Hi Chris. I like the colour scheme and materials for your house, although a few things come to mind. Why have two different timber finishes, Merbau and Western Red Cedar? Is Merbau not available as a garage panel? Or is Western Red Cedar not available as post cladding? If they are both available for both applications, I would choose one for both applications. You mention black Sikaflex as joint filler for the cladding, and off-White mortar for bricks. Would you consider black mortar for brickwork for consistency, or do you not like the look of it? I bring these questions up because there are a lot of materials, which is great, but maybe minimising the number of colours and using them more consistently would produce a more cohesive visual outcome. I googled images for brickwork and black Sikaflex and this is the only decent one I could find quickly - just to give you an idea of how it might look.

Hi Liana / Louise The home was a single storey and was done approx 9 years ago. It still looks the same as the day it was installed and there are no cracks. It also meant timing was shorter as we went from slab down to lock up in approx 4 weeks (ie roof on, windows in, cladding etc) RE maintenance, a pressure wash every 18 months or so depending on location is all it needs. If you want to keep it looking new, you could re-coat it every 10 years. I do not paint over texture coat but you certainly can do that. RE thermal performance, the entire system far exceeds brick. A standard double brick cavity wall R value is around R 0.5 from memory. The Hebel allows for an R2.0 batt in the stud work which takes you to a total of around R3.0, or approx 6 times greater than brick without the thermal mass. We also found that unlike brick, the walls didn't radiate heat into the house at night and aircon wasn't often needed ( I like it cool at night) As I said previously, the methodology is important. For example, during the design of the house the stud framing capacity needs to take into account the fact that the Hebel is being used. The panel size (height) needs to be selected and laid out taking into account both the set down in the slab (exterior course is lower than internal) and the height to the eaves + 50mm. I always go a longer panel so that I don't have joins everywhere rather than patching short ends Control joints need to be properly spaced (these are the gaps in the panels at long intervals to allow for movement that are caulked) Positioning items such as window in increments of 300mm from each other eliminates extra joins and pieces. In relation to cracks, the use of a textured acrylic such as Acratex means it is an elastic (movable) finish and if it is properly installed you should have no issues. I have seen people just render and paint the exterior and as this isn't flexible enough it will likely crack. I would not do it this way and do not ever recommend a render. Texture coating is the more expensive finish but is far and away the most durable in this case. As an aside, upmarket homes are almost always texture coated here in WA. I would suggest you simply take your plans to your local CSR Hebel supplier and work with them. They will plan the panel layout for the job with you or the builder can do it with them. The supplier will also point out changes that can be made to your advantage ie panel sizes, joint locations in effect all the things I have mentioned above they will do. There is also a web site available called Hebel Matters that is a blog style and you can get lots of info from that. RE the foam, we had experience with that in Melbourne when we lived there and I am not a fan of it for anything other than a second storey. As I said at the outset, if you set it up properly and finish it in a quality texture, you will not regret doing it for the advantages you gain in thermal performance. Cheers

Hi Denise, some photos would help us give you the best advice :)

If you have a boat , you can launch it in bigreaders 'arbour hahaha . Wood toned , or real wood window frames would add to it IMO -- that 3rd house that you like ( so do I ) , you see how the timber gate is so simple , but takes it from being a 'white box' to being a beach theme . And like you , i would be mildly worried that the right side will look a bit plain , especially as it will be very similar to the garage side -- that was why I suggested actual bricks . The windows , even if in white or black , are quite 'interesting' in shape , but being symetrical and flat that wall may look a bit 'meh' . To do one side white , the other in say a surfmist ( a slight blue tinge ) may look too try-hard too , but maybe do that 'righthand' side in weatherboards ? Keep it simple , paint it exactly the same as the rendered walls , but it will not look the same ? Also , weatherboards where what seaside cottages were traditionally constructed of , so there's that tie-in there too . Just throwing ideas around . And on a complete side note , I can't understand the logic of no brick walls -- I assume it is all new-builds , and brick adds variety and interest , its generally warm and IMO attractive -- just my preference , but I prefer some brick as opposed to an all render look .