Just took another look. And another. I was looking at your plan upside down. Your laundry is fine, but I'm still sure it's the entrance. If you could move the barbeque and that bit of fence - to make the front entrance a feature I am sure that would make all the difference. Get out of your car and see what you walk into. Then make that entry the feature. I'd also maybe give the top of the carport roof a karcher or a coat of paint. Most people have two cars and they want them undercover. Maybe the carport could be extended to fit two cars. Maybe change the fence near the kitchen to make that the entrance. Then have a look and think what you would like the entrance to look like. I know one of the reasons my house sold was because the bedroom looked out onto beautiful garden. If you have enough room change all the beds to face the balcony and the views. People do lie on your beds. They also look in all your cupboards, even i the kitchen..The large chest of drawers in one of the bedrooms will make people think there isn't enough storage. It is a beautiful piece of furniture so ask your neighbours if they would look after it for a while. I had my house termite proofed before I sold. It's something the new people won't want to do. They always have a termite ispection before they buy so I did it for them. I took money off this new house because they hadn't kept up the termite control. I'm sure you have karchered your driveway if it's concrete. It does't take long and makes a incredible difference. Make sure all the lawns have whipper snipper edges. People don't want to spend their life mowing lawns, especially in such a beautiful position.. I lent a karcher to a friend of mine who had an enormous house but it wasn't selliing, it had been on the market at least six months.. Once they karchered all the concrete they sold the next week. It's true most buyers have no imagination so you have to do it for them. If there is something wrong - never, never mention it and people will not notice. I am i love with your house already so there must be something that turns people off. Do you give them feedback sheets on the things they like and do't like? It would be worth looking because position is everything and your house is superb.It may be price or it may be something you haven't noticed because you've been there so long. I hired bond cleaners and spent weeks in the garden making it neat make everything sparkle. This house is stunning but there are a few easy fixes. Look at photos of how pillows are arranged on the beds in magazines and copy them. There are no bedside tables. You can buy cheap ones at KMart - they are woven cane - buy white and buy cheap but good looking white lamps for each bedside table. The pictures in this house would drive me crazy. They need to be centred. The picture above the tv does't line up with the edges of the tv. It should be centred above the tv. The mid point of the painting should be around 60 inches to the middle of the painting. Just measure up 60 inches then measure the measure to the middle of the painting. The middle of the painting should be 60 inches up from the floor. The rule fro decorating is one, three or five, so rearrange your knicknacks in one, three or five. Take the red toaster out of the kitchen. It doesn't fit. Instead of painting you can buy cheap wall and floor steamers. I have a vac - around $140 and you can buy wall attachments. You'll be surprised how much gunk comes off the walls. They will make your paint look new and take away any smells. Smell is really important. I normally use jasmine or vanilla plug in smell. Turn them down so they don't overpower. Use the plug in ones as they are subtle.. Buy fresh flowers every week. People hate calling up to make a appt to see a house. Get an agent and have a open house every Saturday afternoon for at least 4 weeks, Auctioning is cheap. Think mine cost $180.00.If you have an Auction you don't have to sell, you set a minimum price and I decided mine during the Auction. When it went to the market I got a extra $15,000, but my house got a incredible price because two guys competed for status. One had never seen the house before. On the coach by the pool throw over a plain white cover and mix and match all the cushions outside. If the pergola wall is painted blue paint it white so it blends in. I decorated like you with blues but have changed to whites and greys. They always look fresh. The trick to making the bed smooth is to pull from opposite corners so the doonas look flat. Sight lines are everything. Walk through the house and look at your sight lines. Then blend a cushion or something of the same colour that matches to draw the house together. Your windows and floors need to sparkle. You can use a steam cleaner for the floors as well. Your wooden floors are beautiful. Leave them. Karcher all outside concrete. Karchers, smaller ones are cheap and make a world of difference. Take away the bottles of wine and plates on the tables. It's staged and no-one does it anymore.. Place fresh flowers there. Spray the rugs with a light mix of vinegar and water. It takes smoke smells away. Had to have another look but there are no pictures of the entrance to the house. The entrance sells a home. Fix it up. Put in chairs and make it look beautiful. If your front doors are shabby replace them. Don't go to Doors Plus like I stupidly did, but there are some great door manufacturers who don't TV advertise. Buy new door mats - the beautiful ones are around $60 - $80 dollars from HAUZZ , Frenchknot . Make sure they haven't got writing on them. I'm guessing they are not showing the front for for a reason. Fix it. Cut off any brown leaves in the garden. Have a look at similar photos through HAUZZ of the front of the house. There are some great inexpensive ideas for front porches, If the driveway is concrete karcher it. To sum up, karcher all concrete and bricks, Hang paintings so they line up. You can probably hire real pieces of art to match the house for not much for 4 weeks. Have a open house, go to Auction - you don't have to sell but it can start an ego bidding war. Boys wlll be boys. Your house is so beautiful it must be the front if there are no photos, I'm guessing. Entrances sell houses. It is such a beautiful house. Have an open house on the weekends. People who work are too busy to ring and ask for a inspection because the real estate agents are ALWAYS late.I worked and needed to be away a a certain time. After a while I gave up making appointments. It just made me furious and I may have bought if the agent had shown up early or on time. No-one wants to inspect at night. I love your house so it has to be something really simple that has stopped it from selling. I hope you were not offended because your house is so beautiful. Any person would love to live there. It's why I keep coming back and having another look. Maybe it is worth bringing in a stylist, because your house is so beautiful. The details are everything. And deewb said something that makes total sense. Most people won't buy just before a federal election. Just had a look at your photobook. Clutter - it must have hurt you downsizing the clutter. To be honest please hire a stylist. It will make all the difference to unclutter more and depersonalise.. I just looked at Realestate.com.au and your house is not listed. I guess it is't listed o Domain either. You have lost 75% of your buyers by not using these two sites. They are the sites every looks at. Most people don't look at one agents site, As soon as you can get out of using them as your sole property agents - ditch them. They haven't worked i your best interests.

