Hi there, Have you ever heard about the 'work triangle' concept when designing kitchens? https://www.houzz.com/magazine/how-to-set-up-a-kitchen-work-triangle-stsetivw-vs~1042314 It is essentially about connecting the three main elements of the kitchen: the fridge, the cooker and the sink. As a rule, to achieve an efficient layout the triangle formed by lines linking these three elements should total 3.6 -6.6m in my experience. Try to avoid circulation through the triangle - particularly between sink and cooker which should not be more than 1.8m apart. I hope this helps!

It really depends on the style of pool you are after. No.5 is a great look for a formal pool with full width steps leading in. This can be a stunning look when connected to an alresco or formal outdoor dining area, like this (by Natural Pools): Or even this one: The steps then become multi level seating for all ages. Children can sit on the top step, while adults can sit lower down and rest their elbows back on the higher step. This can be annoying, however, if you want to be swimming laps (short laps in a 9.0m pool) and would prefer to touch to the wall. Another detail to keep in mind is the exposed points on your steps. For a tiled pool, these can be quite sharp and a higher potential for scraped feet or legs. No. 4 has three exposed points, No.1 has one and No.5 does not have any. So if you didn't want the full width steps, I would go for No.1. It has a clean line of a continuous ledge across the pool and then the one step below that for access. All the best with your project!

Hi Mark, You might also check out kitchen design considerations in the Liveable Housing Design Guidelines They suggest for Gold Level that: (A) The kitchen space should be designed to support ease of movement and adaptation with: at least 1200 mm clearance in front of fixed benches and appliances (excluding handles); and slip resistant flooring. (B) Floor finishes should extend under kitchen cabinetry to enable cupboards to be removed without affecting the flooring. Where fixtures cannot be easily removed (e.g. ovens which are built in) the floor finishes should not be continued. And for Platinum (highest) Level that: As for the gold level except that the kitchen space described in (A) should be designed to support ease of movement and adaptation with: at least 1550 mm clearance in front of fixed benches and appliances (excluding handles); slip resistant flooring; and task lighting installed above work spaces. These standards are being considered for incorporation into the National Construction Code (BCA). They will not appear for a few years yet, but by considering and incorporating these principles now it may future-proof the house to some extent.

it should be quite easy to change the size of the base cabinets to create knee space..usually about 30cms deep...i would expect a deeper counter would be the easiest (but a bigger piece of stone may be challenging and you might have to consider an alternative counter material) so consult a kitchen cabinet maker for specific advice and quotes and they should be able to reuse the existing sink, taps, doors and some or all of the cabinets for two options : a new smaller base cabinet or a deeper counter so ask for quotes on both options but first line up some chairs to decide if the bigger counter is comfortable in your room