Ok, there is a colour I use frequently both for modern and traditional exteriors. It's a colored grey. Not grey with blue what so ever. It's more of a beige concrete tone. A coffee toned beige I fear would be too rich next to the cedar, all very warm and would overpower the street front. Muddy or dark tones will fit against the cedar and emphasize the orange-ness. Not so great and it will look dated. In keeping with cedar windows, the richness of the timber will warm the exterior quite a bit, and with terra-cotta roof,orange can dominate the facade. To reduce that, and compliment their richness, the neutral tone of urban grey counteracts that, and introduces a neutral overall exterior. Off hand, can say it's similar to a mortar colour. I urge you to sample a large area, not next to any yellow. So either paint inside a cardboard box, or undercoat around a window frame, and paint the urban grey in a large area to see it's colour change in all lighting.

Cracks on the joins after a few years in a lot of cases. Insulation properties are like most FC cladding. The wall insulation batts do the work with a bit of assistance from the cladding. Insulate the walls no matter where you live or what material is on the outside or inside. Insulation is the answer to an efficient home. Its a prerequisite anyway with energy efficiency legislation, quite cheap as well. James Hardie/Scyon are good products. Not cheap or really quick but nothing good ever is. Hebel panels are a good alternative to brick but really the thermal mass is better on the inside of a house not the outside. So reverse brick veneer or Hebel internal walls with FC cladding outside and bulk insulation to wall cavity's.

Hi Katrine, The renovation went really well - thanks! It's been finished for more than a year now - hard to believe!! I could only find one pic of the cladding that was easy for me to upload - here it is. We've been really happy with the FC cladding and how it looks. We replaced all the existing exterior weatherboards (which ran on an angle parallel to the roof) with the same Duragroove FC cladding that we covered the new extension in. Our builders said it is very easy to work with and it certainly went up very quickly. Their only comment was that you can end up with a fair bit of wastage as it often gets damaged in transit. The supplier they used said this is pretty common, however, and so they actually allow for it and oversupply somewhat to allow a proportion of damaged sheets - sorry I can't quantify this aspect for you. The cladding was very easy and quick to paint and we're very happy with how it has come up. If you're interested in details, it's painted in a new Colourbond colour called Gully. The darker trim (fascias, gutters, downpipes etc) is Woodland Grey. Good luck with your decision making. If you'd like more photos, let me know and I'll try to take and upload a few more. Cheers, Kate

I love all the above ideas . I'll take a slightly different tack though -- maybe get you thinking ? I don't like the balance of the house sorry -- the garage at a lower level , but without a corresponding split level roof , I personally don't like . To me , it makes the house look 'stubby' . Depending on your budget , and need for space , I'd either add a 'higher' window in place of the garage door -- in line with the window next to it . OR I'd change the garage door to a ranch slider -- turn the garage into the master bedroom , or an office ( presumably with the laundry at the rear ) . The problem with that is that some people may mistake that for the main front entrance . I'd then add the garage to the left hand side , BUT I'd bring it forward by approx 1.5-2 metres -- the new roof could then be at the same level , but as it comes further foward , it would give the illussion of a split level roof . There's a slight advantage that you'd have a bit more space too -- maybe even extend it out the back , and then the boat can fit too ? Between the new garage and the front door , I'd then do a pagoda style veranda -- 200 x 50 beams , stained a nice medium brown , probably with clear acrylic panels above . The right hand eve , and the window sills , I'd also do in a mid brown -- personally , I think it looks a bit too grey and black at present . The front door looks nice , but again I'd do it in a nice mid-brown colour , rather than the lighter varnished look that appears to be on it now . Obviously , alter the driveway , so you can get in the new garage , and park 2 vehicles side by side , using the existing and new driveway . And then gardens as above . A bit ( lot ? ) more expensive compared to the above , but you'll have a nicer , and nicer looking house with more room , and obviously a lot higher resale IMO .