Our timber cladding is rotten apparently and needs to come off. Should we replace it with fresh timber, or do something different? Ideas welcome.

Problem with these 60s houses is the bricks are ghastly... very little work arounds to that other than external insulate and render. Claddding always poses an issue of longevity and fading of timber (looks good when installed and a cause of regret when it fades). We have recently used a weatherboard on deveopments in London and it looks great, is long lasting and available in a range of colours to suit everyones preference. https://www.marleyeternit.co.uk/Facades/Weatherboard/Cedral-Click.aspx

I have had lots of nice comments on my house. Thanks everyone. I would add that I love the 1970's houses the big windows and open concept groovy style. However, the technology to pull it off wasn't quite there when they were built. If you are updating a 1970's house think about how you can introduce more insulation. I did the following: - internally insulated external walls with 10cm of wool. - insulated between floors (keeps things warm and prevents sound) - installed triple glazing and insulated behind the cladding. My heating bills are now minimal

I spent quite a lot of time trying to decide on cladding for my porch. Got lots of samples of composite cladding, but ended up with Western red cedar. Costs vary from one supplier to another. Composite can be cheaper or more expensive than timber, then there's the different types of timber to consider. There's no simple answer I'm afraid. You pays your money and makes your choice.