Thank you dohraime. I like you hypothesis about step feature at the gable front and art deco era. I think that was probably the closest this I could find at this stage in terms of visual similarity. The living area connected to the kitchen was extended back probably around 70s-80s. As far as we know, the Italian gentleman had a big family with four kids, so he needed more space for beds. The other two rooms at the front may have been renovated at some point as well. Cornices in the front three rooms including hall way definitely look more elaborate than one in the extension area. We have only three windows left to us that was from the era of original owners. They were time double hung windows that were very old, very fragile, and difficult to open. These three were at the two front rooms and a kitchen as pictured in 2010 and 2014 sales. As far as I can see from the old pictures of 2010 sales, windows in the extension living room were double hung windows of the same style as well. So they may have been replaced at some point in time. Previous owner replaced most of the windows to double glazed units, and we completed the remaining three after moving in last year.

our obsession with antibacterial products apparently is creating bacteria which are resistant to antibiotics. They should be banned if the government could take any decisive action (not talking about general disinfectant here, just every surface spray for the kitchen and hand washing that also "needs" antibacterial)......

Anything is possible if you really want it, however every solution has a cost and without knowing you full circumstance its hard to tell. So heres a few examples of typical fixes to discuss with your designer: With the right 'scabble' (breaking of concrete) you can create a setdown deep enough to 'screed' (thin layer of concrete applied to the new void) to get the falls required for a kerbless shower but this will depend on the current total cover of concrete (if you break out too much it can compromise the structure). If your home is on a 'joist and bearer system' (timber or steel frame) you could 'comp up' (increase the strength) of the supporting 'members' (frame structure) to reduce their depth which will give you a lowered floor area, then a 'topping compound' (similar to screed) could be applied to the new set down to create the falls. Likewise changing the placement of the joists from 'stacked' to 'inline' could provide the same outcome without the need of comping up. We manage teams of consultants (architects, engineers, etc) and builders every day on projects in the interest of our Clients and find it pretty common theres a single solution focus. Remember you have engaged them to design your dream not the other way around! Always get what you pay for.

don't build under trees, don't plant anything taller than a gutter or close to the building, use simple building shapes with minimal guttering..ie rectangle buildings rather than L shapes, steel clad gable roof rather than hips and valleys and no box gutters or very flat roofs...research gutter and downpipe screens although we've found our regular gutter cleaning service is the best way to keep the roof clean and any problems noticed before they become big problems ...our service uses a giant vacuum hose so there's also no mess and costs only $150 every 6 months and we're surrounded by neighbouring huge deciduous trees... check out yourhome.gov for passive solar design and plan for wheelchair access even if you never need it...our wide doorways, minimal steps, grab rails and tall toilets etc have been a great investment in comfort and look much better when planned in advance rather than added later....best wishes for your retirement home