Hi Victoria – thank you for your comment. We haven’t considered wood cladding, but I haven’t seen it around on neighbouring houses so I doubt planning would approve that. The other option we’ve considered is Hanging Tiles to match the roof, but the builder isn’t keen and I don’t like the extra cost – although if it keeps planning happy, I would prefer it to mismatching bricks!

Properly executed cladding should not cause any issues, but I have personally seen first hand that badly installed cladding literally destroyed a building structurally by creating a great environment for fungus to spread. Before making your decision you might want to go over this official guide on cladding: http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1707-25045-0913/chapter9.pdf It gives a lot of information on how cladding works, behaviour of water on cladding etc. I would personally never use cladding, but I have seen cladded buildings doing absolutely fine for 25+ years. Saying that they were in mild climates with no coastal winds or airborne salt. I'm not an expert on cladding or coastal properties. Insulation on an old house is always a good idea, as it really helps with cold spots and can greatly reduce fuel bills. With smooth render, you can also add additives to it to help inhibit salt, which would increase its lifespan in your area.

A black extension against a white front would be overwhelming, I'd say. And is there a better location for parking the cars? How is the plot layout? Sidewalk? Where is the livingroom? Could you add a photo from a bit further away, so we can see the whole front garden and house?

You need something to work with the existing brickwork. Have you thought of cladding instead? Black horizontal Japanese style cladding (shou sugi ban) would look great with your window frames and doors. There are quite a few UK companies that supply it. It's charred larch I think. Black would tie it all together.