Cost guesses .

[Big Jimbo]

Which do you think might cost more.

1. house built of brick

2. house built of blocks. With say the top half clad in a cement board, and the bottom half rendered.

I'm going to cost up both ways, but my thoughts before i start..... Scaffold up. Brick built. Job done.   Or Scaffold up. Block built. scaffold has to stay up for cladding top half, and rendering of bottom half.  Although i would pay more for labour with brick built, and the additional cost of bricks over blocks. My guess will be that brick built will be cheaper....

[nod]

I render or part render over a hundred new site houses each year and the builders recon they work out about the same 

[Mr Punter]

The cement board cladding, like Hardie, Cembrit, Marley etc. is expensive.  Probably over £50/m2 with battens, trims and fixings.  Render on blockwork is much cheaper, even if it is posh stuff.