That is a dilemma in this day and age, our house is 50-60 years old with stunning jarrah floor boards...I would probably not use now as thinking about sustainability of our forests..I actually used bamboo in our last home for that reason .. Bamboo often gets a bad wrap...we had ours down for about ten years before we moved..I still really loved it, there were a few dings but nothing major, no worse than floor boards, we did use the top range boards that could be re sanded, not that they needed it even when we moved...had floor protecting felt on chairs etc as we do here as well

thankyou.

Hi again, thanks everyone for your input. I have been to a well known window/door manufacturer today which makes aluminium, timber and alu/timber composite to compare all options. It was a local company also so they were able to advise based on knowledge of our climate. The composite was higher in price but was also too contemporary in design, the aluminium was also too contemporary in design and not all options suitable for double-glazed glass, so we have returned to the idea of the solid timber but have taken all the advice on board and are opting for a pair of hinged french doors with sidelights in size to match and fanlights above so we can still retain the overall height and look but the actual doors will be closer to standard 2100mm height. Hopefully this will also eliminate any difficulty with opening them which we would probably have found had we had a bi-fold system or 2.7m door height. FYI the salesperson I spoke with also advised that there is a product available (sold in our local area from Inspirations Paint company) which when applied to the timber doors/windows gives 7 year protection from rot and fading due to rain and UV. He had used this himself on his own timber doors which were also exposed fully to the weather and highly recommended it - so I will post what this treatment is when I have more information on it. Thanks again everyone who helped out with their advice

There is an inherent charm to timber-framed windows due to the proportions of the frame. There are lots of different styles of aluminium windows, but most of them do not have the same proportions - they usually have a much thinner frame, and often look cheap and flimsy. The other problem with most aluminium windows is that they conduct heat and cold which usually negates the benefits of double glazing. If you are firm about going with aluminium windows then consider thermally broken window frames, which have better proportions and don't transfer the heat or cold through the frames. They don't look cheap, as they are not! Also check out the hybrid windows which are powder-coated aluminium on the outside and timber on the inside. https://www.miglas.com.au/aliclad If budget is an issue and it doesn't stretch to thermally-broken aluminium of hybrid timber/aluminium windows then go with timber for the warmth and character. Never go with cheap, flimsy looking aluminium frames when trying to be consistent with a period home. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls