In this incredible 20th season of The Block, the Blockheads will be building five luxury family holiday homes on the site of an abandoned resort near Cowes on Phillip Island, two hours from Melbourne.
James Hardie supplied a wide range of interior and exterior fibre cement building materials suited to coastal builds, ensuring endless design versatility and long-lasting beauty.
See how you can transform your exteriors with Hardie Exterior Cladding Solutions in 3 smart ways; Clad over Brick, Add a Modern Extension and Knock down Rebuild
Clad Over Brick
Completely transform your façade in an affordable way
The façade is the hero of the home and can change the entire feel and function of the property. But what do you do when your out-dated home exterior is in desperate need of an update, and you want to maximise its street appeal?
Loni Parker, Editor of Adore Magazine, is used to sharing the latest architecture trends, interior styling inspiration, and stunning home transformations with her readers, but this time she’s sharing wisdom from her own personal renovation experience. Having recently completed a full exterior renovation on her home, there’s no one better to share why she chose Linea™ Weatherboard by James Hardie to refresh her dated brick home.
If you’re looking to make a complete style transformation on your exterior, then Loni says cladding over brick with Linea™ Weatherboard is a no-brainer, and an amazing way to change the entire aesthetic of your home for a relatively small investment.
Having spent just over $4,000* in cladding materials for the façade and labour to install, Loni has taken the property from a dated, modest brick abode to a fresh, modern, and welcoming weatherboard home. “What it delivered in terms of street appeal – it was worth every cent!” she said.
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Modern Extension
How to add value with a modern extension
Rebeka Morgan, founder of BuildHer Collective shares how to achieve an extension that’s flooded with natural light, while interior designer Alison Lewis reveals how she fused a modern extension with her heritage Melbourne home.
When Alison and her husband first bought their 1930s California bungalow, Hartley House, in inner-city Northcote, many of its period features had been lost. Alison saw an opportunity to reinstate some of the home’s original charm while adding an extension to increase the property value.


“The house had had a cosmetic renovation just prior to when we bought it, but I knew there was huge potential to make it into a family home that would really appeal to future buyers,” says Alison.
Her vision, she explains, was for the extension to complement the original home while capturing her preference for tonal textures. “I love using tonal colours and textures to create interest,” says Alison.
When it comes to adding a modern extension to a heritage house, Rebeka Morgan recommends steering away from attempts to mimic the original style. Instead, opt for a mixed-material design that will create contrast and visual impact.
“When you’re looking to put a modern extension onto an original home, you want to have a juxtaposition of materials. Done correctly, this highlights the contemporary addition, but also pays homage to the heritage,” explains Rebeka
Alison has done this with Hartley House by using textured cladding on the extension, delivering contrast along with the flexibility to add large windows to the new section.


“The front of the house is original weatherboard and then it transitions into this lovely textured Hardie™ Brushed Concrete Cladding,” she says.
For even greater cohesion between the two sections, Alison chose to paint the whole house the same colour – Haymes Baked Clay in a low-sheen finish.
“I chose a warm grey and, at different times of the day, the shadow and light really play on the texture, which brings it all together.”
“Exterior cladding is faster to build with than other materials, which means shorter, more cost-effective build times. Builders are really comfortable with using cladding products, as they are easy to install,” says Rebeka.
Also, fibre cement cladding is extremely durable, so it provides more flexibility when it comes to adding large openings in the structure for windows or doorways.
“Visually, it has a beautiful movement that changes with the light throughout the day, adding an element of drama and sophistication that enhances the home’s appeal. And because the cladding is really hardy, I know it’s going to stand the test of time and that gives me peace of mind,” Alison says.
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Knock Down Rebuild
Design that works for lifestyle


The owners of this south-facing home in Sydney’s inner west needed a change: their home was dilapidated, dark and didn’t suit their lifestyle.
To help realise their dream of a light-filled modern home with space for their growing family, they turned to home builders Futureflip, who created a contemporary abode that captures attention with its beauty and simplicity, while offering a spacious, practical floor plan.
“They wanted a contemporary, modern house; a forever home,” says Neil Hipwell of Futureflip. “They needed something durable, easy to maintain and that would stand out within the street.”
“The original house was really dilapidated, super dark and unsalvageable. There wasn't too much in the house that was worth keeping,” explains Neil.
It was a clear choice to go for a knockdown-rebuild. It was a straightforward block of land, which meant the family could build under a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) instead of a Development Application (DA), which cut down the approval process to a matter of weeks.
The brief for the design was simple: they wanted a large home where they could work as well as live; they wanted space for their family to grow; as well as more natural light and soaring ceilings of 3.8 metres in the kitchen and living areas.
“Due to facing south, they really needed to get the light in. That was the biggest issue with the previous house,” says Neil.
Choosing a minimalist Box Modern shape for the home made it simpler and more cost-effective to construct, freeing up some budget to focus on elements like window upgrades.
Exterior cladding with style and practicality


Now, the home epitomises contemporary minimalism – and that’s not just because of the Box Modern design. The design team recommended Hardie™ Brushed Concrete Cladding for the new build, paired with complementary Axon™ Cladding in a contrasting hue as a feature on the front garage door and to accentuate details on the façade.
“We always like to pair two external claddings to give definition,” says Neil.
“Using the Hardie™ Brushed Concrete Cladding, we were able to angle the window frame and sink the windows back 200mm in the frame. It adds a bit of definition and interest to the façade.” While this recessed window effect can be achieved with brick, it’s difficult and expensive, making the fibre-cement cladding a practical choice, too.
Timber-look screening on the top floor brings some architectural character, but was also chosen to add privacy and sun shading.
“Hardie™ Brushed Concrete Cladding wraps the majority of the house because we felt it was the best solution for the sides and back. We've used Axon™ Cladding as the feature on a section at the back and on the front garage door," says Neil.
From afar, the cladding gives the home has a monolithic formation that is simply beautiful, while upon closer inspection it has a textured finish that reflects the light differently throughout the day. This texture, along with the large panels and joins, add interest to the otherwise simple courtyard space, in particular.
Using Hardie™ exterior cladding solutions meant savings in both budget and time.
“Hardie™ cladding is a lot less expensive than masonry structure and finish or render. The quick and easy installation overall requires fewer trades on site than if you were to create a masonry, rendered look from scratch,” explains Neil.
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