Excellent responses people! All those great house design ideas that I never thought of. Pity I got nuthin', but a few other design masterpieces....video....the space shuttle......the apple macintosh...the cellphone, but never mind all that...leg warmers and MacGyver, woohoo. Or perhaps..... Metallica, Kill 'em All. Oh yes please.

There's a pre finished product called DecoWood, aluminium substrate with a wood look finish. This is from the web... The advantages of using DecoWood™ cladding instead of timber include: Easy installation: aluminium is lighter than timber and therefore easier to manoeuvre in the installation process Low Maintenance: aluminium never requires painting or staining like timber does, saving time and money Durability: DecoWood™ aluminium is more durable and dimensionally stable than timber meaning no warping, twisting, splitting or rotting like timber. Plus, it won’t need to be replaced as often. DecoWood™ is a powder coated wood grain finish based on photographic images of real timber. It has been tested for its durability in international extreme exposure locations where intense UV radiation, salt spray and industrial pollutants combine to create the worst possible conditions, and complies with all relevant Australian and international standards.

What is on the second floor?. Is this a slab on ground? Is the kitchen dining on a lower level, is this a built in verandah? Depending on if this is a slab on ground or raised off ground so that plumbing can easily be done, i would take out the laundry, just leave fireplace, maybe make that two way fireplace, wood or gas, and have dining here, which would open up that funny sitting room to this dining space and provide kids play area with build in window seats and the like. Does anyone really use formal dining now? build in the gap from sitting to front room, maybe even stealing a bit of space for storage. I would enclose that room next to entry to the study as most studies nowadays do not have to be massive spaces, unless clients are involved, that would make it quite place. With the storage space taken out for the dining play area, this would still be big enough for most. I would remove the existing study wall or at least open it up if structural to have the butlers pantry one side laundry the other with a gallery kitchen in front. Making the remainder the living space. Depending on budget i would raise the floor so that all this space is on one level. Depending on what the floor is or how many finishes you have i would make sure they are all the same. New timber floor, or new tiled floor, or carpet, what ever you like. If the terrace is then too low it might be able to be lifted simply to meet this new level. I would remove the hall cupboards to give more space to the living area and provide a wall with door if you like into the lounge room and guest suite from entry and then make the bedroom bathroom hall more private so that anyone staying will have a master suite, entry off entry, while family could still use the facilities. I think most people could cope with 3 entries off the entry, and the living door could be left open so that visually it can be seen as you enter the house, or if privacy is required, now that the hall cupboards are removed the entry to the living could be shifted down. If the laundry and garage were a bit bigger i would suggest a double garage, but they are too small. To keep the kitchen and dining in their current space would be one mistake after the other, unless you are overlooking some amazing views. Ros

Nice result and a very hard choice between the 2! For those who are interested, you do need to have a handrail that runs the whole length of the flight. We have vertical brushed aluminium rods on the steps that start from the 5th tread (to keep a sense of openness) but needed a wall rail as well. We chose the rod option over glass for something different and with far less maintenance. I think it all comes down to individual taste and what's important to you in terms of overall design