heritage overlay but build others on the large block, especially if the area if growing in demand. In that case I would recommend keeping it simple, retaining cladding, just doing cosmetic changes plus fresh but inexpensive kitchen & bathroom. However, after reading your follow-up post, it sounds like you're actually going to be doing a lot with it and the integrity & heritage of the home is important to you, so I would do it well to attract a premium buyer, pricing it out of developers' budgets. In that case, avoid aluminium windows - even the more traditional style ones don't look quite right. And windows make such a statement visually so I think it would be ideal to invest in original style ones. My mum just did a renovation on a 1920s Tudor home and the windows that had to be replaced she ended up getting cheaper custom made by a local joinery than by the big Stegbars etc, but she did shop around. Alternatively there are building materials vendors/recyclers that could have good original windows, or even demolition homes listed on gumtree can come up with some great finds providing you're happy to remove yourself. And you need quite a few, I wouldn't worry about not having them identical from room to room which may be an issue finding so many matching, provided all your trims are painted say in a fresh white, they should tie in nicely together. And again, I was originally going to suggest keeping the cladding if you're doing a simple renovate to sell, however seeing all the work you're doing to the rest of the house, I'd be tempted to remove it and uncover the weather boards beneath. A once beautiful double-fronted Victorian house near me (unlike yours it was a complete dump - holes in the floor, had been derelict...) with vinyl cladding was sold last year and the new owners have removed the cladding and there was beautiful and very well preserved brick-pattern weatherboard underneath (I can't remember the name of it, it may not be common in your region). So you could have well preserved weather boards underneath. And if not, if you're both handy (and have trade friends) it is fairly straightforward and relatively inexpensive to replace them. And with your extension you'd want the weatherboards to all tie in too. It may also be easier and cheaper with wiring and insulation/sisalation too? And lastly, just make sure there's lots of light coming into that central lounge room from the adjacent rooms. Those features are amazing! Good luck! I'd love to see the progress photos!

Hi Sars I agree with the Community, you should look at selecting the product with the best performance before moving onto the decisions of both colour and style. Rylock Windows and Doors are custom fabricated locally in Melbourne and our product's aluminium profile has been designed to emulate the look of timber. We offer a thermally broken product range which features a polyamide strips to insulate the inner & outer parts of the frame which significantly minimises heat transfer through the window; and 25 standard hand-coated premium powdercoat colours. You can visit our website at rylock.com.au or one of our showrooms in Dingley and Coburg North. Kind regards Emma