Hi Katrine, The renovation went really well - thanks! It's been finished for more than a year now - hard to believe!! I could only find one pic of the cladding that was easy for me to upload - here it is. We've been really happy with the FC cladding and how it looks. We replaced all the existing exterior weatherboards (which ran on an angle parallel to the roof) with the same Duragroove FC cladding that we covered the new extension in. Our builders said it is very easy to work with and it certainly went up very quickly. Their only comment was that you can end up with a fair bit of wastage as it often gets damaged in transit. The supplier they used said this is pretty common, however, and so they actually allow for it and oversupply somewhat to allow a proportion of damaged sheets - sorry I can't quantify this aspect for you. The cladding was very easy and quick to paint and we're very happy with how it has come up. If you're interested in details, it's painted in a new Colourbond colour called Gully. The darker trim (fascias, gutters, downpipes etc) is Woodland Grey. Good luck with your decision making. If you'd like more photos, let me know and I'll try to take and upload a few more. Cheers, Kate

For a red-brick period home from the early 20th century I would consider James Hardie's Scyon Linea Weatherboard, which looks like the old fashioned timber weatherboards, (but without the maintenance issues and the cost) as the cladding material for an extension. Avoid rendered lightweight construction as it is inappropriate and too contemporary for your home. Look at your existing external trim colours, and the trim colours of other houses of a similar age in your area for colour inspiration. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

I love the timber panelling, maybe with a bit of a clean it will look a bit lighter, but in any case, I love it! I actually think some lighter flooring would make the room work better - not what you were asking about I know! The current flooring being dark and matte sucks a lot of the light out of the room and also makes the timber panelling/fireplace feel heavier. Even a lighter rug (or even a fun Ikea Stockholm rug?) could make it look more crisp, fresh and stylish, whilst still giving a nod to your home's gorgeous retro features. A fresher light fitting - maybe a simple drum style?) would make it look more modern also and less busy to allow the original features to be the focus. Your existing armchair etc suit it beautifully though! The fireplace I'm not sure about - I hate to ruin original features but I'm not sure about that?! Maybe wiht the other changes done it might work much better anyway? Otherwise an interesting tile or sandstone cladding could work beautifully with the timber tones?

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 .