an old house in an area that you want to live in while you do all the work of a very carefully planned renovation staged to minimise big loans will add value only if everyone who lives with you can either contribute financially or physically and has the time and energy to at least make dinner while you paint. Building new is much cheaper than renovating but old places are often in better locations. Provided the old place is liveable you can save rent while you save for the next stage of the reno but there'll always be unexpected costs of both time and money eg for our latest reno: about $4000 to remove asbestos from an old laundry and bathroom, $8000 to remove trees, weeks of back breaking labour to remove old plasterboards and carpet, ripping thousands of nails from timber floors to discover the boards were beyond restoration, collecting rubbish and rubble from demolished brick walls and loading at least 20 loads into the ute and driving to the tip and paying to unload it ....but the old stove, doors and windows sold on Gumtree and Ebay and redundant electrical wiring and metal taken to the scrap dealer paid for quite a few take away dinners and didn't we have fun together?

DEIA..yes tactile also if there's a problem I've got someone to go to . I'm old fashion that way.. ie. bought a pair of shoes..no stock in the store so they ordered online for me..it came badly made so I went back to the store to return ..showed my receipt ..no question asked.. or another time bought shoes for son broke apart after 2-3 times went back with my receipt..and got exchanged right away despite I've read online that that company have had a bad reputation with complaints online..I've never encountered face to face.. or saw some colander online looked quite good..went to Sydney to check them out awful quality and well at $10 a pop no go I do buy online ..not sheets more so decorative items that I've seen and can't source in physical shops

It's really hard to provide advice without getting a feel for your decor . Plantation shutters can look great, are not a total block-out solution but can be close and sufficient for most people to be able to sleep with. A lot will depend on the quality of the shutters and how well they are fitted. I think the post bigreader was referring to can be found [here[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/block-out-blind-behind-shutters-dsvw-vd~4314237). Here you'll find a good example of what can go wrong if you don't choose both your shutters and fitter carefully. You will get a variety of prices and there is a difference from brand to brand, and the materials they are available in. Take some rough measurements of your windows and call around to get some indicative prices which you should be able to get on the phone without committing to a check-measure or any other commitment given to the potential supplier. Do your homework and don't automatically default to the cheapest price. I have to agree with Kerri Graafmans in that Venetians are difficult to clean and I just don't think they will work well if you are working towards a beach feel for your windows. Depending on where you are located, thermal rollers will be a must with just about any window treatment with the exception of Plantation Shutters. The thermal rollers will give you added light control when used in combination with solid drapery. They will also provide worthwhile insulation which, in combination with drapery or a Roman blind, will make a noticeable impact on your cooling and heating bills. Alternatively, Sheer Curtains and Solid Drapes can be made in a large variety of heading styles. Traditional Soft Romans might work well depending on how your rooms start to take shape. Think carefully about your budget and if possible give the consultants and idea of what you are prepared to spend, - Even if it is only a rough idea. Reputable companies will not intentionally pad-out quotes to meet your budget. But they will work with you to ensure you get the best value for your declared budget without sacrificing quality or taking shortcuts just to seal the deal. Always get an itemised quote so you can see what you will be paying for. Fabric, in many cases, will be the biggest ticket item on your quote. If comparing quotes ensure you are comparing apples for apples. Especially for drapery, both in terms of fabric brand and price as well as the quoted 'fullness' of the curtains / drapes you will be purchasing. If you find you just don't have the budget for your ideal window solutions then my best advice is to either wait until you do or think about a phased approach to dressing your windows (say a window or a room at a time). Far better to pay for a quality product that will last for years than to go for something that does not meet your expectations, but which you will be forced to live with, and be reminded of, every time you enter a room in which the treatments were fitted. Above all, get an idea of what you are likely to need to budget for to get the solution you want early. Too many of those that undertake renovations leave pricing the window treatments to last and have not made a sufficient funding allocation to do the job properly. I may be biased, but I truly do believe that good window treatments can really add 'wow' to both a window and a space, - Yet it's often the one item that suffers the most when reno' budgets start to run dry. Hope this helps ;)

This isn't a personal recommendation as I have not yet purchased anything from this company, but I've been admiring the timber floating shelves on their website. https://shelvingshop.com.au/product-category/floating-shelves/wood-effect-finish/ Or you can buy the brackets and have the shelf custom made in whatever material and size you want. https://shelvingshop.com.au/product-category/brackets-2/floating-shelving-brackets/  I think hardware stores also sell brackets by themselves. I was thinking of going the custom route because that means I can ensure the brackets will be attached to the studs. I believe you can paint melamine after proper preparation of the surface, but I doubt if you can stain it.