HU, I've replied to old posts, sometimes the related questions that appear can be confusing and the date can be overlooked, it happens, I think many of us have done it, so don't worry about it. Thing is, if the original poster is no longer following and if other people looking for inspo are more likely to get advice by starting a question of their own than getting lost in an old discussion and if people willing to reply waste time reading through before noticing the question is 7 years old, and it brings it back to the first page making it more likely more people will mistake it for a recent discussion, I'm not sure how productive any of that is, so I appreciate the 'old post' advisory, and in that spirit since I've now added to the conversation I'll draw to others' attention that this is an OLD POST

We are ploughing our way through renovating a house of the same era, it's a lovely home to live in with it's walls of boards and pressed metal ceilings, we have kept it, where possible, as it was built over a hundred years ago in1898. These houses have very little storage as people of those days didn't have much and I sometimes wonder why we do today. We still have a way to go but the light is at the end of the tunnel and this dear old house wraps it's arms around us each day and those of you that have never lived in a wooden house have missed one of life's great pleasures.

Hi I Lesslie, What a lovely place to make your own (and bring up your kids, work, garden…). The best way forward for you and your family is to jot down what you love and what you don’t love about your existing home and land (site). This can vary between individuals. Your list should include aspects like the leaky bathroom, as well as particular rooms being ‘too dark’. Don’t forget the wonderful features such as a particular view to the garden (or hills beyond), enough lawn to kick a footy, and so on. Now transform these into two ordered lists: the first list being the things you love about your home and your site (list in priority order); the other list is for the items that need changing for functional or aesthetic reasons (also in priority order). Next, write down what your short term and long term needs are for your home: do you intend to live there until the day you die, or just while the kids are at school?; are you intending to continue to work from home?. Now, to think about how you imagine you’d like to live, work and exist as a family. Forget for the moment your current home scenario. Write down the types of rooms/space you need (as distinct from ‘want’). List the aspects of living you enjoy, such as family gatherings, friends visiting overnight, and son on. What about your work from home requirements: do you need a space separate from the living (kids zone) to make telephone calls, concentrate? And how big should this space be (occasional staff)? After much soul searching, you will have what we call a “Functional Brief”, bringing together the pro’s and con’s of your project, your long term plan and your wish list. This should now become your ‘go to’ document that sets the agenda for your renovation project. If an idea is not on your list, don’t go there! There is another benefit of creating your Functional Brief. Whilst creating and editing these documents you will become more attuned with the worth (benefits) of each component. For every project there needs to be a budget – and your budget will assist in prioritising what is most important to you (the tighter the budget, the greater the need to prioritise). Your next step is to take your Functional Brief and your budget to a suitably qualified architect. An experienced architect should be able to transform your Functional Brief and your budget into a project – a renovation project that is specific to you, your family, your site, your budget and your future. Best of luck, Cathi

I'm not arguing haha -- we can see it is an improvement , it just seems that every before photo has the lights off ( and yes CP , a lot have unwashed dishes etc ) and the after photo has every light on . They may all be honest mistakes , but we all understand about staging . I have sold cars of mine on-line -- I've taken photos on a sunny day , washed and waxed , parked by the lake with a couple of palm trees -- they generally sell quicker than some taken on a cloudy day parked in the garage with ladders and lawnmowers and the dented door I replaced in the background , likewise a car interior with 2 months of fast food wrappers , 2 sets of squash clothes and 24 empty bourbon cans isn't a great look ! Real estate agents do it all the time too of course , and those weight loss ads are hilarious -- the frumpy clothes and no make-up amazingly changes to a full tan , new hair style , $500 of professional make-up , and super on-trend clothes !