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.

Hi there, the proportions of your home at the front are very good to work with - you could easily go cottage style or modern. I think it is the apricot/beige colour of the render and the black windows and ironwork at the front that is letting down the facade, luckily you have a roof colour that will work with many wall paint colours so lots of options for repainting the render. I cant see if your windows are timber or aluminium, but if timber painting them off-white would make a huge difference as would replacing the ironwork posts with timber posts, some timber trims and railing. That style of facade works equally well with a bold paint colour or a lighter colour, so again you can opt for a classic or modern look. Is all that paving needed, is it for parking? If you dont want to remove it then perhaps just taking out some pavers in the center to form a large square and planting a feature tree (edged with box hedges or planted around with groundcover) would look amazing and break up the large paved area. Julie's images show how great box hedges look, using them to line driveways and divide areas creates a formal and neat look.

Hi Julia, both brands will have products that comply with the non-combustible performance required for BAL 12.5. Feedback we have from builders seems to suggest that the Scyon branded product range is more expensive, but take that with a grain of salt. No matter what you choose there will always be something cheaper it seems, but is it as good, does it have the same after market support, etc,? Both Weathertex and Scyon are established quality brands in the Australian market, so appearance and price are probably the main differentiation. Choose the look you like best from both brands and ask for quotes to supply and install both for comparison. If both look good to you, then lowest price wins the day.

EVERYTHING looks 50 years old . I'd be tempted to rip out the front fence , the shrub/trees , the sloping pathway , the wrought iron , the carport , the gate to the left , probably the boundary fences , and start again . Even the lawn looks like cows have grazed there for 50 years -- if you have the budget , get readylawn laid , or hire a rotary hoe and have a go yourself with grass seed . Do some modern gardens along under the windows , maybe rock or bark as a base , leafy green plants , brown grasses , yellow leaved plants , red plants that aren't roses ( cause they are more than 50 years old ! ) . Do some charcoal fences around the sides , pretty much whatever you want along the front . Maybe the standard white picket fence -- still works , pretty cheap . The think , what is one thing to give a Wow -- a point of difference ? Thats where you get creative . Maybe a modern sculpture , maybe a willow tree , maybe a water feature . NOT a bird bath , or a frame or arch with a climbing rose . Please don't do them .