Hi there I thought I would jump in here a touch as you are on the right track but there are some glaring points that need to be cleared up for you before you go and purchase flooring. Laminate flooring is a Hi Def image of Timber flooring/oak/Natural Species etc and then transposed using a heat method to a MDF or HDF core, then profiled with a click system for ease of installation, maintenance relocation and repair. Good laminate flooring (Quikstep or Krono Swiss) can be very rewarding , look very much like natural timber, and be very durable against scratching and indentation. Laminates nemesis is high saturation of water or moisture. Good e budget solution for all living areas and rooms except toilets bathroom or laundrys. Engineered boards are a veneer of Natural timber and are just as durable as the solid version of whatever species you choose. Whether that be Spotted Gum, Jarrah or Oak. Sorry but you CAN re sand engineered boards. When re sanding occurs through a professional sander, the top .5mm is the depth of the product that you generally ever really need to remove. Some engineered flooring has a 6mm wear layer/ veneer and that's more than if you purchased a solid 19mm raw timber floor. Engineered boards are less likely "cup"(edge of the boards rising so that you can see a little lip) than a solid. We would recommend that if you are considering a timber floor please consult a retailer that only handles timber and specializes in that medium. Hope this helped

Yes laminex and polytech are both brands. no polytech don't offer more..... LAMINEX DO have patterned or profiled doors you mentioned, they have vinyl, painted, veneer and timbers! And definately a bigger range. Both have laminate, however LAMINEX have a larger range. I think you were confusing laminate which is a product with laminex which is the brand. They also offer thermo formed, or vacuum sealed doors known as vi yl wrap, laminex also offer painted two pack door, crystal gloss which is a laminate door that has a polyurethane lacquer coating, giving it the highest possible gloss coating over a solid co"our, woodgrains or patterns, they also do natural and reconstructed veneers, solid timber, aluminium framed etc. In laminate, which is a LPL, low pressure laminate, they also have 'impressions' which is their textured range, making woodgrains more realistic, polyptych also offer some in their laminate range with finishes called nuance for example. HPL laminate is high pressure, and has a different coating so it's used for Benchtops which require more durability. It can also be sued to ha d laminate or apply laminate in sheet form to custom made shapes or cabinets such as commercial fit outs. Under any brand, laminate is the cheapest door. Laminex has a far bigger product and co,our range, both are made in Australia meeting our standards, however some cheaper imrted ones tend to peel or fade, here they won't. With laminate doors the material is a paper based product, built up with coated layers of resin mKing it durable, and a surface we know that is moisture repel ant. Melamine is also but less durable, and generally we use it internally as carcass material, often white you can also have co.our, but laminate goes onestep further and is better for doors. Edging can be in 1mm, 2mm abs which is like a PVC acrylic and is tough to prevent chips or peeling from the door. Laminate will only offer a flat door- many colours and edge choices, abs edging can be matched, contrasted, metal look or ply look, so many to choose makingn your door stand out. Laminex the brand offer soft form doors with rounded edges to sides, so only top and bottom need edging, better if you are using whites or light so you don't see a joint line. The most affordable and durable door type! Vinyl wrap or thermo formed doors have profiles, meaning shapes to them, they also have no edging material as they are literally wrapped arpund an mdf door. They are slightly dearer or this reason. Both companies, and many more offer their own range of door profiles to choose from, also accessories like capping moulds etc, so this can decide who you buy from! Then there's crysta gloss, aluminum doors etc Timber veneers price up nect, they have an extensive re age offering nautural veneers such as traditional hardwood timbers, like blackwood, jarrah etc, but also exotic veneers like sassafras, zebranos, and oaks, so much more. Then theres reconstructed, manufactured to provide contemporary colours and finishes, often not requiring lacquers like naturals do. These reconstructed veneers have to have doors made from them, whereas most companies offer ready made veneer doors aswell ad solid timber too. Again offering profiles. Laminex too offer mdf doors wi profiles both flag and patterned for painting, they have a ready made painted range with colour choices made. All in all, laminate is a flat door, laminex the brand offer more than any other in Australia and are worldwide, they lead innovation and technology, and lead colour directions and trends. They may be slightly dearer, but back their product ad do I. I am a designer, mainly across interior fit outs mostly Focusing on joinery so kitchens etc are a specialty of mine.

Hi Adelaide again - been giving more thought to my suggestions and they are not going to work. For some reason I just can't get my head around metric sized rooms, I have to convert back to the old imperial. So assuming you are going to build up the alfresco area to make it a walk out from the house, look at taking that right across the rear of the house. With the master bedroom I was looking at walking into a hallway with a walk-in wardrobe opening off it but you will basically want the whole 3rd bedroom to achieve a decent sized wardrobe and give you maximum storage. I'd have the ensuite where the void area is, which basically leaves you the laundry for the bedroom - way to small. However if you were to extend the bedroom across the alfresco area, this would give a great sized room, with large windows looking across the back garden and doors opening out to the alfresco area. I'd then extend the house and the alfresco area to the end of the Activity room, slide the family room to that end and put the laundry in at the void end, which could be accessed from the outside or from the family room, whatever suits. This also has the advantage of keeping all your plumbing together except for the kitchen. Don't think about excavating, it can cause massive water problems. No matter how much you might add drainage, or seal the structure, there always seems to be those on in a hundred year events that can cause unexpected flooding. Water problems have to be the worst nightmare.

Hi monicafowler96 There are pros and cons for either a solid hardwood timber flooring or a quality engineered flooring. Solid will give you a longer life span with more times it can be sanded and refinished but ususally more expensive to lay and finish in the desired finish. A roasted solid timber is a good option if you want a dark floor- also makes it harder and colour penetrates right through. Make sure the timber is acclimatised before laying to minimise movement (shrinkage and expansion) or cupping can occur. A quality engineered flooring with a thick wear layer is often chosen because it still gives you 2-3 sands. It comes prefinished so it's cost effective. Some are smoked so any scratches are minimal in appearance. Check out the Venture plank range from Havwoods for a product with a thick wear layer. https://www.havwoods.com.au/flooringsearch/engineered-timber-flooring/venture-plank Stay away from any of the thin or mdf backed products. Arena Venture plank pictured above Just a further thought- make sure you have alot of natural light if you want a very dark floor and they do require more cleaning as they show the dust. Best wishes