Second attempt was with Windex and same paper towel, which cleaned the two honed surfaces up pretty well. The lighter Raw Concrete seems to have been easier than the Sleek Concrete. And finally, to get rid of that pot scratch I used a non-scratching Scotch brite pad (what we usually use on dishes) with some diluted Soft Scrub. This one took a little more elbow grease but I'm satisfied with the results. My opinion is that comparing the two surfaces (honed vs. glossy) there is a marked difference. That being said, I currently have tile from 1978 and grout lines that are so deep and narrow I have to scrub them out with a toothbrush. I guess it's all a matter of perspective. We decided to go with the Raw Concrete after all, and like others have said, just expect that it'll take a little more work and show a few more stains. But then again, isn't that the whole point of concrete? That it looks industrial? I hope this has helped someone. If anyone is interested I'll try to post some more photos and real life feedback in a couple of weeks once ours is installed.

Hi, I know this is a long time after your first notes but I can't help but comment. I love the idea of the shallow wall that goes to the ceiling with a ladder. We lived in a home where the refrigerator was outside on the porch due to lack of space. With very few cupboards, I did a couple shelving units built between studs like that. I measured the height of each shelf away from the one above it with my canned foods. Turned out great and it is amazing how much those 2 little shelves could hold. I also want to say that I don't know building codes in your country but I agree that you should get at least 3 other quotes. With a concrete wall you can put electrical in that area. You can just have them use metal, electrical conduit. It does show (toe kick works, too!) but it is very non-invasive and should be cheaper. I really love the kitchen that Edith Martins posted. It is such a little gem. I can just picture myself working in that lovely place. Go slowly with your renovations. Listen to all thoughts and suggestions. In the end, this is your money you are spending and your home, so be sure to do what makes you happy. Lastly, there is NO box that you have to work within. Look online, watch Tiny House shows, go to architectural websites for ideas. Do YOUR thing. And, please post pictures when you are done! Best.

I'm no expert, but agree about the second plan's dark, central section. This may not be a good location for a study nook. As it would require the lights on any time is used, & who wants to be staring straight at a wall anyway. In saying that, I've heard north facing studies can suffer from glare on computer screen, so you'd want to be careful where you set up computer equipment (if you have a desktop) in the northern living area. Other thoughts. Your plan consolidates your wet rooms better, keeping them closer together. This minimises plumbing runs, which saves on contruction costs. It also saves on water, as you don't wait so long for hot water to reach the tap. But in your plan the laundry is a long way from the bedrooms. So you really have to think about how you use the laundry. Are you happy to have it near the kitchen, so you don't forget that the machine has finished it's cycle, & the clothes are ready to be hung out? Or would you prefer to have easier access to the bedrooms, to cart dirty clothes & bedsheets? Or can you plan to have access to both. Next, your plan has a western kitchen, while your partner's had an eastern kitchen. Some people prefer an eastern kitchen, with an east facing window, to get early morning sunshine. Without windows drawn on your plan is hard to know what you're planning. Do you plan to only have northern windows in your living area? Or were you planning on having an eastern, or western window, or two? It might be nice to have that secondary window in the kitchen, to aid with ventilation, & removing cooking smells. Though if it's facing west of make sure it's pretty small. It looks like your eastern aspect will be nicer, your home built further from this boundary, so more room for plantings, to increase privacy. Overall, I'd prefer your plan. Most windows in the living area facing north. An east facing window in the living room to aid cross-ventilation, but not too large. Maybe a small west facing window in the kitchen to aid with ventilation. But I'd make sure this is shaded externally in the summer. I'd work on ideas for the bathroom & laundry area. Investigate a million ideas, see what will work best for your family. Laundry access from the kitchen. Laundry access from the hallway. Access from both. Access to the outdoors/no access to the outdoors. European style laundry in the kitchen. European style laundry in the bathroom. The choices are just about endless. Having the toilet (with its own basin) separate from rest of the bathroom would be a good idea, as it'll be a 3 bed/2 bath home. Nice if all wet rooms have access to a window. It's a bit of a puzzle to try & get it to all fit correctly. Lastly, I love that this is a "passive solar" renovation. Orientated correctly. So you'll have beautiful winter sunshine in your home, while keeping the sun out in summer. Are you planning an outdoors area to the north? I'd just be using northern length northern eaves on your living area. So that winter sunshine streams in the home. Horizonal awnings can be used for any outdoor area, or a pergola with deciduous climbers.

I really love the work of Ross Chapin, he has really influenced my approach to homes in general! He is a US (i think) based architect who champions small homes and has a concept called a pocket home. I've read a lot of his articles and he likes homes that are homey and cottagey and small neighbourhoods with common parklands and great greenspace access. One feature of his homes is they are typically 1-2 bedroom a thing he often does is replace what would in other homes a whole room with a nook. So for example, a hallway might be extra wide but have a nook for an office that could be closed off with a sliding door into a spare room. Or an attic space that can sleep grandkids, dining nooks off the kitchen so entertaining is possible, like an oversized bay window. Decent living spaces. His designs are worth a look at to get some ideas. https://rosschapin.com/plans/small-houses/ I've also stayed at a newly built unit for an elderly person. There was this large foyer space at the entrance with an extra wide door that was level with the paving, no lip at the entrance. It was designed so ambulance access would be easy in an emergency. The large foyer had cupboards with a laundry and storage, and then there was a bathroom directly across, again for easy emergency access. There was a phone in the bathroom too in case of falls. The whole area was tiled from door to bathroom for easy maintenance and access. The kitchen was simply run across one wall of an open plan dining and lounge area with like a corridor of tiling to designate it as separate. You can use flooring changes to create different spaces. It there were no awkward pokey spaces and it was the easiest place I have ever stayed for cleaning and organising. There is a universal access guideline, its worth checking things like bench heights etc... https://www.architecture.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Universal-Access-Policy.pdf