Hi Mchawley, If you're new to gardening and don't have a particular style or goal in mind engage a landscaper - they'll be able to help you with designing an overall look that will work with the natural land (slowing down water movement through your property and offsetting any issues with great solutions that you may not have thought about) and help you build it and green it up with plant selections that will suit your property and tastes. If you're keen to learn and participate, most will be happy to accommodate you and you can work as labour (hard work but rewarding).

Hi millwood_s I'd first recommend (if you haven't) getting some background on the apartment: where do services run where are the loadbearing walls what approvals do you need from body corporate how will the project need to run given it's in an apartment building what other hoops will you need to jump through over and above standard building processes Then I would hire an architect, or an interior designer who is experienced at space planning (ie not simply furnishings, finishes and fixtures, but can plan and move spaces around. Understand the orientation of your apartment - which direction does it face. You're often limited in how much sunlight you can get into your apartment if it's not facing an optimum orientation, but understanding how that will work and what you can do in your planning and design to make the most of things, will serve you well. Finding a professional who is used to working within existing apartment buildings would be worthwhile, so they can assist you with navigating it. You'll have different things to contend with working inside an existing building that may have apartments below, above, and beside you. Best wishes with your project! Warm Regards Amelia Lee Undercover Architect www.undercoverarchitect.com

Lovely pantry. Always wine.

@Michael Smith - Where do you start? Similar and in addition to Dr Retro's comments, my advice as a starting point for any project is always the same: define your project requirements and nominate a budget. All decisions moving forward will derive from the balance of these two elements within your particular context. you need to refocus on the front end of the process, and set aside the backend construction for the time being...Since you have had no prior experience in this area I highly recommend you invest in experienced professional assistance with the process. It's a given that this type of project (involving building extension/structural adjustment etc) will require building approvals and/or potential planning approvals that require a process of design and development of professional documentation accordingly. Unless you have had experience in these types of things recommend you don't try and manage something like this unless you have a lot of free time, up for the task and are will to engaged/committed for a rather steep and potentially expensive learning curve. False economy in this area is a significant risk and easy trap to fall into for the inexperienced in this area. For something of this scale an appropriately selected builder will integrate the project construction management far more cost effectively that you can achieve independently as a newcomer. This general type/scope of project could be anything from 3-6 months in construction (depending upon the builder/circumstances/detail and whole lot of other factors) but you're getting ahead of yourself with this as first things first you need to establish the project scope and work through the process of design and documentation appropriately for any applicable approvals. If you're interested in further information please feel free to contact me directly - we can similarly service projects of this nature in the Melbourne area.....always keep in mind that there are different levels of professionals and you need to work out exactly what you require in this regard. Are you requiring higher level design assistance? Or do you just need someone to "draw it up" as you know exactly how you want it to be, and can get away with a drafting service.....questions for you to think about and work through/research accordingly..... @anotherbird - this stage can be particularly challenging when you have designed and documented, and then are left on your own to sort through and compare the "apples and oranges" quote differences, and it's not straightforward. I think here it depends on the builder you select. An experienced and competent builder should be able to have some of the things you've mentioned integrated into their process such as the building permit, and also providing advice as to the construction scheduling and how the decisions of finalising the kitchen design etc will be coordinated into the job. Sometimes builders want everything designed and documented prior to starting, others are more flexible and have the capacity to work from contractual allowances and refer you to//utilise their regular tried and tested subcontractors/suppliers to pull it all together collaboratively and sequentially. My advice is trust your instinct with the builder and go with the one that you feel you can work better with, rather than the one who is giving you the best price...the project will ultimately cost what it will cost, and more often than not it's better to pay a premium for less stressful build process with an operator that is tuned into your particular circumstance and needs, rather than go with a guy who might be cheaper but is more about "smashing it out" for lower cost and putting a lot of the responsibility of coordinating fit-out aspects yourselves.... hope this helps Best of luck with it all to both of you :) PD