Hi oklouise, thank you again so much for your suggestions to help me reflect on my choices! The great thing about this whole process is that it has really helped me clarify my must haves/dealbreakers and nice to haves. Key elements that I don't want to forego are: 1) a "master suite" with large WIR + private ensuite+ direct private garden access/views. The current northern bedrooms are elevated and do not allow these elements and better suited to small kids as no external doors and can be eyeballed from the kitchen. 2)The kitchen must be the heart of the home and connected to all living spaces so the host never feels disconnected from guests & can watch kids from almost any living space.I attended a party last weekend which had the kitchen blocking the living room from the outdoor space and the host commented they regretted it after renovating. 3)The dining room must be an end destination vs a corridor so it does not become a dumping grounds for bags, mail & everything else as the nearest flat surface to the entry point. 4) All new bedrooms must also be min 3 -3.2M wide on the narrowest side for me to justify them. 5) I reviewed all my lookbooks and tear sheets pulled to date and its a clear pattern that I want my 'adult' living and dining/entertaining spaces connected to the rear garden preferably wrapping l-shape round a deck or courtyard garden. In a sense 'broken' vs open plan but still visible through glass etc. 6) I would not be prepared sacrifice the prime N/NE aspect with utility rooms. 7) I don't wish to place a verandah at the front as it will never be used except extra maintenance and can create shading in summer via other methods. 8) capacity to rent out room with private living quarters. There are many splitter blocks in my area and I don't need it to operate as legal dual occupancy. 9) single level living -no second story bedrooms etc. 10) separation of main bedrooms when renting out section of house Phew....I think thats most of the checklist criteria I have been working to. Still think tanking the street appeal/front facade style but its probably leaning toward lux byron bay beach cottage meets modern coastal with some retro elements to hint at the history of this 1950s house!

Pottsy99 - here’s the pic I wanted to share. My original Reno floorplan - minimum disturbance of existing asbestos cladding inside & out - but extending footprint requires council approval so I reworked it into the floorplan I posted here I the first place. Thanks for your suggestions. That kind of thing is down the track at some point!

So true. And so bloody disappointing. The least effort and quickest sale seems to be the motivating factors for most agents. I actually just had a really positive experience with a lovely REA in Adelaide though! She has done a fantastic job, always transparent and honest with me and has made an effort to get me the best price. I got a fantastic offer just yesterday after 6 days on market and she's chasing up better counter offers now. I'm really lucky it's a hot market to sell, which helps a lot. I'm considering writing letters to people in streets I love and doing a letterbox drop. I figure I've got nothing to lose and I know people who've bought houses this way! I think that people's distrust of REAs might make an off market sale appealing to some. Who knows...worth a try!

@Margot @Alistair McLean @Kate Thank you for your feedback, as we all know in Australia, the preferred aspect is for living areas to be placed on the Northern side of the home. This of course conflicts with creating an indoor-outdoor feel with the backyard and taking full advantage of the bush views from the rear (south) of the home. In regards to knockdown and rebuild, to build a similar house, spec and size would cost roughly 750k plus (turn key). This does make sense in some respect, as you could design a house that is 'perfect' with higher ceilings, no beams to consider or to design around, new plumbing, wiring and a more efficient house in general with all the mods and cons that a new house has to offer. However, the site houses a large 400sm under roof double brick house. So the current improvements are worth 250k approx. As long as the renovation cost + existing improvements don't exceed the possible price of a new built then renovating is still the best option. Based on preliminary costing the renovation still stacks up. However, it's really much of a muchness.