I received a very quick email response from the company which I have copied and pasted below which you will see, they DO NOT RECOMMEND this product for internal application. "Thank you for visiting the Cabot's Premium Products website and for taking the time to send us an email. We do not recommend this product for your internal application . However, once the stain has cured therefore no odour present there should not be any issues with performance or safety. Please do allow extended curing in cold or humid conditions as it may take several days to fully cure." Certainly appreciate their quick response and everyone's help here on houzz. Will have to take time out to get to a larger hardware store (the joys of renovating in a country area) ;-)

Hi new to all this but thought I'd pass on some fan tips; Be very selective of the shape of the fan blades. They all look stylish but in my experience the flatter the blade the less air they move. We have now gone back to the original metal fans with the blades that bend at the edge, http://regencyfan.com/industrial, our fans are more stylish than the one shown (the blade shape is nice and clear in this example). Our weather in no where near as warm as yours I'd hate for you to make the same mistake we made, twice, before we learnt. Look at the fans motor size, some of the expensive and lots of the cheap ones have small motors that don't last long, unfortunately price does not dictate quality in this case so don't get caught out. My husband is a mechanic and this is one of his "things" when every we shop for electrical items (drills, fans, pumps etc.) always make sure the motor is quality and large enough to do the job and last. How may speeds. We have 8 fans in our home, one is in our extension and was purchased at a different time; It's low speed is realllllllly slow the next one is so fast it's like a cyclone and I'm not game to try the third one in case it dismounts from the ceiling. Be careful not to mount fans too close to down lights or you get a flickering effect caused by the blade passing over the light. Try not to mount the fan directly over the dining table as it will cause food to go cold. I'm with mydesignobsession when it comes to style/look I prefer visitors see my wonderful eclectic decoration then my ceiling fans! Good luck

Comes down to taste/preference of effect and of course budget! Agree that if you select the wrong fitting it can be almost too blinding and overpowering.....strip is great, but individual spots I find are particularly effective and a softer option for highlighting external aspects, of course though it depends upon what you're endeavouring to achieve. My advice is to ensure you invest in quality for external. There is also LED and LED if you know what I mean ;) The quality LED external fitting won't require separate led globes, but is all integrated. You can also get uplights that throw light sideways to avoid the blinding effect like examples belowOther comment is that if you're not 100% sure about how/where to position/what to buy, you may be better to consider a more flexible option of say a spike spot that you can play around with the positioning and direction, and of course move around to elsewhere to highlight other external aspects Black's always a great colour option externally. I think an edge/strip (either pebbles or even soft/garden/mondo grass) particularly to a wall is a good element to include to soften/break-up the extent of hard surfaces. You could always just leave the main pour 15cm short and then fill in the edge strip later either with pebbles or garden depending upon what you think is better....just a long as you rough power cables somewhere there before you do the main section you can sort it out/finalise decisions in due course

Hi canan_ef, if north is at the front, why is the front room closed off to the rest of the home. Why can't you make this your living area, open to the kitchen and dining room, and alfresco. Having a separate lounge room at the rear of home. Therefore taking full advantage of the northern sun. In your original brief, you have mentioned an office. In your new design I can't see one. The toilet downstairs in your new plan, is not private. oklouise plan, shows the laundry and pantry are better placed for everyday use. Upstairs, a separate toilet is always better for other occupants. In your master bedroom, the robe and ensuite are too far apart. For a big room you will be spending time walking from one to the other. Again oklouise plan is a better use of space.