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

How about a more contemporary wire rail system as shown below. Also a lovely green grey upstairs may work. The one below is Taubman's battle green full strength - computer colour of it is not accurate.

I'd offer a variation -- like bigreader , I like the brick/roof/surfmist combo , but my worry is that with the 2 lighter colours ( roof and 2/3rds of the exterior ) , it will look pretty boring , so i'd go Monument windows and a cedar or similar garage door and entrance door -- you get the contrast of the windows , and the warmth of the wood , to add to it . I like colour , so I'd possibly go one step further , and do the gutters and that trim around the gable in a red , similar or slightly brighter than the predominate red in your brick . I'm not a fan of plainish uprights either , but conversely I suspect if you did your brick up to the same height as you have on the walls ( make a brick base for each column ) , then presumably paint in surfmist from there up , it may look more 1920's than 2020's , so maybe do those columns in a full height cedar stain too ( assuming you do the garage door in that ) or if the budget allows , maybe in a flat horizontal stone ( schist or similar ) , either matching the wall height , or full height ?

If you look at your inspiration picture , the door there is a similar tone to your timber , the stone is similar , the charoal trim and windows are similar . The render is lighter than Self Destruct , and appears to have an 'effect' so it looks aged and rustic . So personally I'd go lighter , but also ask your contractor if they can do the subtle rustic effect , using two slightly different tones of render , and some water and brushes .