Hi buchlo, if you use a chalk paint you don't need to prime etc. I recently used Annie Sloan chalk paint with Annie Sloan wax finish to paint a dark wood TV unit. It looks amazing. It lightened up our room, I put new handles on which I involved filling the old holes up. The chalk paint covers everything. It is expensive but great finish. The wax easy to apply and drys hard. I love it. There are only a few outlets in Australia, I am in rural WA and buy on line from a shop in Carine in Perth. Postage is reasonable considering it is paint. I am about to start some new projects using it. Lots on you tube on how to use the chalk paint. The colour range is just lovely. If you want a white finish go antique white as has better coverage than pure white. Don't forget to post before and after pics no matter what you do. Ps I paint everything, but look up 'how and what' to use so you get the finish you want and you only have to do it once

We're building 4x3.5 Two with ensuite and the others with a jack and Jill. Life has changed unfortunately and now everyone in the household works, kids stay at home longer and ageing parents sometimes move in for care. At the moment we have a 3 x 1 and really the only thing we really want for is a second toilet, which growing up we had because we had the one out the back with the red backs.

I wouldn't. If having a master suite were important to me I would buy a modern home that has one. The thing about historic homes is that they typically had three equal sized bedrooms. It's part of the character of the home. If you combine two squareish bedrooms you will end up with a strangely shaped rectangular room that's not really all that useful. Particularly as you mention they both have french doors that go to a verandah. Those doors pretty much limits what you can do with the rooms. You will be trying to either preserve the symmetry of the doors or build a wardrobe wall up close to one and have the whole look of the room thrown off. A heritage home is what it is. It's never going to be a modern home and it's limitations are what people expect when they buy one. The limitation is a traditional floorplan that doesn't necessarily reflect modern lifestyle choices. One conversion that is often done on federations is part of the verandah is built in, and turned into a WIR or ensuite. Many of these homes already have built-in verandah sections so doing so won't necessarily ruin the character. Particularly if you infill them with a nice casement windows and appropriate trims on the outside.

my suggestion has an ens and wiw and uses the old bedroom door for a linen cupboard, although the toilet could be placed at either end to be closer to the original sewerage, this arrangement allows for more privacy for the toilet, more standing room near the shower, wall space for a towel rail and room in teh wiw for a chest of drawers..the vanity is over 2m long with cabinet under the (one or twin) sinks and open shelves next to the toilet for towels .. and, while you're adding the new ens, it would be worthwhile to plan the new access to the kitchen and new laundry