And in the storms last week, we had a 24 hour blackout!! I'm with wuff - just how simple is simple. I think there is quite a bit of difference between labour saving devices and technology now. Labour saving devices became more and more essential as our lives got busier, women were freed from the drudgery of housework and given encouragement and the freedom to grow, seek out careers and a life outside the home. In many ways, I feel technology is putting us back in our homes and not encouraging us to explore the outside world. We are letting too much technology take over our lives and we are not interacting with people like we did in the old days. The other disadvantage with technology is its continual need to be updated and upgraded which can not only be expensive but also requires constant learning. Take TVs for example - in the olden days you bought a set plugged it in and that was it, now they have to be specially installed and set up and for the average person to know how to do this and understand it is not easy. Older people are being disadvantaged by all this technology too, they were not raised with it like the young ones today so it is constant learning, even learning a whole new language, and quite frankly there comes a time in life when head space just reaches saturation point.

Hi Deb, There are a couple of things I have noticed that could be resolved. 1. The separate toilet/powder room is quite a distance from the living room for guest to visit. I'd be inclined to shuffle the laundry, mud room and toilet around to bring it closer to the gallery but still have the door from the hallway, for privacy. 2. You have a lot of hallway in the main wing which is costly for no benefit. Also you enter the master bedroom through your robe, which I don't think is ideal. I'd look at one of two options for room arrangements and lose the hallway around the current meals room. Option A - Put the study where the butlers pantry is with a window to the view. Put the meals room where the study is with the corner opening up to the living room. Put the butlers pantry on the south east wall beside the meals room with the kitchen in front of it to the living room. Create a small lobby to the master bedroom off the side of the kitchen. The lobby will give it privacy and if you need to save some space, use cavity sliders to avoid too many swinging doors clashing. Option B - Leave the kitchen and butlers pantry as it is but add a small window into the pantry from outside. Any light is good. Switch the meals room and study and delete the hallway between. This will give more space. Use this to again create a small lobby, this time accessing both the master bedroom and the study from the living room. The extra space can also be added to make a full dressing room rather than just a wardrobe. In both of these options there is a less direct connection with the living and meals room but as you have a full wall between them currently, if you detail the doors to the meals room well, you can still open it up the the living room nicely. These suggestions will free up 10-15 sq. m which you can either put to better use or reduce the size and therefore cost of the house. Good luck. Christine.

Plaster shrinks as it dries , but it's more complex than that -- plaster is a mix of cement and lime and other materials , often fine sand etc , so it soaks up water when its mixed , but even the mix ( the recipe ) will alter , and a good plasterer can make different mixes to suit . Even the thickness affects it -- the thicker you trowel on the plaster , the more prone to shrinkage it is . I agree with dreamer -- get the tradie back , but I suspect the plasterer is the problem , so it depends if that is the same person as the drywall fixer ( it often isn't ) . Just don't put up with getting a run around .

Hi im looking at getting a second hand insinkerator , what brands should I look at ? Is there different motors sizes ? What should I stay clear off ,any special features I should look for Thanks