Well, I guess you first need to think what you really want to use the space for. Will it be your main TV viewing area? (If so, I'd cosy it up with a big rug first). It's a shame to use it as a TV area though, since that means blocking off the sliding doors with furniture. I'm guessing at the moment you don't need as a little kids play area or teenagers homework area - but how about a home office, or even gym/workout area? (There's a great article on Houzz today about making smart home gym spaces: [https://www.houzz.com.au/magazine/step-up-your-workout-zone-with-10-simple-additions-stsetivw-vs~39722244[(https://www.houzz.com.au/magazine/step-up-your-workout-zone-with-10-simple-additions-stsetivw-vs~39722244).) Or, given, the sliding doors and tiles, how about a conservatory? An indoor herb garden, with some orchids, ferns and maybe even a small palm? Do you have a craft or hobby that could use a dedicated area? I'm thinking artistic types would love to turn the space into a mini studio - or I could let the person with whom I share my life play with his car parts there . . . (tiles! easy to clean up!) Of course, whichever option you choose for the space, I'd keep the cat climbing frame and snuggle-pod!

My $0.02 - in NSW designers are NOT registered or accredited, beware. All architects are nationally accredited. I suggest that there are a lot of things you can do yourself before you start - get a proper survey of your block, ensure that you get them to provide angles for anything that isn't square....understand if there are utilities like sewer pipes which will affect your setbacks or useable space...... Go online and workout the sun angles for your longitude and latitude helpful for solar and overall layouts. West facing picture windows are not the best. Some of the solar firms have online calculators which help to do this. Read the local council rules and understand them, apply them to your survey and your design ideas....including if you are a corner block and if you want to go two storey...... If it is still a 'go' Get all of the heritage, flood, fire etc checks done by council - around $150 depending on council........ Eliminate or at least understand all the big constraints before you go any further........ Look again at the survey- any contour lines may cost you money, assume a cost of at least $2000 per sqm to start and do some layouts of your ideas on paper, add up all of the spaces, can you actually put them on your block? How much is the total?.......yes garages are slightly cheaper to build but still take up precious footprint space.... Is access likely to cause issues for trades, equipment and deliveries?......... Keep refining and updating the ideas and plans thinking about how you want to use the spaces and move around inside and out.....where are you putting the wheelie bins, clothes dryer etc..... Try the free to use BASIX site forms if you are in NSW, understand how the size, shading and orientation of windows affects your sustainability and adjust, this will also apply many of the local council rules as well..... Do you want a brick house, with render? A pole home, a kit build? A fast build insulated panel build? What type of roof?...... The more you have worked out for yourself the better, look at the kit home options, there are lots and some are very good... Everything is delivered and you just construct with the trades and some may have builders in your area.....The new InsulLiving Code Mark BCA approved options are also worth a look..... Anyway do all of that before you line up for the fleecing floor lol

Thank you for your questions. North is top of page. We’re in Brisbane Qld. Breezes come right side (bathroom, rumpus, Bed1). The western sun would hit the master room wall (without the deck) There would be a 1 mtr eave but we've considered more insulation to compensate. And yes good point about bathroom. It was newly renovated before we bought. It is definitely the “spanner in the works" as that's the best corner for breeze and sun. But moving would incur the additional cost of a new bathroom. (And also where to put it. Would require change of staircase) So it would have to be worth it. Any suggestions for alternatives? the alternative is double internal garage. But we’d have to extend out under the deck as it doesn’t leave much space so external double garage (as in pic) is prob more reasonable. That leaves us a a lot more room to play with down stairs. But no lock up garage security and storage. And yes council should allow. (6m carport) It’s quite common in this area, however we'd have to look at the details of sizing and suitability. We have 5.912mts from edge of deck to front boundary ( 7.812 from edge of house) I'll upload another set of plans with clear dimensions but FYI bed 1 & 2 are 3.6 x 3.6. And block is 10m frontage and 40.5 long.

it looks like the existing kitchen is an old extension and my suggestions without will depend on accurate dimensions and being able to remove some internal walls, add central ventilating skylights, extend at the front for a new master suite and study, reorganise the kitchen, convert the old ens to a more spacious shared bathroom, remove the external door from the laundry to allow for more counter space and careful demolition of the old front porch should provide some bricks, columns and roof tiles to attempt to match the old style with the new although such a big extension will need more roof tiles so you could replace the carport roof with steel and use the roof tiles on the house and use steel roofing on the bay window to match the carport, a combination of recycled bricks and render for the new walls and recycle the old front window into the new master bedroom ... there appears to be enough space for the extension with a 4-5m setback although the internal renovation would be more complex than the extension the combination would make a much more generous home