Hi, Just a few quick tips to take or leave: -The nook will need some form of natural light & ventilation such as a skylight (you may already be aware). -You mentioned you wanted a slab on ground for thermal reasons. You would actually lose a lot of heat with an uninsulated slab on ground in Ballarat. Insulated underneath it and the thermal mass would be of benefit, but the general advice that a slab on ground will allow thermal mass to couple with the earth for a constant temperature would not work in Ballarat (unless you want it to be constantly cold) -Otherwise your plan has a lot of positives and you've put your thermal mass wall & fire to the north so you could also use it to store the heat from the sun via windows. I think there is a little wasted space which could be improved between the kitchen and N/E living area caused by the 'long & skinny' shaped living and island bench... Something which could be tweaked when you have your working drawings done? Or you could even take a metre out and push the kitchen/dining up to save some floor area (dollars) or add to other rooms.

Hi everyone, thank you for your feedback. So we took some measurements and it appears that they really have only just left enough space to fit in the original design with no margin for error. Without being millimetre perfect, which I know is impossible to achieve, if I ask them to rip out the current stairs, I suspect I'll be left with a worse situation and a stair in the hallway. Really very upset with this, I expected a custom designed house to be as designed, otherwise we probably should have just gone with a project home which would have cost a lot less! I was very clear with them about the stairs, absolutely no winders, a flat platform and no where in any plans was there a step in the landing! This whole house was designed around the stairs, which is why I'm so annoyed that it's not correct! With respect to the weird wall in the middle, that will be plastered up and capped to rake up with the stairs. The photo's don't show the large window in the stairwell, and once painted white, it should still be very light and bright. I considered glass, very briefly, I'm not keen on cleaning that and thought I would end up with toy's being posted through a balustrade. The tread will remain oak and the riser will be painted white. Going for a modern Australian coastal, hamptons look, classic but not too traditional. I am going to ask them to address the stair frame and step it down in parallel with the step, as opposed to the angle that is currently there on the mid landing, it just looks really bad when looking up the stairs and the handrail as the kids will need something to hold on to now there is a step in the mid landing. I'll also be asking that the stair frame sit's flush with the nib wall as it rounds the corner in the junction of the two flights. It sticks out a bit too far for my liking at the moment. I really hope they don't get too many other things wrong!

How's it going ? U in yet? You loving the country life? Great flower stalls on that road, or use to be! $2 bunches.. Can you look at my 'tiny house' the size of your powder room..lol https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/6042198/those-with-an-eye-for-colour If you have any other ideas. I got some good ones already. But throw any more around that you think might work.

the easiest way to light any space is look at which way the globes point, and you can see it in the picture you posted. When that fitting is turned on the light hits the ceiling first and washes down from there. What you need is functional lighting whether you make a statement of the light or let the kitchen do the talking is up to you, the best form of task lighting for you in there would be a 3 circuit track system, allowing you to place and point the light where you want it. And being 3 circuit the same track could have 3 different functional light fittings suspended from the 1 power source.