The neighbours have already stained their side. We did have jasmine and ivy growing on the previous fence and although it did bring lots of lovely foliage to the eye it was not a friend of the fence (maybe jasmine "controlled" on wires???). We are planning on building a deck out towards the fence that will bring it to 1.4m from the boundary so want to make decision soon before construction starts. Thanks for all of your suggestions, thoughts and ideas they've been really helpful and thought provoking.

Don't demolish! The house looks like it has good bones and potential. You will just overcapitalise if u do the slate is back in vogue ATM , so if it's not obstructing entrance, leave The kitchen is good, leave as is and add ur own touches bathrooms- they Will Need updating, however, we really Need to see floor plan to look at How ur 'shower cupboard' can be utilised! does the bathroom have a separate bath and shower?and what are the rooms either side of this space? as ur family grows u Will realise How Space and Storage is a major necessity! Could this space be used to open up bathroom and have a large double shower? Or a walk in linen? Linen cupboard not far from bath is Always handy or walk in robe to an adjacent room? now people are recommending upgrading the driveway? but as a whole, the landscaping is the Main point! this doesn't mean u have to rip the whole thing out and start again, though There's a lot of products out there these days that can be used to recoat bricks, cement.. Etc.. So do ur research on costs of upgrading what u have before investing in anything expensive! gardens? Now a good Pest controller will tell u to Never build ur garden bed up against the house. This is due to moisture, which can over time affect the house.. And because of termites. You may be in a lower risk area but they're pretty much always around. So always leave about a metre of cement etc between house and garden, to be safe! Now, most importantly- any home renovator will tell you to actually Live in the house for about a year( to see all seasons) to see how the house functions. Note sun/ shade / light/ heating/cooling etc and it's impact upon the house's current aspect, comfort and presentation. This Will help with colour shades u want to choose and where u will need to add windows for light or awnings, solar panels etc. It will also help with the landscaping, for choosing plants and watering types, levels required to maintain them! hope all that helps somewhat?? best of luck!

The north is very important to get that natural light, if you have the money to do that two floor void, then heaps of natural light can flood into the space. If that is not possible than lighting, colour, windows and doors can help. The connection from house to garden is just as important as we tend to spend a equal amount of time outdoors if designed to the conditions, and don't forget the garden, that done well can extend the house from inside to outside rooms to garden in one big space, with paths and focal points to make it an experience to be in. You need to seek professional advice from someone who will help you understand the requirements from council, the building process, and the cost associated with those processes, and the best way to make the available funds work to your best advantage. There are very few clients who have unlimited budget and in an ideal world where you are lucky to start from scratch and design the house of your dreams, twisting to take advantage of views, light and site conditions, renovating an existing house is normally full of compromises. Renovation is always more expensive than building new, even twice as expensive depending on the house. Ideally the bedrooms should be grouped together with living to the opposite end. That may make sense if the children are young but does not make sense with older children even the ones studying and still living at home, or you are planning on renting out a room. Another factor is length of time at the house, is this a forever house or short term stay, that also should figure into the design. A good Architect Interior Designer is worth their weight in gold, and will be able to take you from this stage to the built form with ease. Seek one who can draw in 3D as that takes out a lot of guess work. good luck

I think if you replace front door and glass panels as well as the old fashioned lights with something more contemporary it will make a huge improvement. I'd also remove the ironwork and as you cannot re-glaze place some pots and plants on the sides of the large windows to draw the eye away from all the green cross pieces on the windows. Eventually paint the gutters fascia in a light grey/green.