@Souzette Lovell, I know nothing about bidets but just commenting on your question about water being splashed on untiled areas of your bathroom. I constructed my bathroom entirely with villa board, and the only plaster is on the ceiling. I have also tiled the entire bathroom to the ceiling because it made sense to do this rather than be concerned about any water ingress anywhere as well as any damage from something like the hand held shattaff you mention and it means zero maintenence having to repaint from time to time. My suggestion is if it's not too late to use villaboard and not plaster, in fact I'm surprised all bathrooms aren't fitted out with villaboard but I don't think it's compulsory except for the shower cubicle. I did it so there would never be an issue with water damage as this material is impervious to water ingress. Otherwise if it's too late and your bathroom is complete, I would tile this wall or a section of the wall as it would make more sense to be able to wipe the tiles regularly in case of any unwanted splashes from regular use if there are children especially, as their aim isn't always perfect and it's hard to clean plaster ha-ha!!

It sounds like you have a good reason to remodel since you are in a rural area and there are probably not a lot of properties to choose from. Now you need to find a local architect and contractor who you like working with and who can help you make the most of your new house. As an architect, I love to do these types of projects, but I do know how difficult it is for the families that I work with to have to move out for a few months during construction. We also live in an area where remodels are common because most of the houses were built in the 1950's as weekend beach cottages and now everyone wants a bigger house by the beach. We do a lot of remodels. There are very few perfect properties to choose from. The most important thing to remember is to hire the right people to help you and to do it the way you want it.......don't compromise.

Jacinta, am very sorry to hear that you've had no luck with your project pursuits......but may I also add your story is unfortunately not too uncommon and it doesn't surprise me...........after doing this for a fair while now may I add a comment or two.....skimming through the post above, a completely underestimated and often overlooked skill required by a design professional, whether categorised as an architect, designer, drafty or whatever is their capacity to manage the client's expectations of what is viable in a certain situation for a certain budget with their experience and knowledge. Yes construction costs have risen, and will continue to do so, and that's nothing new. $350K depending upon what you're doing and where, once upon a time was a healthy budget, but not anymore when you stack up the components. that is not to say that you cannot do anything, but to achieve something you'll need to be working with people who are all over the current construction costs and can help you strategically and logically consolidate your priorities simultaneously within the design/creative process to resolve an appropriate solution. There is always a (creative) solution to a scenario and a way to successfully navigate/negotiate challenges such as council limitations, challenging context, budget or whatever. Honestly, as a designer that's the easy bit, the hard(er) part is managing people in negotiating their particular "wants" and expectations and relative costs. What I understand really gets to people (like you have clearly experienced here ) is the unpleasant surprise and disappointment down the track after investing time and money with a company/designer in believing that you're working towards a feasible outcome when in reality the concept/direction is revealed to be non-viable, stonewalled or beyond budget. To avoid exactly this issue I service the front end of projects very broadly considering hard costed concept scenario options and hence "cutting to the chase" in order to appropriately align project requirements and project budget against the relevant specific contextual backdrop. Very quickly we endeavour get a realistic and accurate handle on whether a particular project direction is going to be viable or not and manage the client's expectations appropriately and fairly with minimal time and investment from their end. Depending upon the client and situation this step of the process initiates recalibration of client expectations (on budget or brief) and identification of what is possible one way or another so moving forward can occur with confidence and efficiency. From experience this has proven to avoid the exact situation you've unfortunately experienced. This should not be a "nightmare", rather it should be an exciting time in the process. At the end of the day it all comes down to money, it is invariably the ultimate controller of the decision-making process and accordingly you need to find and work with people who inherently understand this and can design honestly for you with respect to this factor and your specific needs. I hope this helps in some way and completely understand and sympathise with your situation :)

The renovation in my house was overdue as the kitchen, the master bedroom, and living area; all were in dire need of more space, breathability, and improved lighting. They had started to look dated and tired. Though I have been searching through remodeling blogs and renovation expert’s websites for quite some time for ideas and costs, instead of getting clarity of thoughts on how to get it started, I was becoming more confused because the pros floated too many ideas that also seemed a bit expensive to meet my budget. Then suddenly I got this thought of contacting Stewart (my school friend who was a professional remodeler and was running his own business of house renovation in California). I mailed him immediately telling him my requirements and asking for some frugal yet viable solutions. He replied within a week with very good ideas and some exclusive pictures of renovation done on different areas of the house. Thesebefore and after picturesmade me very focused on what and how to go about the renovation of my sweet dream home with the most cost-saving. The highlights of Stewart’s suggestions that I followed later were as follows: · Invest quality time on budget and never ever be tempted to exceed the budgetary limits set out for each task. · List all your needs precisely. · Make the whole process a combination of DIY projects and professionals. This is also very much required because most of the minor alterations and remodeling can be done by you using your own skills and they will result in impressive cost savings. · Fully utilizing home renovation use promo and coupon codes to buy decorative pieces, rugs, wall hangings, and furniture items, etc. I bought many kitchen and bathroom appliances with these promo codes saving almost 50% of their original cost. · Discussing the aspects of storage in the kitchen and functionality in the bathroom candidly with the professional you hire for renovating. · Consider painting the bathroom, living area, and kitchen by yourself. Using high-quality brushes will make your paint in the corners of the doors and coating door frames in one pass. Needless to mention that a little bit of Goggle search for promo codes for paint, related material, and primer will provide you enough discount codes to select some that suit your needs the best and save the most. · When it comes to the living area, the best revitalizing is one that makes it look as large as possible. For this purpose, I combined the living and dining area and opened up the floor plan. I also streamlined the windows and gave them the real upgrade. Lighting is another area where proper usage can create a sense of the place looking more spacious than it actually is. · Last but not least since the entire job cannot be done by you alone and structural alterations will need an expert, you should choose a contractor with good recommendations from friends who have already got their houses renovated. There is no need to rush and one should take time to select an appropriate and capable resource. Transformed my kitchen having refreshed the cabinets and white paint boosted the space The best shade of light grey and red cushioned dining table chairs made the living area fabulous Removing sofa with chairs and bringing in a floral patterned wall mirror made wonder A few wall hangings and decorative pieces transformed this room from a dull and suffocative place to a full of life area in my house The interior doors are given a nice boost as well Only color schemes and rearranged appliances can enhance the look of the kitchen By giving new life to the front door, the very impression of the house was transformed.