There are certainly some fantastic ideas being thrown around here - we're certainly armed with food for thought! a) My feel on creating a second entry into the bigger bathroom from the new master bedroom is that it won't achieve a whole lot functionally - although certainty a more expensive option having the current ensuite reconfigured (as per Louise's plan) would be ideal. b) I also like the idea of having the door of the new bedroom two positioned out in the hallway (therefore creating a more secluded study/bedroom). I guess it's at the potential expense of more storage though... c) If we make room 2 bigger at the expense of room 3, it can only become 'longer'. In other words, it would still be only 2.6m wide, so probably better to keep room three 3 x 3? We gain access in the first week of December at which point we'll have some builders come through to quote... (recommendations appreciated). I'll be sure to keep this thread updated with progress for those keen to see how this little gem unfolds... There's also a bit of work to be done on the ground floor (knocking out a kitchen wall to make it open plan)... not near as exciting but happy to share if there's interest :)

love your house...pipes are a necessary part of most homes and paint has already blended them in a little, the simplest option for the gas bottles is to talk to the gas supplier and a plumber about moving them around the side..as long as they're still accessible for refilling they can be in a more discreet location. A wide "footpath" across the whole back of the house covered with an open pergola and a covered area extending to the brick barbq? with a screen to add privacy from the neighbours would look fabulous and also disguise some of the pipes... add a few big pot plants and some furniture and there won't be any ugly bits

Hi siriuskey, In answer to your previous question, no we are not having as big of an oven/cooktop shown in the design. Ours will be a 60cm induction cook top, with a 60cm built in oven underneath. I'm guessing this is just the picture they have in their design software. It seems a bit distorted anyway. At this stage we are not sure if we will be repainting the kitchen & dining space. I guess it depends on what colours we go for, as it was only recently repainted. It is really only the one wall in the lounge room that is still natural wood, the remainder of the house has been painted in the light grey. The previous owners had already started to organise the reno, just before we bought the house. So we have a 'custom' flat pack that they order, to replicate the current kitchen layout. They choose StyleLite for the doors in either Frost or Arctic (http://stylelite.net/product_info.html) and it is a high gloss. One of the kitchen companies is happy to take away our flat pack and modify it to suit our new design. This would save us money on cabinet costs and get it out of our way. So, for these reasons we are keen to stay with the white cabinetry. Originally we were thinking of a black stone top with a little metallic flick in it (http://www.caesarstone.com.au/colour/6100-night-sky) but we are now considering a less stark colour like a grey (https://www.silestoneusa.com/color/marengo/) which would be perhaps more of an industrial style look? All of the poles in the lounge room, dining and kitchen are the blue colour, which we are keen to keep if possible so that the entire space has some continuity. Plus with cream coloured carpet, we don't want to repaint the lounge room ones! They are different colours in the other rooms. Having said all this, we are open to ideas and plan to take our time getting the design and colour scheme right, so we don't make it too modern and detract from the feel of the house.

Last piece of advice simonsays - never "assume" anything - more often than not people sorting through this stuff on their own misjudge, either in under or over estimating what's involved, incorrectly thinking that it will be either easier or harder than it actually will be to achieve whatever it is......you need to define your various project requirements/details etc as a starting point, and have clarity on what aspects are more or less important for you. This also must include your budget BEFORE you put pen to paper working through the design solution...so if you want a 2-way fireplace, consider it now, and factor it in within the process of working through the costs (which should be occurring simultaneously.........also, remember that "design" is a process, working towards an outcome, which as always is about resolving project requirements to budget within a particular context/conditions.......the project outcome, whatever that is, will be very much determined by the design process and the extent it is invested in and executed....hope this all helps and best of luck with it all :) PD