answering your questions: change the sliding door to a bench height sliding window and use the salvaged sliding door in the western end of the dining room where the best entry position is for the deck, you MUST have a proper legal drains do not consider anything else...the drain pipe for the garage laundry can be on top of the concrete floor, behind the washing machine and through the sink cabinet and/or under built in storage and only needs a few cms not a whole floor and no stepped up area that you would see or trip over.. the laundry can't be in a separate room as there's not enough space for a separate laundry without compromising the size of the garage...a laundry cupboard 80 cm deep is enough for the washing machine (allowing for the drainage pipe) you could use the old line cupboard to store anything you want but it's not cost effective to change, the entry foyer is already as big as in many modern homes and there's generous flatpac biw space in the small study.... the family bathroom is 2380 x 2370 (ie the old study minus 1m for hall way and wall thickness and, arranged exactly as shown to allow for the wide window there should be space for a bath up to 1800 x 750, vanity about 1200 x 500 and shower space 1200 x 800 and leftover space makes the small linen cupboard with the door deliberately opening towards the shower to use the back of the door for hanging racks for towels and clothes....btw i understood your priority was maximizing separate sleeping rooms and minimising costs...my last plan has five separate sleeping rooms plus the lounge with sofa bed totalling sleeping places for at least 10 people plus the potential for bunks in the garage so you need to decide what is most important and where you're prepared to compromise

We keep a bedroom permanently set aside and decorated for our three grandchildren. Good storage is essential, as we have train sets, cars, Lego, a play kitchen, dolls, dinosaurs, games, etc. We found different quilt covers a way of making the room look more personalised when the grandchildren come to stay e.g. a bright cover with animals for our youngest grandson, dinosaurs for our other grandson and bright, floral colours for our granddaughter. A very easy and inexpensive way to change the look of the room. When they tire of these, we can easily change them. Artwork is another point of difference. Both of our grandsons love planes, and I found a limited edition planes print in a Salvos shop for under $40 - already framed. I found a canvas-coated map of the world online, already mounted, for under $40, which is a favourite with all three. The IKEA pretend kitchen was a charity store find for under $20, and when the grandchildren no longer play with it (it is a favourite as they play ‘restaurants’), it will be returned to a charity shop. I bought one of those sling-type small bookcases and filled this with a range of books. This is much easier than wall shelving and it is does not take up very much space, and is great for selecting bedtime stories.

It is an unusual combination with the strongly contrasting brickwork in colour and style. Surfmist is the right colour for the window frames for this style of home. The lower brickwork actually has a lot of life, and character, whereas the top brick looks like a much cheaper brick, with a lot less visual interest. It makes me wonder if the builder realized that he couldn't afford the more expensive brick half way through construction and switched to a cheaper brick and a cheaper window frame? I would be doing exactly the opposite to your idea, and rendering the top half of the house in a colour that complements the lower brick and the era of the house. Rendering is expensive, so if you are going to spend money on render get the best bang for your buck. Your friend is correct and the garage door should not be a contrasting feature, but should be painted to blend in with the surronding brickwork. Best of luck Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

I agree with MB Design. The less done the better for now, I reckon. It will cost quite a bit to landscape this space and if nothing is to be added that gives shade, not sure if it is worth spending a lot of money for now. Some psitostroms (or however you spell those Neighbour-be-gones) along the fenceline - or even instead of a fenceline - is as good as an idea as anything for now. A cluster of multisized succucents amidst a little rock garden of sorts in the centre will at least stop anyone parking on the lawn.