Just trying to study your floor plans which unfortunately I can't read so can only guess at the room use. I have no idea of the room sizes either, but I'm just wondering if you have actually done furniture layouts for each room to scale. This is really important. It seems to me like you have some great ideas you have picked up but then tried to make the rest of the house fit around them. How many people do you intend having live in the house? You have a lovely generous ensuite with a private toilet area for two people, but then have a main bathroom for how many people, jammed into a space almost half the size of the ensuite. Even the toilet is in there with no privacy whatsoever meaning that entire space can only be used by one person at a time. If you are planning this for kids, that will translate into lots of fights and arguments. If you want to create a really luxe and practical space, create a separate enclosed toilet, the shower and bath in an enclosed space and the vanity open for use at any time. This would be more in keeping with the standard you have set in the ensuite and balance the house so much better. These sort of details have a major impact on the overall value and attractiveness of your home. I don't know what you plan for the open space upstairs, but with a window along one wall a passageway the other side and only minimal wall space your use of this room will be severely restricted. Similarly the room under it will be very limited in its use. All the more reason to plan furniture to scale. I have seen master bedrooms done with the double doors which look very grand in the right sized room but in the wrong sized room, it just looks ridiculously pretentious to fling the doors open with a flourish, take two steps into the room and fall over the end of the bed. I'm sorry if I'm sounding harsh here, just trying to use my years of experience to help you create an amazing house. I've seen many pitfalls and I know how easy they are to make. You obviously intend spending a lot of money and you have some great ideas judging by your Ideas Books. Create more Ideas Books to cover every room of your house, then go talk to an architect, show him/her what you want, your Ideas Books will be invaluable to understand your likes and tastes and let him/her create something unique and special for you.

Jacinta, am very sorry to hear that you've had no luck with your project pursuits......but may I also add your story is unfortunately not too uncommon and it doesn't surprise me...........after doing this for a fair while now may I add a comment or two.....skimming through the post above, a completely underestimated and often overlooked skill required by a design professional, whether categorised as an architect, designer, drafty or whatever is their capacity to manage the client's expectations of what is viable in a certain situation for a certain budget with their experience and knowledge. Yes construction costs have risen, and will continue to do so, and that's nothing new. $350K depending upon what you're doing and where, once upon a time was a healthy budget, but not anymore when you stack up the components. that is not to say that you cannot do anything, but to achieve something you'll need to be working with people who are all over the current construction costs and can help you strategically and logically consolidate your priorities simultaneously within the design/creative process to resolve an appropriate solution. There is always a (creative) solution to a scenario and a way to successfully navigate/negotiate challenges such as council limitations, challenging context, budget or whatever. Honestly, as a designer that's the easy bit, the hard(er) part is managing people in negotiating their particular "wants" and expectations and relative costs. What I understand really gets to people (like you have clearly experienced here ) is the unpleasant surprise and disappointment down the track after investing time and money with a company/designer in believing that you're working towards a feasible outcome when in reality the concept/direction is revealed to be non-viable, stonewalled or beyond budget. To avoid exactly this issue I service the front end of projects very broadly considering hard costed concept scenario options and hence "cutting to the chase" in order to appropriately align project requirements and project budget against the relevant specific contextual backdrop. Very quickly we endeavour get a realistic and accurate handle on whether a particular project direction is going to be viable or not and manage the client's expectations appropriately and fairly with minimal time and investment from their end. Depending upon the client and situation this step of the process initiates recalibration of client expectations (on budget or brief) and identification of what is possible one way or another so moving forward can occur with confidence and efficiency. From experience this has proven to avoid the exact situation you've unfortunately experienced. This should not be a "nightmare", rather it should be an exciting time in the process. At the end of the day it all comes down to money, it is invariably the ultimate controller of the decision-making process and accordingly you need to find and work with people who inherently understand this and can design honestly for you with respect to this factor and your specific needs. I hope this helps in some way and completely understand and sympathise with your situation :)

Worth consulting with a Permaculture designer as well at this stage, if you want to maximise the productivity of your site for a sustainable future. Catching and retaining heat from walls is ideal for growing fruit trees and vegies that thrive in warmer climates and need frost protection. Also catching and retaining water on site and using any slopes to your advantage, to minimise the need to water your garden, with slowing how water moves along your site is also vital. Creating a view if you don't have one, is equally important. Do you want raised vegetable beds for ease of work and watering. Wicking beds are ideal for this. Vegie patches and herbs are best located close to your kitchen. The time to plan all those elements of sustainability is now! Habitat for local bird species and beneifical insects is also worth considering, now, rather than when your house is built. Are you considering keeping chickens as part of your sustainable living schemes. If so the best designs for chicken runs, now tends to be a narrow enclosure that runs along your fencelines and can be planted out with fruiting trees. I am actually a Permaculture designer, but I suggest seeking one out locally, who is familiar with your climate and can help you create microclimates ideal for specific plant demands. Even if you didn't use your previous garden, have you considered why not? In an ideal world, outdoor space and greenery helps our spirits soar. Growing your own food saves on food miles and contributes so much to a more sustainable world and offers the freshes, tastiest organic produce too!

Echo 100% all of the above comments............... the big DIY rookie design error is designing disconnected from specific context.........also starting with a rectangle shape and then filling in the rooms/spaces...not to mention not understanding how to manage budget with design appropriately within context...... you're missing the opportunity here........... To clarify, one of the biggest differences between designers/architects and draftspeople is the knowledge and management of costs......think of it like this - draftspeople draw stuff as instructed, whereas designers/architects creatively configure and develop spaces simultaneously factoring in multiple level/layers of requirements appropriately balanced within context/to regulation, with deep understanding of costs involved and ultimately how to maximise the opportunity.... Good Designers will craft an experience of space....it's chalk & cheese/completely different services......... The basic outline you've sketched is something that probably would be better suited to a smaller/suburban block...but you're talking about a rural acreage context, which brings with it a completely different set of conditions and also opens up so many opportunities for design that responds and connects with the immediate context.......think of amazing views/outlooks and how a building can be spread out without the constraints of close boundaries etc....I start to think about verandahs and spaces that connect to the outdoors.... Developing a home is a balancing process, of numerous factors and priorities. You need to establish these aspects first, work out what's important and what is your budget limit. Then work from there. You may find you need significantly greater money allocation to build aspect than you're thinking, and possibly it makes more sense to look at a smaller allotment and different land/building budget ratio......Don't underestimate owner builder costs. It's not necessarily a cheaper option unless you have "free" time, construction/industry knowledge and a passive income combination........these are big decisions that will take time to work through, but focusing on your kitchen or bedroom layout at this point in time is arguably a waste of time at this point in the process for you......as oklouise so correctly said "design is the most important part", and so it is highly advised that you allocate a reasonable amount of your investment to that part of it.... Just as a random thing, attached a sketch for a rural context....it's contemporary and subtle split/varied level, but all about the outlooks and natural light, zone separations and connecting deeply with the land........you have to design from the inside out, but you need to first understand where it's grounded and the context the design is physically responding to.... Something like you have drawn would likely be more cost effectively achieved with an off the shelf option like a volume builder, rather than going owner builder.... Hope some of this is helpful Best of luck Victoria Cheers PD :)