Hi meusm, and thanks everyone for the comments. The open shower is a dream to use, there is so much space it feels like showering outdoors. The shower screen in 90cm wide. I was always worried about the splash, but its not a problem at all. A small amount of water does get out (I estimate 1/2 a cup), but we have a bath mat. If the screen was 1m I think there would be almost none (although this obviously depends on your shower head, water pressure and fall of the shower - make sure you get the fall in the floor right!). Because it is all open it dries very quickly. The pocket door is a cavity slider, which slides between the wall behind the towel rails. The sliding door was essential in such a tight space. All the best with your reno!

House has many good features, I love how the bedrooms are divided from the living area, that can be very important if you have young children. I even like how the door to the laundry is screened from the dining area - little things like that are important to me. The toilet in the bathroom would annoy me, but having the second toilet in the laundry would offset that. I think I would be inclined to close off the lounge room as a TV/Media room that would free up the general living area for just living. The outdoor areas look well planned with excellent access from the house. Oklouise's idea of relocating the kitchen looks an excellent idea but plumbing could be an issue here, firstly it would be expensive just to move the plumbing and something to be generally avoided with renovations, and secondly with rooms underneath the house, it may not be possible. As the kitchen is now, opening it more to the living room could be a good idea except I can see possible safety issues with the hotplates being exposed to passing traffic - especially with young children in the house. I agree with David - you do have to think about how you are going to live in the house and the lifestyle you envisage. For this reason, if you do decide to purchase, I would strongly suggest you live in the house for a year before doing a thing. That way the things that aren't working for you will become very obvious as well as things you need or would make life easier making decision making simpler. You will also get a feel for the lighting in the house, where it can be improved and the aspect of the house - what rooms may need warming (south facing rooms) or what rooms need cooling (west facing rooms).

I love your ideas , and the concept -- I have done several similar cheapee renovations . Some people give me grief about being budget , but I like the challenge . So maybe this will grate a bit , but the only area inside I would have done differently is the bathroom -- I saw at the end your budget there was $500 -- I would have gone a bit more lux and upmarket and spent $2K , and gotten it to a similar standard as the kitchen . The outside is brilliant -- clean and tidy and imaginative . The only 2 comments I have regarding the outside is firstly -- changing from charcoal to grey paint at the door . I personally wouldn't have ( I would have stayed charcoal right around ) , but if I 'had to' ( to save a divorce haha ) I wouldn't have made the change over at that veranda wall -- it makes the wall look 'tacked on' IMO . And the other observation / suggestion -- that front concrete wall thing at the front of the section looks a different white to the house 'base' -- I'd repaint to be an exact match , BUT also add ( probably wooden ) uprights around 250mm high , and do a 150 x 50mm horizontal 'front mounted rail' along the length , and paint this rail and posts/uprights in the charcoal -- I love the rest , but that very front of the section seems a bit flat in comparison to the house and the new gardens .

As someone who bought a brick house recently, a major reason for the decision was the low maintenance of unpainted brick. So, no, don't paint the brick! The facade above the brick looks heavy and dominating because it is so bright white and all one colour. Why not go for a more retro look, break up the solidity of the overhanging facade by painting the vertical trims a different colour? Pick a colour that compliments the brick and keep in mind that colours were more adventurous in the 70s. Embrace the fun of the beach and the retro look without going overboard. Leave the brick as is, paint window trims to contrast and catch the light., maybe add shutters in the same colour to make windows look bigger and add more to catch the eye under the eaves. And paint the front door a fun, bright colour. Citrus colours catch the light and pop, but check they don't clash with the colour of the brick. You need contrast and brightness. Our blonde brick house was built in 1960. We painted the front door, the awning over our sliding doors and our garage door all the same colour: bright citrus orange (the garage door has 2 horizontal white stripes). The result was an instant uplift. We then had the roof restored and painted a terracotta colour (concrete tiles) and cleaned the eaves. The house looks fresh as a daisy and so much more attractive. The paint cost about $100, and the roof cost $6000. Money well spent! Then we worked on the gardens. We took out tall plants close to the house and replanted the gardens with more attractive flowering plants, going for colour. It all looks much more inviting now.