PET PEEVE: INDOOR BAREFOOTERS NEWSFLASH: It is a plainly observable though controversial fact, to me at least, that very few people keep their indoor floors pristine enough for barefoot traffic. However, that does not seem to stop the oh-so-carefree, INDOOR BAREFOOTERS from taking their grubby, 'floor-feet' on little excursions upon coffee tables, chairs, couches and beds, etc. YUCK! Imagine seating yourself upon someone's couch and making the mistake of placing your hand beside you ON the couch, or forward upon the coffee table, only to feel an icky graininess...or stickiness? So, then you're stuck with continuous hand-washing throughout your visit because THEY could not be bothered to keep their 'floor-feet' off anything....their home being their slovenly castle and all. The YUCK factor and the politics which invariably follow my well-meaning interventions, (I'm an idealist), makes me an irritable, reluctant guest. Which ironically, never seems to stave off the invitations (sigh)! But, it also makes me a tyrannical host: "feet off my settee, Jerri! Not on my mid-century coffee table! No! Your white socks are no longer white, Jade! Aaargh!" WORSE YET, these oblivious INDOOR BAREFOOTERS tend to then touch and scratch their grubby 'floor-feet' while chatting, and touching their faces, fixing a meal or eating something...OR, shaking my hand. Oh, the humani-...'hygienity!' I feel ill!!! Yes, yes, I know that I'm whining AND yes, I know that there are worse things in the world: children suffering in Africa etc., but now that you mention it, even THEY tend to wash their feet BEFORE placing them on furniture! Maybe because they value the little they have. I know this from firsthand experience!! SIMPLE SOLUTION: Indoor shoes! Outdoor Shoes! And, when you place your feet upon anything slip OFF your shoes to reveal your lovely clean feet, which will appreciate the pristine lack of graininess from your last considerate visit. Anklet and pedicure but...floor-feet!!

Lovely area! You have done a great job! Just a thought i would have put decking to one side and only had one side with stone and plants as putting the decking in the middle looks like a runway. Just my opinion. Black stone would look great instead of white. And painting the back bricks would have been better with a darker colour to make timber "pop" like the colour of your fence or black like the posts. Loving your ideas and transformation is fantastic!

Hi again CLP. I don't call myself a "Pro" but I do have my own company purchasing, renovating and selling or renting properties as well as designing for other clients. I have an architect and builder whom I have worked with for years and we pretty much have a lot of things down pat by now. I also don't like to be a naysayer on other peoples work, but with Two's Company's ideas just be aware, and picture in your head, that you will have to keep the door to the WIR permanently closed. That, or be looking into your wardrobe all the time. Also, there is no door to close from the WIR/bedroom. Again, you'll be looking into your wardrobe all the time and if someone is in there with the lights on while another is trying to sleep????? Nope. The other way also allows for someone to walk between the ensuite and WIR without disturbing the person in bed. It may be fine for you now, but what happens if one of you takes on night shift, or one of you has a baby to get up to in the night, or one on you is sick all night and the other has to work the next day?????? You also lose valuable wall space for shelves or drawers with that design (3 walls) Swinging doors need space to open out and with the placement of the door to the ensuite, the wall behind one of them becomes unusable unless you walk in, close the door, then go into the ensuite. Cavity sliders give you clean wall space for freestanding cabinets and you can suspend rods from roof rafters for your shelves with hanging rails on them instead of fixing to wall studs. The comment about not looking at the side of the bed is valid, however if the 'suite' door is moved down as I suggested, the bed, and bedroom, will only be seen by someone standing directly in that alcove/hall area and facing the room! We all have different ways of living and seeing a design on paper can look really good...........but you need to see it in your head. Picture yourself living in and using the space. If need be, set up boxes to something approximating the design and actually walk through it. Good luck!

Thank you both very much. You've both put a lot of thought and effort into this, its much appreciated! Its definitely opened up my thoughts and ideas on the space! Its definitely not as daunting as I was thinking and it is do-able! When you look at it everyday you get a bit stuck. I guess I need to weigh up making that study space smaller. It then makes the house technically 3B 2B. But I'm going to have to compromise somewhere for this to work! Its nice to have something tangible and clear to show the builders, so thank you! I might start drawing up something that's a little of both, as I love aspects of both designs. :)