Hi Sarah DIY can be a great option to stay within your budget and find an agreeable solution to your current dilemma. Window furnishings are generally one of the last jobs required after going through the process of building your house, which means the budget is always tight at this point after all the other 'extra expenses' Therefore you are now potentially starting to look at compromising on the quality that you originally wanted to finish your off your house. Window furnishing can have a fairly visual impact, as well as influencing how the room 'feels', on both the inside and outside of you rooms and home. In the first instance we need to define the difference between a DIY 'Ready Made / Ready to Hang Product' which is what you would purchase from somewhere such as Spotlight vs DIY "Custom Made" products. The difference in quality is significant, however the price points don't have to be. At iseekblinds, we offer genuine custom made blinds, made in Australia. If you visit our website, you can get an instant price online - It would be interesting to see the difference between what you have been quoted and what we can offer. We can turn Roller Blinds around within 3 weeks or sooner if requested and deliver nationally. Everything you need to know regarding measure and installation is on our website and we teach and guide you through the process to ensure you get it right. Please see some of our reviews to hear how our other customers have been surprised at just how easy the installation process has been and are over the moon in regards to the product quality they received. Get Your DIY On! I say. And please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance Cheers, Sally

Hi there, I think that the skylight would definitely be the way to go, if your budget runs to it. It will really lift the whole stairwell and make it much lighter and brighter. Full height frosted doors may be OK on the laundry, but I wouldn't recommend it for the bathroom as when lights are on in the room, you may be able to see more than you bargained for, from the corridor. The occupants of the house may feel comfortable with it, but any guests or visitors may not. A frosted panel at the top of the door would be as far as I'd go. Bear in mind too, that glass lets more sound through than timber, and in a situation like yours, I'd recommend a solid core door, for that reason. I hope this helps!

we have a bedroom hallway looking onto the inside of our garage so we've installed a sheet of transluscent roofing in the garage roof above the internal windows and added venetians inside to direct light and screen the view i've also considered stick on frosted film (available from Bunnings in plain, around $20? or in some gorgeous patterns on line and reasonably cheap for a relatively small area and would be worth a try...

Hi Johanna_edmond24 there are a few options available to you in addition to what has been suggested above. If your budget allows you could install Switchable Window where by a flick of a switch your window will change from Clear (two ways) to Opaque which stops anyone seeing through (both ways). The frosted glass effect of Switchable Glass also allows light in during the day. Another option available and is less expensive is to use a One Way Film that is fixed to the window in the same way as car window tinting is. There are several types of finishes too in this material with various different features. The Mirrored One Way window film type will let light in during the day, enables you to look out normally from inside and from the outside just has a reflective mirror image. These works really well in situations that have vegetation planted outside reasonably close, and giving you a Picture Window. Regarding price, these vary and will also depend on window size and the amount of work involved and so as siriuskey suggested; have a word to your builder or your local window specialists who offer these types of products. Planning for a switchable window and installing it during the building process does tend to work out less expensive than retro-fitting this type of window later. Hope this is of some help; Malcolm.