Windows and doors may not meet the new building codes. The glazing in some is quite thin so may not be very efficient or even safe in some applications. Sure they can be repaired and have new glass, etc. but if you pay a carpenter to repair rotted timbers and replace glass for example, the cost of new unfortunately looks pretty good..... They would need repairing before they were allowed on site otherwise the builder will charge to fix up before he could use or they could hold up the whole job while they all wait for you to fix.... To have all windows and doors ready so they could be just picked up and installed would be the ideal process. Bricks are ok and can look great. No difference to a bricklayer but they would need to be cleaned of mortar and stacked, on pallets, etc. once on site. The recycled stuff looks great, something new items just can't compare. But theres always that $ figure attached to get them up to scratch. I'd say buy the most complete and best condition you can find that way theres less work for everyone.

Running cladding in opposite directions gives a contemporary look. Many examples I've seen seem to vary the profile width each. ie. narrow verticals juxtaposed with broader horizontals. You could clad base in a recycled plastic timber-look product or composite timber cladding. (Colour stable and no maintenance). Stone could look fab too. Painting it the Farrier would definitely be simplest. You could do a contrast with the verandah floor and its edge.

Thank you all so much for the support, comments and info. The paint swatch is actually a very pale egg shell (the blue version, not the green). I agree with everyone that a warm undertone in the paint colour is necessary, I think it’s just my photography making it look stark. We’ll do a proper paint test once the build is underway. Thx for the encouragement re colour MB Design. It’s actually quite daunting as everyone else is choosing white on white or from the grey scale. Lavender is a very brave choice but, well done, I imagine it’s spectacular. The splash back is still a work in progress, either a very simple textured tile/pressed tin/glass the same colour as the stone benchtop (not stone, sorry I wasn’t clear about that MB) or, maybe a smidgen darker than the paint, but not textured. Might be a last minute decision depending on overall look once underway. Again, thank you for this and every other time I’ve called for help.

Hello, thank you for your response. For some reason the site defaulted to the Australian discussion forum when I posted but I just went with it anyways and didn't think much of it. I understand your point about different perspectives in different countries though, thanks. I know this is all based on personal preference but I like either option of so I am looking for some other opinions. The developer has been very helpful with the different options and we plan to speak to some other local professionals as well. We have seen the materials in person (except for cabinets) in very small sample sizes and all of the colours seem to compliment eachother but for the purpose of this post a digital photo was the only option of course.