Thanks for these fabulous comments! After reading them all we think we will definitely leave the red brick and replace the red wood with monument. We will add eaves across the front and will get a price on roof restoration with paint to match monument compared to reroofing in monument. Adding a double skillion carport to the front is a great idea too. We will definitely replace concrete with new as its old and cracked. The drive will have to curve in due to the water metre location right next to the letter box and a cost of over $2000 to move it. The garden definitely needs an upgrade. We have done a little bit out the front, not a great photo but I've attached a more recent one, we are thinking we will leave the bigger trees in this photos and add kangaroo paws through out. Front has been neglected a bit due to other renovations out the back. Nearly time to attack the front! Thanks again, we really appreciate all your thoughts! I'll post some photos once we get underway. I've added some of what we did out the back with the original 70's look we had. Been fun and hard work. All the work was done by ourselves and our sons.

Cement render over the existing brickwork by the look of it? Re-render and get it levelled perhaps. Have a chat with tiler about it all; they may suggest sheeting over it with FC sheet or wet area plasterboard so its super straight and level then applying the waterproof membrane. Waterproofer will apply membrane over anything so start with tiler then ask waterproofer to confirm the process. Being a renovation there's many way's to skin this cat.

we've used rendered thick foam for one extension which looks great but the rendered painted surface is difficult to remove messages from low flying birds and can't hold standard screws and love the look of Colorbond steel (installed vertically doesn't hold so much dust) but our latest favourite is well insulated painted modern fibro with rounded timber cover strips over the joins and we love it ...has a nostalgic feeling reminiscent of grandma's fibro cottage and is cheap, quick and easy to install

Blue Gum floorboards how could it not look beautiful!! and yes wheelchair friendly although if we were in a wheelchair I guess we would have to move closer to town and transport and shops as this house was going to be in the country talking of moving... husband has caved and said we can move to the Bay of Islands whoop whoop! he still wants to go to France for 2 years but he said we could build or buy before we go so that changes the type of house now because we were building near a school and families this will be more a beach house that we can leave for the kids to enjoy and various friends who want it while away so I have swapped the master over to be away from the laundry garage door and hot water heat pump which is quite noisy and the guest rooms now have a Jack and Jill bathroom I haven't changed the footprints at all it's still the same size just changed the layout a little bit The bunk room would have a sliding door outside which means you could access that part of the house privately without coming through the front door or the bunk room could be a small kitchenette /come dining room / come lounge room (very small ) and rent it out as a 1 bedroom self contained apartment Once we live there full time ... will upload a photo in the next Post