Hello @charlie_com Wow, what a great lot of advice and help. The Houzz community always amaze me with their generosity and info in helping homeowners with their project plans. And how exciting that you're looking at renovating! Your home has a lot of potential! I have a few comments to share which may be of use to you ... 1. Getting the design right - so it suits your family now, and into the future, (as well as creating a home that will sell well and quickly when the time comes) is a great way to start any project 2. Whilst your home is lines on a page, change is cheap - so whilst you may want to hurry up and get it built, it's worth taking the time to maximise every opportunity for your design, and to save time and money during construction, in the design phase. 3. Use professionals based on their specialty skills. Choose professionals you feel a good fit with, but that also have demonstrated experience in offering what you need. So builders are great at building ... some have an interest in design, but it's not their role or specialty. I have a blog on my site about the differences I see between building designers, architects and draftspeople - you can read it here as it may help you choose who is the best fit for you and your project. http://undercoverarchitect.com/architect-vs-draftsperson-vs-building-designer-whats-the-difference/ 4. Speaking to local agents is a great start to understanding what will add value and what won't. The Gap is a little bit of a tricky area of Brisbane value-wise (I have owned and renovated two homes there!) as it can have a bit of a ceiling on value. We really noticed that with our places, and our third reno was a home in Ashgrove, which is such a different market, even though it's one suburb over. Buyers in The Gap usually come from The Gap - it seems to be one of those areas that, once people move in, they don't leave ... because they love the bush setting, the amenities, and it is a lot closer to the CBD than most people realise! However, what people pay for in homes varies - so the local Harcourts is a great agency, and Ray White Ashgrove is also good, and Ryan Smith at Remax is awesome ... but yes, getting 3 or 4 agents in to talk about improvements, and value (even if you have no immediate intention of selling) is worthwhile 5. With kids your age, creating flexible, functional spaces that offer the ability to come together (but still feel some sense of privacy from each other) as well as spaces to be apart (but not locked away) is helpful as they get further into their teenage years. I would always seek to get living areas connecting physically to outdoors - it is especially one of the things that sets homes in The Gap apart from the Queenslander homes in neighbouring suburbs. It facilitates easier living in your home, and is great for young families especially. It will always help your home to feel larger too - as you capitalise on all of the block for that feeling of space. 6. Whether you change your entry or not is one thing ... you can change your address, but I would always check if one street has more real estate value over another. Being a corner block, the challenge is ensuring you create privacy on street frontages, so you don't feel exposed (but still get the natural light you need) 7. In Qld, yes, there is lots of sunshine. However, managing the heat load is essential for homes to feel great. So orienting spaces to the north and east, and reducing the access into the home from western sun. Creating overhangs that protect and shade from high northern summer sun, and also creating shady areas outside your home that cool breezes before they enter the house. 8. Working out your budget at the get go is a great start, and factoring in all those fees as well. I recommend that you think about what will add value to your home, and make your experience easier too. As with any industry, there are great architects, and not so great architects. However, choosing the right professional with great expertise - well, the money they save, and the value they build into your design and home - should more than cover their fees. I am very clear (even as an architect) about not pushing people to use architects ... however I struggle with the advice that says "an architect will cost too much - use a good draftsperson". We spend a lot of time in our homes, and a lot of money on them (often a 30 year mortgage!). If you were about to invest $100,000 or $200,000 in the stock market, what level of expert would you speak to about that? Perhaps thinking about it that frame of mind will help. Because you could be spending this renovation money on anything - so it needs to be an investment that adds value to your home, and your lifestyle in it. I have lots of free help and advice on my website, and send out more in my free weekly UA News (which you can get by popping your email address in on my website). Best wishes as you progress with your planning for your home. Warm Regards Your Secret Ally, Amelia, UA x www.undercoverarchitect.com amelia@undercoverarchitect.com ps - here are some before and after shots of a home we renovated in The Gap. You can see more piccies here ... http://undercoverarchitect.com/portfolio/denning-st/

we've done both: with the render finsh and painting the Hebel was more labour intensive, not cheaper than brick and the joints broke down after only two years It does provide good insulation but the same or better results can be achieved more efficiently...our next project will be reverse brick veneer with insulated Colorbond cladding..we concentrate on the shell of the building (roof, external walls, windows, doors and floors as the internal fittings can be added or upgraded over time...living without a proper kitchen for seven months allowed us to pay for better quality windows but you must plan to suit your climate and conditions, good luck

problem with Hebel is that it has to be rendered and painted and i would always prefer a no maintenance option for any outside walls and particularly for upstairs..if the builder can include equal insulation value (compared to Hebel) upstairs with a no/low maintenance light weight cladding that would make my choice easy

The whole house has that 80's vibe , and its a good example even today IMO . Anything else has the very real risk it will look added/tacked on . Personally , I'd just replace with weatherboards , and paint ( or vinyl covered if you are brave enough to risk repeating the current situation ) , probably a lighter shade , maybe with a slight blue tinge as opposed to the present yellow butter tinge -- say a Lexicon half or Surfmist or similar . If you change the upstairs windows , you will pretty much need to do the downstairs too , otherwise ( yes , we have gone around in a circle haha ) you risk that '2 different styles/eras' look . IF ( and I would be unlikely to do it myself ) you did change upstairs or all the windows , and do new weatherboards or coloursteel or render or whatever , I'd consider changing the window size at the 'upstairs bottom' ( smaller windows , same sides and top lines ) -- maybe its because of the vinyl colour , but I think its more likely the downstairs roof , the whole upstairs looks slightly taller than downstairs , slightly top heavy . Slightly smaller windows will help , but obviously needs added framing and weatherboards , but then you'd have to do the interior , which may turn into 2 whole rooms ? Apart from that , I'd get rid of the coffee beige around the gutters and boards . A crisp white would look good IMO and tie in with the new offwhite weatherboards , the support poles and boards and gutters will look good and crisp and clean , it even ties in with the brick and window frame tones . That leaves one thing -- the garage door . Maybe do it the same off-white as your upstairs weatherboards if on a budget or if the door is still fine , but my preference would be a nice timber one -- I do appreciate though that if doing weatherboards or any cladding , there's only so many $$$ . In summary though , stick to the era and you'll be glad IMO .