(Assuming the exterior cladding is a weatherboard/timber cladding of some description.) Taking it a step further, if you like the timber look but don't want too much maintenance, I'd recommend a timber batten soffit lining similar to the image attached. Although i cant find my preferred image at the moment the detail is definitely a point of difference if painted in a dark grey/charcoal on a white house. It really emphasises the depth of the eave and creates another texture without completing with what you have. Regards, Peita De Trizio

Love the choice of kitchen - shaker style! I have that style myself and I love it. An interior designer definitely will be able to help you with design and configuration, colour scheme etc. Just letting you know, we had to put 5 structural beams in our ceiling for support and the cost blew us away, it is a very expensive exercise. You'll need an engineer to draw these up. Your draftsman will know of an engineer. Also, as a rule you have to allow for budget blowout. Everyone who has ever done a renovation will tell you. Once you start on the journey, you're emotionally involved and you want it all to be right, and you always add on more changes as you go along. It might be worth pricing things from your kitchen to floorboards to fixtures and fittings, ovens, fridges, lighting choices etc and then draw up your own costings. Builders generally don't do costings, they allow a budget for certain things, like $5 a handle, but then if you choose a $7 handle, then you get hit with a bill at the end of the job with all the extra costs. Make sure you know what the builder has allowed for when it comes to the kitchen, fixtures and fittings etc. I also agree with the others, the oven is too tight in that spot. I would swap that with the sink and put the sink in the island. Hope this is helpful. Good luck with it all, it's very exciting!

Matt, define your specific requirements, then people can assist with advice as to how to potentially achieve those requirements....honestly, the sky's the limit, what you need to define at the start is (a) what you want (b) how much you want to spend. Then you can start to nut out the how ......I'm always conscious of and advise to ensure you achieve net overall gains/value adding, with any decision so knocking down walls may be a gain on opening up, but you may reduce spatial flexibility/zoning.....if you build in a garage to gain a bedroom or extra living, what affect would this hypothetically have on property value? Is that important to you or not? You get clear on this stuff & why you need to either change or add something, then the answers become relatively straightforward. Everyone and anyone can throw ideas at you, but ultimately the reasons why you build, renovate, extend or whatever should originate from the owner(s)/client...and ultimately the answers one way or the other will be primarily controlled/influenced by budget. Sorry if that's both vague and probing, but believe me this is key to and at the heart of any type of project :) PD

Are you wanting summer or winter protection for the inside of your home. Depending where you live in Australia, north facing windows in winter are the best and let the winter sun into the inside. Have you looked at roller shutters. You can close them down completely or part of the way depending what the weather is like. It is always better to have any protection from the elements on the outside of the home, because once the windows heat up or cool down, you can not change that. Do you need rain cover for your home or just window coverage.?