I put metal siding on a house last year and the metal cost less than the vinyl would have. I wouldn't have thought that possible. The fabricator was local so no doubt that helped. It would be worthwhile to check into what's available to you locally. It will take time to research but it may pay off well.

Hi all, Sorry for the slow replies and thanks for the input so far. From what I've read online a re-inforced besser block wall should be about $600 p/sqm including footings in Sydney (Hornsby shire council area). Given the wall is 1m x 10m it should be let's say $7k including design and DA or am I way off? I'd also need to dispose of the current wall + footings but I could probably give the blocks away. The paved area is about 40sqm. Would it be safe to assume $200 p/sqm for concrete base, paver supply (travertine) and install (coping and surrounds)? So the wall and and paving would cost let's say $16k + fencing + cladding. This isn't too bad considering how much better it would look and the value it would add to the house. I like the flexibility the besser would give - render, cladding etc are all options. I'm not sure how bad it is structurally it just has a couple of spots where I can see the blocks have pulled apart over time. Below are some pictures of the bad spots. Also looking at the Amber website it says the maximum courses is maximum non reinforced wall height of 972mm (6 courses). It looks like my wall is actually 7 courses un-reinforced. The wall and pool was built back in 2003. I definitely think planting in front of the wall would help, as would removing the lights but I'm in two minds about whether to bite the bullet and do it properly or just hide it.

if the fibro is in good condition, simple paint and enjoy your gorgeous vintage home if there's any damage you can replace the old fibro with a modern cement sheet using simple timber battens (looks like the old curved fibro cover strips) and making sure to add suitable insulation...the advantage of using similar thickness cladding is there's no expensive alterations needed around windows and doors although, if you decide to remove the old fibro it's quite expensive to have the professionals do a big job but check the latest regulation and you may be able to replace small sections at a time

looks good... it could be timber or an aluminium cladding like UltraClad why don't you knock on the door and ask one of the tradies or phone the builder it looks like the number is on the pink sign?