Good on you abstar9511 for choosing to Renovate! I've personally gone through a renovation in the last 18 months and it is worth it. From the pictures the house looks to be in fairly decent nick for a Perth original, especially one by the beach with our salt and winds. If you choose to update the gardens at a later date, Planted Passion is happy to quote on a resilient garden design and installation for your properties' weather/soil/aspect conditions. Personally, I can see a Cottage Garden vibe which would like stunning, especially with the inclusion of some Hedges for beach wind protection. Good luck with the reno!

Well, it has been a long (and sometimes painful) process but we are nearly at the end of the extension/renovation. We ended up going with a building designer (Dalecki Design) who made a few changes we really hadn't considered (including moving the existing bathroom) which may have cost slightly more but completely changed and improved the master bedroom space. Without the pool it will be close to the upper end of our original budget but still within what we were hoping for so fairly happy with that. Overall the new living area is amazing and filled with light compared to the old design. Will throw in some photo updates once we have finally converted the front yard from a sand pit and finished off the driveway, garage door and fencing.

Hi Doug Sorry, but my first question is why are you commencing construction without the engineering a) resolved and b) approved? If it has been approved then it is a variation and you are quite within your rights to question the engineer as to why the changes are now being put forward compared to the original approved drawings and what are the alternatives. If he has made a change to the original approved design then there needs to be a very good reason he hasn't issued revised drawings to both you and the drafty before sending anything to the fabricators. If he has sent revised drawings then I would be asking some very hard questions of my drafty. If it has not been approved and is being done on the fly then this method of construction is fraught with danger both from an approval and $$$$ perspective by proceeding without a fully resolved design. Your draftsman should be integrating the engineering into their drawings and discovering any clashes BEFORE final drawings are released for approval by the local authority and working around any issues. If there is an approval in place then there has to be engineering drawings around. Additionally, I certainly wouldn't be sending any drawings from an engineer direct to fabricators without them having correlated with the architecturals and without the drafty being in the loop. There is a breakdown somewhere that needs to be fixed otherwise it is going to cost. If i recall correctly, this is a floating concrete cantilevered floor? I would be surprised if anyone on here is going to be able to offer an engineering solution without seeing the whole design and/or loads. In truth, I would be having a chat with your engineer and see why the change or engage him to find a solution to what you now have. I would also be putting aside the design priority and focusing on what is going to work from the engineering perspective. That is the priority for this type of build. There are always ways to accommodate protrusions by making them a feature or covering them with a false facade/beam. Would need to see elevations to offer suggestions. As to the height I would suggest you post some sections of the whole room with elevations. Cheers

Hi, we are living in our old townhouse & would like to replace the old stairs but to do this we know we will need two structural posts with a joining beam to support the upper floor. I dont even know where to start with this project so seeking some upfront guidance - would I need to get a builder to coordinate this, a building designer or a seprate staircase & engineering company of some variety...?? I will attach a pic that a neighbour did (they sold so cant ask what process they went through but believe they were in the trade themselves...) many thanks in advance!