Yes laminex and polytech are both brands. no polytech don't offer more..... LAMINEX DO have patterned or profiled doors you mentioned, they have vinyl, painted, veneer and timbers! And definately a bigger range. Both have laminate, however LAMINEX have a larger range. I think you were confusing laminate which is a product with laminex which is the brand. They also offer thermo formed, or vacuum sealed doors known as vi yl wrap, laminex also offer painted two pack door, crystal gloss which is a laminate door that has a polyurethane lacquer coating, giving it the highest possible gloss coating over a solid co"our, woodgrains or patterns, they also do natural and reconstructed veneers, solid timber, aluminium framed etc. In laminate, which is a LPL, low pressure laminate, they also have 'impressions' which is their textured range, making woodgrains more realistic, polyptych also offer some in their laminate range with finishes called nuance for example. HPL laminate is high pressure, and has a different coating so it's used for Benchtops which require more durability. It can also be sued to ha d laminate or apply laminate in sheet form to custom made shapes or cabinets such as commercial fit outs. Under any brand, laminate is the cheapest door. Laminex has a far bigger product and co,our range, both are made in Australia meeting our standards, however some cheaper imrted ones tend to peel or fade, here they won't. With laminate doors the material is a paper based product, built up with coated layers of resin mKing it durable, and a surface we know that is moisture repel ant. Melamine is also but less durable, and generally we use it internally as carcass material, often white you can also have co.our, but laminate goes onestep further and is better for doors. Edging can be in 1mm, 2mm abs which is like a PVC acrylic and is tough to prevent chips or peeling from the door. Laminate will only offer a flat door- many colours and edge choices, abs edging can be matched, contrasted, metal look or ply look, so many to choose makingn your door stand out. Laminex the brand offer soft form doors with rounded edges to sides, so only top and bottom need edging, better if you are using whites or light so you don't see a joint line. The most affordable and durable door type! Vinyl wrap or thermo formed doors have profiles, meaning shapes to them, they also have no edging material as they are literally wrapped arpund an mdf door. They are slightly dearer or this reason. Both companies, and many more offer their own range of door profiles to choose from, also accessories like capping moulds etc, so this can decide who you buy from! Then there's crysta gloss, aluminum doors etc Timber veneers price up nect, they have an extensive re age offering nautural veneers such as traditional hardwood timbers, like blackwood, jarrah etc, but also exotic veneers like sassafras, zebranos, and oaks, so much more. Then theres reconstructed, manufactured to provide contemporary colours and finishes, often not requiring lacquers like naturals do. These reconstructed veneers have to have doors made from them, whereas most companies offer ready made veneer doors aswell ad solid timber too. Again offering profiles. Laminex too offer mdf doors wi profiles both flag and patterned for painting, they have a ready made painted range with colour choices made. All in all, laminate is a flat door, laminex the brand offer more than any other in Australia and are worldwide, they lead innovation and technology, and lead colour directions and trends. They may be slightly dearer, but back their product ad do I. I am a designer, mainly across interior fit outs mostly Focusing on joinery so kitchens etc are a specialty of mine.

Hi Jaimia, I tend to agree with 12sally12 sentiments. Celebrate the house and it's foibles (boxiness, entry, colour, balcony treatment). However it's great to adapt a home to make it yours - just making the right decisions is the hard part! The extent of change depends on your budget and your tolerance for inconvenience. I've listed a few ideas that vary from 'nice to have' to significant structural (and cost) changes. These will affect the colour scheme, and therefore the way it will appear overall. Roof – dark colours appear heavier and more dominant. Your home looks to be built in the 70's, it's likely due for a new roof soon. Consider a fresh new zinc or white colorbond roof. Upgrade the gutters and downpipes at the same time. Balcony – remove the clutter (replace handrails), and extend the balcony beyond the face of the main facade. This will give the effect of elongating the front elevation of your home. The detail of the new handrail extending along the continuous balcony frontage should in turn provide a fresh new look (more contemporary). Arches – these could remain, or go (depending on your desire to keep the quirkiness). These are likely to be aesthetic brickwork only - but check with a structural engineer if these can be removed. Entrance – there are two parts to this: The first aspect is to do with the appliance from the street frontage. Prioritise making the front door the most welcoming part of your home. This can be done with a pathway from the front of the site, with garden areas and great planting to accentuate the entrance to your home. The other aspect of the entrance is how entrance 'reads' from the outside of your home. This depends a little on your location (and climate). As a guide I'd suggest revising the entry wall, including the door and windows proportions to 'open up' this part of the facade to the street. This should be designed in the context of those iras listed above, as well as benign conscious of security and protection from sun loading. I hope this helps Jaimia, (Keep in mind many of the aspects listed above will require structural design asa minimum!) Cathi

Wish i found this Q &A before. So many beautiful people advising and sharing here! I am Repainting Tropical Queenslander with dark red and orangy timber floors and this thread is so helpful. I painted Whisper white and it is throwing so much Green it makes me so sad I am going to repaint. I get loads of tropical sun in the north facing - with eastern morning sunlight. Was just about to go and buy Natural White just to cover it. Do you think it will be too dull/warm a colour. I do like a fresh feel and contrasting with vivid white decorative trims. The whisper white looks nice For a while in the morning while the morning sunlight throws read up onto it but then it returns to a green

This post gives some good advice https://www.houzz.com.au/magazine/building-to-a-budget-12-must-know-design-considerations-stsetivw-vs~81537054 The same author also has a number of other posts about budget that are worth reading. One of the best ways to contain the budget is to build compact, with well designed spaces. We are building a 163 m square house for a family of 4. It will have decent sized/multi purpose rooms and raked ceilings in all of the living areas and the master bedroom, which will give it a sense if spaciousness. One thing that has helped contain the space is NO walk in storage. That said, we’ve got more robe space, pantry space and linen cupboard space than many places with walk ins. But the walk in space eats up floor space and therefore, budget. Also think about sustainability and maintenance. Brick and Colorbond need no/minimal maintenance, render, weatherboard and timber need regular repainting/treatment. A timber deck needs annual maintenance (sanding and re-oiling), a brick patio just needs a sweep and maybe a wash. A well designed, “solar passive house” or “passive Haus” will significantly reduce your energy bills for heating and cooling, possibly to almost zero. Check out the yourhome.gov.au website for more details on building a home for your climate. Building for the orientation of your site is key to a comfortable home with spaces you want to be in. Better still, try to buy a block with ideal orientation for your climate. Getting the right type of light in each room will do wonders for your wellbeing and reduce power bills. Check out the Under Cover podcast series about orientation and budget and much more before you build. Her advice is invaluable. Ultimately, the easiest way to build cheaply is probably to build a small, low spec volume home. Whether that’s value for money is another matter. Australian building codes, laws and regulations (local, state and federal) and the way the building industry works make it very difficult to build on a tiny budget or make significant savings. Our labour and material costs are quite high in Australia so this is reflected in the cost of building. PS I think tradies deserve to be well paid. Best of luck