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 Macymacmaples, I would go for a 120cm to be sure that you are not splashing water everywhere. The latest trend is these single panel showers but they do come with their own challenges that need to be addressed by a professional. A shower tray with proper drainage is a great way to start. The most common errors we see in renovations with such showers is that the drainage has not been thought through - so the water runs everywhere. This makes keeping a clean bathroom impossible. If you want to ensure that water splashing/running is not an issue, I always recommend a properly water-tight shower box. But the decision depends on practicality VS aesthetics and the advice of your builder.

Good to hear this has triggered review........re the basement costs, it depends upon how it's done. Either way you are doing 2 other separate garages that would be rolled into one. it involves negotiating levels, grading driveway at the higher end to get down so there could be some increased complexity.....but it's hard to make an accurate comment on numbers...... Catherine when you are doing something of this scale it's critical you are working with people/designers who are ALL OVER the costs in relation to design decisions and options. If they can't provide you with this advice and it's just design/plans/drawings that then get handed back to you to discuss potential costs with a builder, then I'd argue they're not up to the task. Before we do anything we robustly thrash out just numbers and project scope relationships (ie no detailed drawing!) and it deals effectively with the major issues and project alignments at the right time, and mitigates the nasty surprises or wasting resource pursuing options that are not viable. Either way, as I previously commented, as it's drawn currently it's a relatively expensive design that is arguably not delivering you the value/potential that you'd expect for an expensive design if you get what I'm saying. You will be paying a certain amount for a split, staggered or two level building (which is essentially two residences in one) and when you're getting into this type of construction ( basement or garages + driveway with a building of certain complexity & size) it will pretty much cost a similar ballpark whichever way you configure it.........BUT the outcome with be DRAMATICALLY different one way or the other, comparing designs of different levels of quality. Good design is not necessarily more expensive, rather it is better considered and gives you more for your money.

Hi there! What a lovely home - we would agree with bigreader, rugs would definitely help soften those hard surfaces and can add another element of colour to tie the room together - one under the dining table, or one in front of the lounge, or both! If you're trying to avoid adding warmth, try to avoid rugs that have a deep pile and opt for low pile woven or tufted options. Another thing to consider is the materials of the rug - soft fibres like bamboo and silk are cool to the touch as opposed to materials like hemp which have a "warmer" feel underfoot. In terms of colour, I noticed you have accents of green in your chair upholstery and artwork - try to keep to cool greens or blue/greens to offset the warm wood tones. A few suggestions: https://www.designerrugs.com.au/rug-collections/designer-collaborations/catherine-martin/black-pearl/ https://www.designerrugs.com.au/rug-collections/designer-collaborations/hare-and-klein/etched/ https://www.designerrugs.com.au/rug-collections/designer-collaborations/catherine-martin/night-bird/ https://www.designerrugs.com.au/rug-collections/designer-collaborations/catherine-martin/rhapsody/ https://www.designerrugs.com.au/rug-collections/designer-collaborations/hare-and-klein/shadows/ https://www.designerrugs.com.au/rug-collections/designer-collaborations/house-of-heras/waratah-wonderland/ https://www.designerrugs.com.au/rug-collections/handknot-collections/contemporary-hand-knot/glory-days/ https://www.designerrugs.com.au/rug-collections/handknot-collections/classic-handknots/fleur-ivory-blue/ https://www.designerrugs.com.au/rug-collections/handknot-collections/classic-handknots/fleur-green/ https://www.designerrugs.com.au/rug-collections/handknot-collections/mystique/majesty/