So if I suggested the following could you tell me if this is going to look right. Floor tiles = keep Wall tiles = paint or replace to white? Cedar walls = keep , sand and re oil Cedar beams above shower and bath = ? Vanity = replace to a white unit with a stone/ granite top in a light colour ? Splash back behind vanity = glass white or blue tiles? Mirror = replace with a much larger one , possibly even one stretching the whole width of the wall Shower curtains = not sure ? Would it be better to have frameless glass with translucent glass between shower and bathtub? Bathtub and shower tub = paint white ? Lighting= lots of LED spots Towel rails etc = new Chrome/SS Thank you for any suggestions

Wow now we can see the front, I think you should use the double garage for parking with side access to the garden to unload shopping etc. Remove the other roller door and carport, replace the carport with a pergola,. As previously suggested make lovely garden path access from the new front gate which would be to the left side of the picket fence, , Run another courtyard fence off the garage so that you can plant this area and include a clothes line, this now the rear entrance to the house. At the end of the new pathway to the lane side of the house, extend the deck and add stairs so that you come from the pathway up onto the deck on the old carport side. All that parking drive way parking space could be a lovely out door area. Paint the garage doors and gutters on both buildings grey to match your roof.Use a fence similar to this with a gate at the front and between the neighbours to the left. cheers,

I love that you're looking to invest in restoring it. I initially would have wondered whether there's still risk of it being bought by developers when you put it on the market again as they may retain the existing home to appease the heritage overlay but build others on the large block, especially if the area if growing in demand. In that case I would recommend keeping it simple, retaining cladding, just doing cosmetic changes plus fresh but inexpensive kitchen & bathroom. However, after reading your follow-up post, it sounds like you're actually going to be doing a lot with it and the integrity & heritage of the home is important to you, so I would do it well to attract a premium buyer, pricing it out of developers' budgets. In that case, avoid aluminium windows - even the more traditional style ones don't look quite right. And windows make such a statement visually so I think it would be ideal to invest in original style ones. My mum just did a renovation on a 1920s Tudor home and the windows that had to be replaced she ended up getting cheaper custom made by a local joinery than by the big Stegbars etc, but she did shop around. Alternatively there are building materials vendors/recyclers that could have good original windows, or even demolition homes listed on gumtree can come up with some great finds providing you're happy to remove yourself. And you need quite a few, I wouldn't worry about not having them identical from room to room which may be an issue finding so many matching, provided all your trims are painted say in a fresh white, they should tie in nicely together. And again, I was originally going to suggest keeping the cladding if you're doing a simple renovate to sell, however seeing all the work you're doing to the rest of the house, I'd be tempted to remove it and uncover the weather boards beneath. A once beautiful double-fronted Victorian house near me (unlike yours it was a complete dump - holes in the floor, had been derelict...) with vinyl cladding was sold last year and the new owners have removed the cladding and there was beautiful and very well preserved brick-pattern weatherboard underneath (I can't remember the name of it, it may not be common in your region). So you could have well preserved weather boards underneath. And if not, if you're both handy (and have trade friends) it is fairly straightforward and relatively inexpensive to replace them. And with your extension you'd want the weatherboards to all tie in too. It may also be easier and cheaper with wiring and insulation/sisalation too? And lastly, just make sure there's lots of light coming into that central lounge room from the adjacent rooms. Those features are amazing! Good luck! I'd love to see the progress photos!

" It is sooo tricky to get the balance right between modern and sympathetic to 70's." 100%, and if this stuff was easy, us Pro's wouldn't have a job ;) It's always ALL about balance, and when it comes to questions of what to do to existing dwellings it's probably just as much about what you don't do. You need to get the scaling , articulation and detail right. You don't want to do something that looks tacked on and incongruent with the existing. If you are extending a deck to the side on an upper level you'll need to take into consideration potential overlooking to neighbouring private space. We're currently working on a similar upper level deck extension to an existing 70's dwelling, and what we've done is use a combination of different balustrade materials (charcoal random depth timber battening & frameless glass) to simultaneously control the overlooking, focus the outlook, and achieve a balanced complimentary design. It depends on what the deck is for, is it for private use or are you trying to gain access to a view? These things will all influence the design. Budget of course will also influence what you do. The design solution ultimately should begin with responding to the function first and foremost, and then what it actually looks like will (should) naturally spring from this in conjunction with a sensitive response in balance with the existing & with consideration of your budget constraint Good luck! PD www.pauldistefanodesign.com