Thanks Jen, It is a great spot. My husband is the hedger and always reminds me when working in the garden, " that we snip, prune and mow so it looks good now !. "Not in a week or a month when it grows back" I'm a bit rough, always in a hurry. Yes we are very lucky to have such a quiet part of the world, it is beautiful. (Sarina Beach) If I could just get council to seal our very short, no through street it would be perfect. The traffic dust can bad. The houzz unfortunately was originally built close to the road so we were limited by council on what we could do out the front, We had to apply for a relaxation in the laws. They granted our plans for 2 meters. We are happy with how the deck has come up and the hedge gives a bit of privacy from the street yet does not obstruct our view at all. (While catching a bit of the dust as well.) It has been hard work, I went and got an owner builder permit and have been bringing in the trades as needed. With both of us still holding down full time jobs we have had weekends where we have gone back to work on Monday for a rest. Sure I'd love to keep you guys up to speed as we plod on to the finish line. Cheers!

Hi Deanne, When you say you are doing the kitchen, does that mean you have to do the planning (design) and specifying of it also? I would have thought Storybook supplied a home with the (kitchen) plans included? If not, your builder will be able to guide you, however here are a couple of tips... 1. Choose your appliances early AND STICK WITH THEM. Often individual appliances have specific needs outside of standard eg power requirement (over 10amps), rangehood ducting direction and type, clearances to overhead cupboards, water to fridge etc. 2. Using the appliances, work out the layout (design) of the kitchen and where you want the cooking, cleaning, fridge etc. From there you need to work out power point locations for all appliances (many people forget the microwave) plus the everyday items like phone chargers, toaster, kettle etc. 3. Go to kitchen display showrooms such as Laminex. They have completed kitchens on display where you can understand the difference between a waterfall end (benchtop style), a shaker profile door (Hampton's style cabinet front) and play around with colours and finishes. 4. Put it all together in detail and you have created a specification! Re finding a builder, I agree with the above. Get a couple of names from Storybook as you don't need beginner mistakes, and go with the builder you guys are COMFORTABLE with. Price is only part of the journey. Good luck with the build.

Hello dear, I believe it is to choose and arrange colors to match existing furnishings, or possibly in some cases to even choose furnishings as well to give a certain 'look' to a room or rooms. But, an interior designer is someone who plans, researchers, coordinates, and manages such projects. An interior designer evaluates and designs interior living and work spaces to make them functional, appealing and well-suited to an owner's needs. Interior designers make interior spaces functional, safe, and beautiful by determining space requirements and selecting decorative items, such as colors, lighting, and materials. Recently I have done interior design in my office from HTS Interior Design LLC, who offers an interior solution to meet specific needs from concept design to turnkey Fit Out solution.

I’m set up in our sunny spare bedroom. Happy with my spot as I have views to the street and a desk to work from.