Gyprocking is done. Picked the bathroom tiles and laundry tiles. They will go in this week. Need to pick the external tiles outside the main door. I am not sure if I should go with the same as the driveway exposed agg ( which I haven't picked yet).or to pick different tiles. According to the architects design, it's tiles. One side of the garage wall comes along this walk way and the garage will be painted Dulux-monument colour. So I'm not sure, if I should match the monument colour- tiles? Or go lighter colour tile matching my internal floors? Or go with exposed agg in this walkway as well? Too many decisions :p :D

What comes to mind when you think about cladding costs? Perhaps material costs are the first thing that comes to mind. There are many factors beyond the purchase price of materials that need to be considered for a project. Best practice is looking at the long-term value of the project and asking yourself what cladding type will give you the best possible outcome. How hard is it to install? Another cost front of mind may be the installation cost of a cladding product. Installation costs will vary depending on your choice of cladding material. Inflexible and heavy materials such as brick, fibre cement and timber can require additional transport costs to get them to site. Some of these products may also require specialised labour and equipment for installation, therefore, increasing completion times and costs. A flexible and lightweight system, however, is easily transported and easy to install, saving you on both time and money. How long will it last? Some materials are made to last a lifetime. While some are at the mercy of the elements and require ongoing maintenance and replacement. In areas of extreme weather conditions, cladding types that are susceptible to rotting, warping, splintering or fading are not ideal for the project. Cladding that easily wears will require repainting, re-staining or even removing – adding significant costs onto a project over time. It is also important to ensure your cladding product is safe and compliant with Building Code of Australia – Since the onslaught of recent tower fires Aluminium Composite Panels (ACP) have been restricted. If you use or have used this cladding you may be mandated by the law to remove and replace it – another costly exercise. How does it look? Eveyone’s goal is to make their project or home attractive for many years to come. The warmth timber delivers is a popular building aesthetic – but finding a product that looks great and can remain looking aesthetically pleasing is a difficult task. While natural timber may be an obvious choice, if it is not maintained it will warp, splinter and start presenting an unpleasant appearance. Vinyl claddings are cheaper and claim to be timber-like in appearance. However, they often disappointment with their visibly plastic looking texture. Powder-coated, sublimated aluminium cladding can achieve the natural look and feel of timber, without the issues of rotting or fading. This allows your cladding to remain visually appealing for years! DecoClad Looking for a cladding system that is durable, easy-to-install and appealing to the eye? Look no further than DecoClad! Made from solid aluminium, the sublimated, powder-coated cladding system provides a rich and textured timber grain finish for your project. DecoClad retains its beautiful appearance in extreme weather conditions. The Super Durable finish protects the cladding from wear and tear, eliminating the necessity for on-going maintenance other than cleaning. The solid aluminium profiles are light weight, fire-safe and very easy to install and transport. To find out more about cladding costs, what to look out for and how all aspects of cost can affect your project visit www.deco.net.au.

The issue is not so much the cladding material, but rather the articulation of the extended building form. This could be a simultaneously exciting, interesting and sympathetic extension utilising shingle cladding that wouldn't necessarily reference Hampton's. If there's anything too Hamptons going on here it's the small proportioned windows with the external shutters that give it a bit of a "dollhouse"popped on the top look. You've got a stunning beautiful home frontage, but the extension form is kind of sticking out/up the back and the fenestration looks out of balance by being perfectly symmetrical. Federation architecture is not symmetrical like the Victorian era predecessors, rather it is an asymmetric compositional balance that in your case should be recognised and countered appropriately with the design of the extension. When selecting appropriate extended cladding material it should be working towards texturally balancing the building and being complimentary overall. Professional recommendation you revisit the articulation of the upper extension, at the very least loosening up the fenestration with more glazing and potentially a more complex roof form with a smaller projecting gable (offset) as a reference to the frontage. The cladding choice becomes less critical, and shingle texture that ties in the roofing texture could work well. Weatherboard is bringing something new in, and if you go flush panel without a more contemporary design and articulation it will look wrong Good luck PD :) www.pauldistefanodesign.com

UlltraClad - Non-combustible cladding - By Ullrich Aluminium UlltraClad offer a complete cladding system designed for Australia’s & New Zealand`s demanding weather conditions and performs year after year. UlltraClad is available in a range of modern or classic designs, ideal on external walls & facades, ceilings, soffits. Complies with Australia’s National Construction Code (NCC) Solid Aluminium cladding- Non-combustible material - (BAL 40) Bush fire tested ) Utilises air circulation behind the cladding, allowing it to breathe and eliminating cracks and splitting, rot and grow mould & mildew Low maintenance, NO painting required Ideal for Vertical and horizontal installation Fast and easy installation Designed for durability, style and performance Lightweight Wide range of colours – Timber Grain finishes or Powder coated on premium grade aluminium Concealed interlocking fixing systems, including its own flashings and corners https://wintecsystems.com.au/