I think I have gotten my head around everything , now I am definitely no designer but this whole design seems like it was done by someone stupider than me ! Downstairs you are going with 3 metre ceilings ( slightly higher than standard ) presumably to get an airier feel . Then you ( or your builder ) want a relatively narrow hallway ? Go slight luxury there IMO . The study has already been discussed , but one thing no-one mentioned was the 'slash' /bedroom 6 there -- a study with a bed ( even a single or bunks ) needs to be bigger . So surely the 'answer' is to make it bigger , push everything back until you get to the dining , and guess what -- yes , the split ceiling would not be a problem ! As Dr Retro says , turn the dining table around , make the alfresco a bit smaller . The alfresco has a ceiling -- it is under the roofline . You have lots of sliding doors . So the temperature and outdoor feel between the alfresco and the dining area is neglible -- I'd go for a bigger dining area any day ! In fact , even if you are BBQ nuts , you could presumably have the BBQ and even some seating 'outside' ( I tried to check the length but gave up , but I assume you have a back garden ) . But heres some other weird things . The garage almost certainly needs a window . Minor I know , but why not ? Then , without seeing an actual impression , the front seems weird . There looks to be columns , and a wall on the other side , a metre and a half or so in front . Its job -- to hold up a balcony . The front entrance is set back , but doesn't seem to have much , if any , weather protection ? And then the other side , in front of Bed 4 , has a large window but no balcony . Now I know the stairs would need a tweak , but why not move the whole upstairs 'back' by the metre and a half , lower the kitchen and dining to 3 metre ceilings ( a 4 metre ceiling in a kitchen may look great , but that top metre will be a pain to clean , and basically unusable -- cupboards , etc will be too high ) . Then you could have the balcony ( or 1 balcony right across , or a roof above the entrance , or even a bigger , more roomy entrance -- and yes I do realise it is double height , but make it a longer , wider , double height more lux entrance ) set back , more space front or rear if thats a priority ? Basically , it looks like someone has taken a template , added some bits , and gone 'there you go' , without considering the overall picture .

Thanks everyone! @oklouise Will definitely be looking at insulation too! The shutters are good for my other half who is a shift worker as it blacks out the room. I'm not sure if they can be painted due to the way they roll up but will definitely look at that as an option. The area used to be a bit dodgy about a decade ago, hence the security shutters, closed in porch etc. @dreamer Glad to see some support for ironstone :) I was actually looking at those screens from bunnings too! No issues for it to be removed, it's just an empty porch behind it. I'd actually like more light to come through the home. @Kate 100% correct. There's a path that leads from the sidewalk where the mailbox is but it leads to a gate at the side of the house where we've got a cat run and air conditioners etc. Maybe it made sense once upon a time. Will take some more photos. @Julie Herbert Thanks Julie, great suggestions. The landscaping is in progress, I have young native plants growing, just need to fill out a bit more!

You’re putting the cart before the horse. An OC comes at the end of your building project and ensure that you’ve complied with your building permit. And to get a building permit you need a planning permit. The local Council will issue the planning permit. I’d start with the Council website. And most Councils are happy to advise you in the feasibility of your project over the phone. And you will need a planning permit for a shed >10sq metres. It is the planning permit that determines what type of dwelling you can build on your land. On a base level you will need to connect to sewage and stormwater disposal if it’s available or have Council approved methods of disposal if not. You will need a kitchen and some sort of laundry with a trough. And toilet and washing facilities. There will be minimum and maximum sizes of dwelling for your land. In some areas the power distributor requires you to pay a service fee even if you don’t connect to the poles. And connection to the poles can be many thousands of dollars depending how far away they are and if underground connections are required. There are forums on the web for shed dwellers, small houses and off-grid properties - worth googling and reading.