How to do a 1930's timber home renovation?

We want to remodel the home back to the "original" condition to end up with a traditional weatherboard and iron cottage.

Excellent! Since I have never had an opportunity to visit Australia yet, my suggestions will be general. Are you planning on doing the work yourself? Or hire various trades people to help? In either case, I would Google to find salvage yards, historic renovation supply houses for whatever you need before resorting to standard hardware and home improvement centers. Same with finding trades people, if for no other reason than a consult to see how you should proceed when you get stuck. Shall I assume they still print telephone directories? If so, here in the states, they are commonly referred to as the "yellow pages" as, you might have guessed, they are printed on yellow paper. That is where one flipped through the phone book where trades people advertised their services. These days most people just Google. I do both as some of the really old time trades people still have not entered the technology age and it may be the only way to find them.

I have a couple friends that do historic renovations and their services don't come cheap. So be forewarned you might have to choose between historically accurate with a modern day replica if you can't find original bits and pieces from a salvage yard.

Typically I start make a list of what needs to be done and form a healthy working budget, and start with the most expensive first. You don't want to run out of cash before the project is complete. On the exterior, the roof, windows, porches and trim work are the expensive items. Bringing utilities up to code is next as that often entails opening up walls and require many inspections. Then move on to kitchens and baths. Interior trim work can be fudged a bit to appear original in other public rooms if you start to run low on funds.

If you are comfortable ordering items on line, more power to you. I am not, as I can't determine authenticity nor quality from a computer screen. Here is a side story. I was working on my mom's house and she had crystal, not glass interior door knobs on many of the doors. I, like an idiot, wasn't paying attention while working on another project, smashed one of the doorknobs. Bummer. I did search on line for a replacement. Took the matching one and started driving all over hell and green acres to find its mate. I found it at a small relatively unknown antique hardware store 80 miles away. I drove there, it was a match and I bought it. I can't remember exactly what I paid for it but it was in the $100 range (US), for one knob.

So if you want authenticity, expect down time researching, then procuring historically acurate, original items. And possibly paying dearly for them.

Hopefully this provides you with a rough idea as to how to proceed. If you have any questions, I am more than happy to answer them if I can. I can also help you Google to find services and supplies. The internet knows no boundaries. I love it!

Oh one last thing, when hiring people, check their license. I will send you the US equivalent so you can find your Contractors License board.

We want to remodel the home back to the "original" condition to end up with a traditional weatherboard and iron cottage.