I was going to suggest a nice horizontal timber design -- and then I see the Deco-Clad post , which looks similar . Personally , I'd want samples , to see how 'real' it looked , and also do a cost comparison with actual timber . Depending on budget and how long you are wanting to live there , I'd also look at a light to mid-coloured stonework , or some of the veneers are very realistic too , but more expensive than nicely stained wood . Or for a real Wow factor -- how about some stonework , some timber , and even a water feature , possibly water rippling down the wall around 1.2 metre wide , maybe with a 300-400 wide vertical fern and herb garden either side -- takes advantage of any 'spray' , and adds life and vibrancy , as well as looks and variety ? No disrespect to Dr Retro and Julie Herbert , but my personal thoughts on Sycon and similar cladding is that it looks too modern for the existing brick ( what I'd term an 'old style' brick ) , but that's just me -- to implement successfully you'd want to work your way around the house and update quite a bit more , or it would look too obvious IMO .

Both are good products with similar performance. Ask your builder for a quote to change their standard specification from Scyon to Cemintel and that will resolve the question pretty quickly.

Have you considered painting the roof purple ? that way , people will look at the roof , go 'ewwww' , and the brick will be better in comparison haha ! On a more serious note , nothing really matches -- the gold window frames doesn't match the brown sills which don't match the bricks which doesn't match the cream render which doesn't match the unstained timber . I'd waterblast everything as a first step , stain all the timber a charcoal , and although I don't think its a permanent fix ( it needs upkeep ) I'd be tempted to paint the rendered wall , and the bricks and possibly the windowsills , in an off-white . An expert may be able to confirm , but I'd be tempted to thin the off-white paint with water or turps ( depending on paint type ) and do say 3 thinner coats . You want to get the texture of the bricks , and if you get a slight brownish/yellowish tinge coming through , I don't think it would be a huge problem -- adds a bit of interest and character .

Hi I am looking to build ensuite walls using either the weatherex weathergroove or the james Hardie axon cladding and clad external walls. Just wondering which product to use ? Pros and cons?