unless there's a good or bad view you wish to highlight or obscure the tall building casts a much longer shadow which can be quite unpleasant in cold weather my suggestion would be to drop the floor with steps in the games room (with an observation "window" from the kitchen) while keeping the same roof shape for the games room and alfresco (the very high ceiling in the games room could make a loft for the kids) and then lower the roof for the bathroom and bedrooms OR if overshadowing is not a problem, change the hall windows to horizontal highlights to preserve privacy and maybe add a deck off bed 4 for an emergency exit

we've used rendered thick foam for one extension which looks great but the rendered painted surface is difficult to remove messages from low flying birds and can't hold standard screws and love the look of Colorbond steel (installed vertically doesn't hold so much dust) but our latest favourite is well insulated painted modern fibro with rounded timber cover strips over the joins and we love it ...has a nostalgic feeling reminiscent of grandma's fibro cottage and is cheap, quick and easy to install

Dear all, I am seeking input on what to do about the roof line of our planned extension, which I have posted about before. We are replacing an old 80s extension on our Federation villa, the house is in a historic part of our suburb and we are on a corner block so we need it to look good from the side street (the South). The local council likes to see a clear differentiation between the “old” and the “new” , but have advised that the use of different exterior materials and window styles for example would likely suffice, for example if the roof style is similar. Our building designer ‘s initial drawings connect the two sections of the building per the diagrams using a wide and deep 40 cm boxed gutter only 2m long each side of the joining roof - the joining roof is there to show the building as a long single structure, however it's not required for any structural purpose. We are not sure if we are happy with this look. ( I find rooflines etc hard to picture). An alternative might be having a flattish roofed section of say 1-2 m width connecting the two pitched sections , with parapet walls at either end, giving a clearer distinction between old and new. The areas under the flattish section in the room layout lend themselves to this approach perhaps. A simple extension of the front section roof backwards was rejected because the old villa roof is of the old style “box gutter in a large depression” type and we wouldn’t want to exacerbate that problem. Any thoughts appreciated, thankyou

The basic form is a bit clunky and fairly traditional. Unfortunately at this stage of construction it is probably too late to make any structural changes, and your windows have probably already been ordered. The huge two-storey columns and the wall lights give it a much more traditional feel. Your options will be limited to exterior materials and colours , so I would suggest you engage a designer with some flair who understands contemporary design and materials to see if it can end up being the house that you really want, rather than the house that you have compromised on. Best of luck with your changes, Regards Dr Retro House Calls