definitely use a designer - they have a much better idea of what plants will work and why, which will save you a heap of money (I have replanted 8 times due to having a poor understanding of what to put where) and when it comes to draining, paving, irrigation etc they have experience of not only how, but which products will produce what results.... Plus a good designed area looks "done" (think display home gardens/features) however self-designed always look "bitza". If you don't have the money to do the entire plan that they design, ask them to break it into stages that you can execute/upgrade over time that still looks good in its most basic form.

You have a lot of great features included that aren't replicated in modern houses due to costs. The semi circular stairs, thats wow right there! ^^petapea is spot on by the way! I'm currently working on plans for a house that was rendered in 2006. It has the wow factor; WOW that's bland as bat sh!t.... We're adding things like a bay window, new porch in painted timber and some masonry back to make it look good again. Then the new landscaping will really lift it! You could render garage facade and paint it, pressure clean the rest and do those maintenance jobs like cracked flooring, leaking gutters etc. The stairs are too narrow to be any use so widen them up to 1000-1200 wide. I'd spend more on landscaping (which includes fences/letter box/etc).

Hi Deonne If your bathroom requires the two doors, my suggestion is NOT to have a bath. Keep it very clean and neat Across the recess have either a walk-in shower with a 600mm opening OR a glass panel and door. You may consider a seat in the shower ( example on our website ) A recess ( niche ) for shower 300mm high max length Wall hung, all drawer vanity. In-wall cistern toilet suite. Mixer diverter, overhead and handheld shower. Quality tapware, with min 10-year warranty Porcelain floor tiles min 300 x 300. Tile to ceiling, ( unless home has high ceiling, if high, tile to an architrave height ) min tile size 600 x 300, Ceramic to rein in cost

custom made vanity and wall cabinets should only be needed if you have awkward sizes as an off the shelf cabinet allows you to see and touch the product and is often much more economical than custom made ...unless you need to keep some special supplies (eg 24 pack of toilet rolls?) i suggest that a base cabinet need only be 450-500 deep which is plenty for folded towels and drawers and the in wall cabinet about 150mm deep (including most of the cabinet inside the wall and only a small frame for doors and mirrors projecting out) but the in wall cabinet may depend on existing wall studs and electrical wiring so think about what you would put inside the cabinets and only have enough inside cabinet space for those items (maximum toilet roll or fat shampoo bottle about 120mm...in small bathrooms the extra floor space makes drying and dresssing much more comfortable and by rotating the shower in the family bathroom there would be less wet floor in the walkway and if the vanity in the ensuite is away from the corner you can allow space for a handtowel and/or a very convenient space to hang a hair dryer ...