Well if your over designing and putting in more then what is required you are just becoming a part of the problem. Because the amount of energy that has gone into manufacturing your home and each material in it. Those materials require energy to produce them..... On the other hand yes there is that question what if there is not enough can we trust government policy. I think our focus should really be how can we design homes that design for current conditions, have a zero and no carbon footprint and the costs of manufacturing do not offset this goal. So I do place my trust in the science and research from the CSIRO. And policy that has been created as a result of their research yes.

My favourite thing about backyard retreats is that you can take a break from the constant barrage of digital noise we are surrounded by everyday - a TV outside would detract from this. I think TV's definitely belong indoors!

Hi Chris Good plan revision there may be a couple of things that may help 1. You need 3Ds to make a decision on the front, its not to difficult to do if your Building Designer has the appropriate software, in all my design I give my clients 3Ds because it is difficult to understand spatial concepts from 2D's drawings - even fro people that do it every day. 2. Internal views are often more important than external - you spend more time inside the house than outside., your neighbours my spend more time outside looking at the house. 3. Upstairs I really like the master bedroom, but one of the robe has a window in it this would mean that the clothes would become decoloured. I would remove the window. 4. Also I would remove the window next to the TV in the recreation room - TV's will increase in size and the window might not add to better viewing. In my opinion the recreation area forces people to go around the sofa - children wont they will walk over them - more fun. I think the Tv should be on the Bathroom wall and the room squared of and the real furniture put in to scale - might help a bit with the final decision, some 3D's would help. 5. There seem to be no window in bedroom 4. 6. The downstairs works well, just that the kitchen bench still has a sink in it - not very practical, and a bit old fashioned because it really does not work - tend to spill between sink - stove and fridge - wet floors are not very helpful in work areas like kitchens. Hope this is of some help Regards Michael

I have been the reigning dessert queen in my family since a teenager. My mum always lamented that she didn't get the baking gene - it skipped a generation and went from my Grandma to me: my cakes and scones would rise perfectly each time, whereas hers quite often fell flat. Unfortunately, my mother's beautiful singing voice and artistic talent completely skipped over me. My four boys love it when I bake, although blending working full time and parenting and a house with a lot of work to do, does limit the time to bake. A good quality mixmaster is one of the key baking accessories for a lot of baking...but not for scones!!!