Hi siriuskey I apologise for not replying to you earlier but I have been reviewing your last plan over and over wanting to use the layout of the kitchen but concerned about the other changes. My main concern was the wiw/laundry area and the loss of a room, either the study or bed 4. But the idea gave me food for thought and I have been trying to work out a solution. Where there’s a will there’s a way! I can see exactly what you mean about having the Butler’s Pantry in front of the window which was a major concern of mine even though I thought the servery was a really good idea. Thank-you for taking the time to point this out …and in such depth which would’ve been very time consuming for you! I must admit it was a surprise to see the kitchen placement in your last layout. I would never ever have thought about doing that but loved the idea! I have tweaked the plans a little by simplifying some of the changes and adding a few of my original ideas and I think I have come up with a solution. I will be very interested on your thoughts! I placed the existing furniture (to size) into each of the rooms to see how it works with the new layout. Oh… and I love your suggestion about being able use the dining/family rooms as either! I have also left the wall between the family room and lounge to see how it works before removing it completely but opened it up with double doors allowing entry from the front door to the main area...and a view of the fireplace is always welcoming. It’s a great idea for a toilet and shower to service the pool area under the deck downstairs…I think that would work as there’s no limestone there (and no we’re not in SA) but I’II look at that once I get organised with these plans! Thank-you again for your time and help…your feedback on my ‘tweaking’ would be greatly appreciated!

Yep, it sure adds up doesn't it! It's a lot of money for perhaps not an equivalent amount of value gain. But it's not necessarily the builder's fault or issue here. Their pricing here is not surprising, but to clarify not sure how you can isolate the kitchen or what exactly does 30K mean? Is it joinery only, is it including fittings? Is the balcony upper or main level. The question is, is this actually the best way to spend your money? Considering how much you're spending, should you be considering getting proper value for the money and getting more for your money with potentially a different design?. Are you happy with the design? It's going to be super? Is it worth $400K to you for what you're going to get? If the answer's no then a design rethink is possibly in order. Where are you at in the design/doc process? have you used a drafty, designer, architect to help you with the process? What people often get quite wrong with renovation projects is the distribution of budget in regards to HOW it's being spent (you WILL spend it one way or the other), and it always comes back to the design/layout as to how well or not it's spent. Really need to see actual plans to be able to assess and comment further with more accuracy otherwise just speculating on in all. Depending upon your finishing decisions this sort if thing could easily nudge the $450K mark.

HI All - for some reason my lengthy reply a few minutes ago was deleted :-(. I put so much thought into it! So here it goes again. Basically a big thank you to you Houzzers. MB your subfloor ventilation sounds great and Im glad it's fixing the problem so simply. The reason why Im trying for a whirligig solution is that I favour a passive system, however if it doesn't work I'll look into what you suggest Siriuskey - yes to some kind of kit. I've already contacted a guy on Gumtree selling grannykit frames - he says for something to my specifications would be about $4000 for the steel frame alone. Would need to check engineering details - and the liveable sheds you've linked me to seem to have that all checked. Although getting a local Chippie to frame it all up on site - as Twos Co suggests - is probably the most economical option Two's Co - thanks for the feedback and the excellent checklist of processes. I've covered most of the concerns though - I've got the DA based on my own flimsy plans. Because it's relatively small, I was going to work with the builder directly and over-engineer it. I've since engaged an architect to do some handsketches and draft specs, which will be signed off by a structural engineer. It's basically a portal frame independent structure, with a 3 degree pitch skillion roof. The house was rewired and the wires you can see are non-live looms waiting for the extension! The sewer is not connected and that part was never plumbed in. There's good rear lane access, but for the purposes of getting concrete in, I'll most likely get a concrete pump from the front of the house - for $180 per hour they will save time and make the concreting much easier. The existing trench I got dug in because I had an excavator on site installing those lovely large concrete blocks you can see, for the retaining wall (500kg each). But that was 7 weeks ago, and the excavation has got too large, and I worked out for a very similar cost I can make the extension 1m wider, so why not. The existing trench I can fill in with the demolition rubble, compact, and filled with any fill waste. Two's Company, I'm on the fence about removing the existing Bedroom 3. If I thought it wouldn't add to the costs too much, I'd do it. One advantage is that I could then make the whole 9m long extension (Option 2) around 150 - 300mm higher, (ie a step up from the existing house) and thus avoid too much excavation and a potential pond. To answer your question about damp and moisture, the whole house is facing a hill with 7 degree slope, and fixing this has been the main aim of the retaining wall, however the runoff is only likely to increase in coming years. anyway here are a few photos. The site is still so messy because the demolition only happened 2 days ago - Im still tidying up....

Depending on money, I would move the kitchen to the rumpus room, make it L-shape, along back wall & laundry wall, There should be space for a decent sized island bench running north-south. The west wall could be windows, bi-folds, sliding doors etc. A pergola/undercover area would help with the sun & could be opened to kitchen/family room. I would also make the bar a walk-in linen cupboard.