Thank you everyone for your input! The existing boards are approx 30 years old, and other than the fact that they appear to be untreated timber, there is no obvious reasons why they have decayed. Hence why I would like to make an informed decision when replacing them so it doesnt happen again (maybe treated pine?). The worst is on the corners of the house which are subject to the most wet weather. But the boards have decay all along the house. Which it seems in turn has allowed insects to attack. We had a building/pest inspection done prior to buying last year, and the report said rot and 'earwig attack' (seems strange?), and there was no evidence of any termite damage/activity. But there is (what I think is) excrement of some sort present. Have attached couole of photos if anyone can identify the excrement? Report also said subfloor ventilation was adequate. However I want to space the new boards/material as far apart as possible to allow good ventilation, while adhearing to fire safety regs. So I will contact the CFA regarding that info as recommended.

if the original asbestos walls are in good condition then they can re-be painted but if the walls are too damaged to be saved the asbestos needs to be removed by professionals and the cladding replaced, no reason you can't have different profiles on the front and sides as long as joints and corners are sealed properly but if you plan to install new windows it could be better to wait to repair sections of wall as the windows are replaced (i'd prefer to have all the roof and external walls in good condition and then do the internal work at leisure)... .modern fibrous cements are excellent ...we've just used flat fibrous cement with curved battens over joints and very happy with the results for our 50's house (there are several different brands available through the big hardware stores and research on line is much easier than trying to work out the variations in store) the gabled portico can be made as a separate structure or as a extension to the roof with valley gutters depending on placement of the solar panels (and/or solar panels can be moved)

Looks like your current paint is matched to window frames. Are you will to change or paint the frames? I would suggest professional painter. If not take the metalwork to dark grey. If windows changing maybe a warm white on walls

Hi all, I'm back again! We're almost there and just trying to decide between using axon sycon cladding or weathergroove for the vertical cladding. Would really appreciate your thoughts on whether the axon would look too modern for the house? We're keen on it for durability, low maintenance. We're thinking of the narrow board, smooth and painting it a colour similar to this https://www.haymespaint.com.au/index.php/explore-colours/colorbond/view/12/4941 I've reattached the external photos.. the plan is to replace all the brown cladding and leave the brick as is. Any help would be great. I'm very much a novice! Thank you 🙂