apparently you have never tried public transport in my hometown. tampa, fl. it is hideous. max I have traveled is about 1.25 hours. worst trip and greatest was the 24 miles from crapo, say crepe o, to cambridge md. I once counted 49 hairpin turns, during that trip. all that on land so flat, you were lucky if it was not underwater.

You'll probably need an aborist come and assess the tree. I'm not sure if home insurance covers this sort of thing but it might be worth checking out regardless. I hope the tree can be saved.

I am with you Zara - I think it could definitely be a contender for ugliest fibro ever. I think I prefer the neighbour's house. Why would someone choose to place the bathroom at the front like that? And the front door opening off a gloomy single carport - definitely a mid-century modern touch. My suggestion would be to build a modest addition that would draw the eye away from the boxy elevation - possibly convert that carport to a decked outdoor entertaining area and open the wall next to the front door into the living room (guessing that is the floor plan). Or push something up through the roof, maybe a clerestory window to capture light and air - this would give the building a bit of vertical energy. Then paint the original fibro monument, as fulton & salomon suggested. Or matt black. Very dark colours will make the building look more substantial and work well with the texture of the fibro panels. I saw a very impressive building in North Fremantle once - three storeys + roof garden with a big concrete curved panel falling over the front like a waterfall. It wasn't until the owner/builder pointed it out that I realised that the ground floor was actually a single storey salmon-brick 70's house. The roof had been removed and the upper floors cantilevered over the original walls which had been painted black. The original building just disappeared. Lately I have been fantasising about doing something similar with a fibro beach shack like yours - flying a lightweight, open-plan structure with strong geometric form over the top but keeping the core of the shack for bedrooms, laundry etc.

Besides the fact that it isn't my style (and thus I agree with oklouise to sell on ebay...), the first thing which strikes me, is the crammed working area: stove/ sink/ prep. How can you operate in that space? Other side appears to be too far away to be practical? Then the fridge! If you have an expensive and very ornate kitchen, you can't have a free standing fridge! One way or another your fridge has to be integrated, which brings you back to the style question. Either you like the style and just want to i.e.white wash it (liked that option, if you are into beachy, country), then you need a matching door made up (I'd calculate 2K) and buy an integrated fridge (A$ 2-4K) or you don't like the deco, lay-out, impractical space and want to replace it all, then you can possibly get away with a free-standing fridge in a much less ornate kitchen. If you basically don't mind the kitchen and can work well in the crammed working area, or your budget doesn't stretch to a new one (think about $ 25k+), I agree with the white wash solution and taking off all the excessive ornaments and trims, putting in a flat SS or glass range hood. Also install rails with hooks next to cook top and hang your utensils, you need every square inch on the counter! Microwave to be incorporated perhaps under oven and off benchtop. Maybe spend the money and buy a matching Miele microwave, will look nice with the oven. Look into brightening the gloomy kitchen (on top of white wash) by changing the black bench top and splash backs with light ones. It might save $$ if you just get the ex one covered ( I guess about A$ 6-7k). If it was my kitchen I would definitely sell it, before spending all that money on bench tops, fridge door, integrated fridge, m/w integration, removal of trims, painting, splash back etc. and still end up with a mediocre and impractical kitchen. Would be very interested to see more of your actual style. Can only make out an Ikea shelving unit on one photo... Your decision has a lot to do with the longevity (and cost) of a kitchen, your actual style and the practicability of the ex kitchen! If you can afford it, think long term and maybe save up for THE kitchen you want. If you want some tips on how to keep costs in check and still get a great result for a new kitchen, just contact me. Good luck.