Oh wow! Thank you all for your input!!!! So thankful!!! It's great that you've come up with the downstairs living space becoming a bedroom - my husband and I had been discussing that! Been trying to decide whether to make it a fourth bed or a rumpus for the kids so all their toys (and them and their friends) are out of sight! Just to help with the questions asked CP and OKLouise, we've got two primary school kids 6 & 10. The house is west facing (there is a car port and drive at the front of the house where the beds are). So the most light will come in on the right hand side of the house where the longest lounge wall is I think? We also live in Melbourne. We do have interstate and overseas visitors occassionally so it is good to have a space we can put guests! I also work from home so thinking how I could sneak a study nook in somewhere...! Siriuskey I really appreciate your help and it's helped confirm some of the ideas I was thinking - I'm def keen to join the ensuite and toilet and fab you thought the same!! It has really helped clarify my thoughts on that (I'm thinking if I can try and get an extra small wardrobe in main bed somehow too by absorbing the spaces). I LOVE the open plan area how you've done that and put in a pantry. I also like where you've put the kitchen island. It's given me some great ideas to work with and I'm very thankful for your time! What package did you use to play with the floor plan - I should have a play too! One of the downfalls of the house is the garden is at the back (beyond the living room) but it's very small. A ten year plan (if we win lotto) would be to build up a level and try to reclaim some garden. Let me know if you have any other questions...

Hi Renai - its great to see you so excited about starting your house plans! It is an exciting time for clients, and a designer will be able to follow your instructions and draw this for you, however I would encourage you to pause at this point, as the plan has a slightly internal feel, and the following suggestions should help; 1. The lounge does face north however on the narrow dimension, and underneath a 2m deep balcony, with diagonal views to the reserve blocked by both the garage and the study.... rework this so the north light and views aren't blocked and open up a little through the rest of the house.... 2. The dining area is very internal - I would encourage you to relocate this, always try to avoid internal spaces. The living room window is south-facing near the boundary and light to it's west-facing doors is blocked by an alfresco (the kitchen windows are also covered by a patio). South-facing rooms drain energy bills - although not as hot in summer, they feel cold in winter and never get the 'joy' that a little direct sunshine brings into your home during the day. 3. The 'indoor-outdoor' connections could be improved 4. Consider your plan as a good starting point for the 'zones' that you have created - a master-suite zone +study, a formal lounge zone, an informal kitchen/living/dining zone and a bedroom 2 & 3 zone. Take these to your designer and brainstorm together. An L-Shape or even 2-storey design could work, and check out some of the volume or pre-fab house-builder plans for ideas which will improve solar orientation in an affordable way. Some links; http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/orientation https://www.rawsonhomes.com.au/homes/Brookfield/floorplans -(this one very close to your original plan - just a few teaks needed for the study) https://www.pinterest.com.au/explore/l-shaped-house-plans/?lp=true -(just for some ideas to better connect to the garden..) metricon for floor plan ideas (although many have internal rooms and deep alfescos that block the light!) https://modscape.com.au/blog/creating-sustainable-home-passive-design/  Good Luck with your project Renai.

siriuskey, Yes, the courtyard is open to the sky (no roof over it), I assume this is what you mean by double story. Ref. below photos, I would love to get this look, especially the first and last photo, where you can see family living space from the first floor. I can't achieve this in my plan as it eats a lot of floor space upstairs. The referred plan (photos) has a very big void combining staircase, hallway and dining area. I know it is not easy with cooling and heating when you have such a big void. So, I explored a few ideas (with my limited knowledge on this topic) before achieving the current floorplan. I have also thought about, in my current plan, extending the void on the staircase to the dining area (it is more like L shape) but i wasn't sure if that makes any difference. keen to hear your thoughts.

anything is possible with enough money but with such a modest budget you might achieve the new bathroom and kitchen OR the extension but it would be difficult to achieve both at the same time but you haven't answered the questions??? what is the distance from the house to the back fence, what are all the floors, walls and roof built out of (ie inside and outside walls, concrete slab on ground, or is it a timber floor with crawl space underneath the house?? and NB where is north? ...what is the shape of the roof (hip or gable tiled roof or??) ...do you have an aerial photo of the roof like Google earth??...extending over the retaining wall shouldn't be a problem with proper cosntruction and there isn't anywhere else to go without losing the best outdoor area that has easy access to inside...the extra lengths of pipe isn't the biggest cost of new plumbing and a ventilating skylight will make a great light source for an internal bathroom...