It's an idea I've been contemplating myself so I did a search on "island with dining table", this was probably closest to what you described. I plan to convert our (never used) dining room at the front of Calif. bungalow into a bedroom and enlarge current kitchen into adjacent informal dining area so this option would work well (if I can get H to agree that is!)

I'd go for the higher privacy screens within your own boundary. Get a car junk yard to store some old crushed car bodies on piled high on top of each other for 3-6 months to create the screen. They will be au fait with safely securing them. They may even pay for the temporary space leaving you with enough money to later build a truly aesthetically pleasing barrier, something like that big reflective glass barrier to her if she doesn't move! Hopefully she will decide to move when that is all she can see. My dad actually used this strategy successfully with a problem neighbour in the past! Meanwhile have a chat to a lawyer. We have one of those problem neighbours who complains about (non) barking dogs and gets her kicks by watching us put out washing. She now looks onto my chicken coop and thought it was a dog kennel. It makes me feel like going naked when I tend the chickens to give her something to really scare her and having a heavy metal rock band rehearse regularly in my garage. It is horrible to be overlooked by a neighbour who is so problematic and likes to use your family as her reality television set! Do check with a lawyer about her possible trespass onto your property. My guess is she used Round Up on a windy day!

For such a quirky and interesting table in a bohemian and eclectic interior I would consider a set of eight Philippe Starck Ghost Chairs. The classic lines would complement the design of your table, but the clear polycarbonate would not conceal that wonderful pedestal. In addition they are stackable, so you could stack four in a corner, and have four chairs out for everyday use.There are reproductions available, however the polycarbonate is not the same quality as the original Kartell brand, and seems to be more brittle and prone to snapping. The clear ones are classic and are readily available, but I think one of the transparent, smoked versions (perhaps with the gold tint) would work even better. http://www.spacefurniture.com.au/louis-ghost.html Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

Talking about a complex roof design, yes that will increase costs. It will also be a nightmare for solar PV panels (which should be an important consideration for all homes nowadays). Not only will the complex roof increase the complexity & cost of solar installation. The results will look pretty terrible too - if that's an issue - as rectangular panels don't fit well on triangles & trapezoids. One reason for the complex roof - other than Australia's love of hip & valley roofs - is the complex floorplan. A complex shapes footprint will lead to a complex roof. Talking about trying to keep costs down, as you've started, a complex footprint not only results in a complex, costly roof. Complex footprints will increase building costs in other ways. They'll result in a larger external surface area. As external walls are more costly than internal walls, larger external surface areas increase cost. Each corner will increase cost. There's a lot of corners in this building. There's unusual angles, which will also greatly increase costs. On a sloping block a large footprint will lead to much more cutting & filling, much more retaining. I'm not expert, but I'd weight up the costs of a large single storey home on a sloping block, verses a much simpler shaped rectangular home, with a much smaller footprint, double storey at the rear. It may turn out that in this case a split level home - with increased comfort & far more northern light to living areas, & views to the south in many rooms - may be worth an additional investment. In any case, is be looking at reducing the size of the build, of costs are an issue. It will be much better for the environment in any case. Looking to utilise multi-purpose rooms, such as a home theatre that doubles as a guest room. Limiting hallway space, dead space in some people's books, removing the scullery (I personally hate these things). I think good design is far more important than having a home that is larger than needed.