Thank you siriuskey. Yes that's what I was referring to, but I think I wasn't giving credit to the island sink, which would also serve for food prep. I was thinking about efficiency from my perspective. Euro bins next to sink in island, would be beneficial for ease of handling waste. Another consideration is: when using cooktop and extraction fan, will noise from fan interfere with person in study? Also, will steam from say, boiling water steam bother anyone using the study desk? I am not trying to throw cold water on the plan by my questions, I'm merely trying to imagine diff scenarios so as much as can be taken into consideration is. I have a glass splashback behind induction cooktop and a very effective extraction fan; however, when a large pot of water is at full boil, the glass steams up something chronic and I have to constantly wipe it and the underside of exhaust fan or else water drips down onto the cooktop (and any food I'm cooking).

OP, OKL's plan is better from an energy efficiency point of view than your plan (your plan wastes the northern aspect with bathrooms). But DON'T just flip OKL's plan, as the orientation would then be all wrong! It's important to get the orientation right, this will greatly effect the comfort of your home & your heating/cooling requirements (& hence your bills). Read this. It's all very useful, but maybe focus on the section about orientation first. http://yourhome.gov.au/passive-design Below are some generalisations. As has been requested, it would be nice to know your general location, as climates vary across our big country, so building requirements change. But generally, you want your living areas (& a large proportion of your glazing facing north). If possible, have a smaller portion of your glazing facing south & east, for cross ventilation, & try to eliminate western glazing. Bedrooms to the south & east (if they won't also fit in the north), & rarely used rooms, like garages, bathrooms & laundries to the west. Your verandah is south facing, good, as it won't shade your home in winter. Hopefully you have north facing eaves & they aren't too large. If they are the right size you'll get sun through your northern windows in winter, but the eaves will shade the house in summer, when the sun is higher in the sky. So can you knock out windows & doors wherever you want? Would be good to know where they are currently, the size of the verandah, the block dimensions & any other structures which will influence shading & privacy. I'd also be looking at some tiny house blogs/websites. 72sqm isn't tiny, but you really want an efficient house that works well, & you'll find some ingenious storage solutions that are used in tiny houses. Well designed built in storage is definitely very important in a small home. Can't see if it all fits now, while using the app on my phone. But I'd aim for something like this. The kitchen in the NE corner, running down the eastern wall (so you get good morning sun). An island bench for dining, separating the living area on the northern wall. Master in the NW corner, with the ensuite on the western wall (if it fits - important not to have the master bedroom window facing west). Minor bedrooms (& windows) on the south wall. Main bathroom or powder room somewhere on the southern wall, in the SW corner would be nice if it fits there. No idea is that all fits, just some ideas. If you're not fussed about an easy facing kitchen, you could flip this all, & have the kitchen in the NW corner, & the master in the NE corner. If you're taking off external or internal cladding, this is a good time to insulate you're walls. Also up insulation levels in the roof cavity of they're inadequate. It will greatly effect comfort, is quite cheap & the walls are very hard to do at other times. Edit: as I got the verandah location wrong, then added to my post.

wow....it's beyond disappointing when you're let down such as how you have described......very much highlights the challenges and inconsistencies associated with the industry......I met with people just last week who had described a similar issue with a previous architect completely stuffing up the roof pitch on paper...it happens, and the human error risk is high, and it's a fine line between a smooth ride and something that completely unravels......... We put high emphasis and value of informed decision-making at all points of the process - what I think is confusing for people with this stuff is that it's (a) not that simple and (b) there are responsibilities required of BOTH the client and the designer. From our observations over the years we've been doing what we do, it's clear that at times the right information is not being dealt with or being sought or is missing or underestimated, and there's a lack of understanding and clarity as to the extent of who's responsibility is what on both sides and how the whole process is most effectively pursued and tied together in order to minimise various risks along the way. There's a whole lot of person/company "A" relying on information/advice from person/company "B"....I suppose as a designer we see ourselves (for the projects we service/take on) as somewhat as a "general manager" to the whole process to help direct and work towards specific outcomes for clients.......but it requires careful attention to detail and a thorough approach that ultimately translates to time and cost - and this is why it's so hard to compare professionals and weigh up value/costs because you're not necessarily comparing apples and apples.......we believe there's actually only one way to do it, and that involves proper investment in competent professional service.....any Pro design service that seems cheap/low is probably arguably not worth it at all......however you invest properly in a thorough service, with a well matched operator (for the project/client) with proven results, well it's by far the best way to protect your project investment..... But i can totally understand your healthy caution in how you go about things and I think it's about understanding these projects involve a great deal of collaboration and the level of communication and working relationships will very much influence the outcome one way or the other

would like recommendations for the most realistic timber look vinyl plank or hybrid flooring. love to see any photos of finished projects. thinking of using karndean longboard lemon spotted gum. Australia. Many thanks