The correct dimensions for steps if I'm not wrong, as we're currently building is, maximim riser being 190mm and minimum tread is 240mm. The riser cannot be different meaning that you can decide on any hight but not exceed 190mm and however many steps you decide on, all risers must be the same, whether they are the maximum height or slightly less. Your steps are definitely illegal and quite unsafe as you say and should never have been made this way. I wouldn't raise the first step to the timber riser because if you get rain, it could flow over the step and into your home. The small step if extended right to the front of what is your second step would be the easiest and correct fix, if the height doesn't exceed 190mm from the bottom of the first step once you take up the height which looks to be only about 50mm at best plus whatever the height is of the first step which does look to be less than 190mm, perhaps 150mm but I'm guessing?? Could be that you should only have had one step ever!!.....hopefully the height from the ground up to the timber riser isn't more than 190mm and your laughing!! The riser height is a tried and tested height for a person to lift their foot from one step to the next. If you are not selling for some time or ever, then it's not about being legal but being safe and if your measurement ends up being say 210mm for example, that would still be better that 50mm and 150mm or whatever the height actually is currently. As for tread, again, once you choose a measurement at or over 240mm, every tread must also be the same. If it's wider than 240mm, it allows for a person to place their foot squarely without stubbing their toes on the riser or feeling like their heel is hanging off the step. We have gone for quite large treads on our entry steps being about 500mm wide and it also looks nice if the tread is wide on a large or wide entry like ours being a few metres wide as we have double front doors at our entry once the home is finished. I've included a close up of the steps as well as a full shot of the home with the frame already up if the photo's have uploaded properly. Your steps need to be removed and lengthened to the correct dimensions but a qualified builder is probable the way to go, as any builder can tile or reccomend a tiler once the steps are fixed. Good luck

I've seen some home theatre rooms with tiered seating and it does look very much like a home cinema. But, it obviously means that the room can ONLY be used as a home cinema, so you're stuck if you ever wanted to turn it into a guest bedroom, home office, etc. If you love the experience of going to the movies and you want to replicate that at home, then go with the tiered seating. With your room size, I think you could only have two tiers as you don't want them to be too close to the TV.

Hi amaliar, still a bit hard to work out even with the plan and your pictures, but I would reverse the areas, make the current sitting area, near the fireplace, the dining room and make the dining room the sitting area. In the dining room run the table across and exactly centred in front of the fireplace, not the skinny end of the table in front. This would give the dining table the slightly elevated display look which would look lovely when your table is fully set, with candles and or flowers. You could back the L shaped lounge up against and along the outside wall which adjoins the deck, I would have the L section slightly extend across the other room which would be actually behind the lounge/couch, this room on the plan is at the end of the deck, this would allow you to put one or two leather chairs and a small sidetable or lamp table to create a seperate reading area in that back area, it would also allow you to place a tall lamp behind and/or a standard cantilevered lamp over the L shaped lounge, which would look nice (example photos below). By running the lounge this way it would not have it's back to the dining room, it would make the entertaining space open so that some guests could utilise some of the dining chairs by turning them around and face other guests who may be sitting on the lounge, with a lovely big rich rug in front of the lounge/couch. It would also allow good flow for walking through the rooms, would make the rooms look larger and not cut off. Good luck.

There are some messy native trees like gums and quite tall Grevilleas but I’m happy to cut these back. I’m not sure if a formal garden will suit a new timber vertical batten style fence which will be quite high for privacy, 1700mm.. I’d love more plant suggestions, love bird of paradise, grasses but I know they can look messy.