The trouble with that Tribble4152k7 Trek is that everyone reading who has not experienced it thinks its just a page of jokes. The trouble with many milennials is they want everything now and have 'tanties' thiking they are entitled to it then they compare themselves and their situation to others when they have no idea how those others got where they are. It doesn't drop out of the sky for anyone but it might gush up from the ground for some Oil rich people. Some have absolutely no idea of what "I can't afford that" means! A good starter home is one you can afford but unfortunately, when they have no idea what "afford" means its not going to work is it? From what I've seen some milennials can't even manage on two salaries...and good salaies at that, many times because they include in their budget too many things they consider are absolute necessities. Because some of them earn two salaries they believe they are entitled to certain luxuries...theres that word again...the two words that defeat the purpose of getting their own home...even with a mortgage.... "afford" and "entitled". Sometimes $5 is out of the range of affordability and sometimes a two salaried couple forget why they are working so hard and reward themselves for their efforts. Then there's the syndrome "keeping up with the Joneses"...must not lose face, must not appear underpriviledged, must be able to measure up and match the spending habits of friends....who, you never know, might be doing exactly the same thing. My maxim has always been...and I count it as the reason I survive on very little, is,,,"Old is not bad" - " Out of fashion does not mean its broken" - If it works and is safe don't discard it and if it costs little to fix...fix it.... recycle, repurpose and re-use. If you can pick it up at the Op Shop its somebody else's loss and your good fortune. Finally, ask yourself..."Do I want this or do I really really need it?'...that's a good one. I always maintain that if you have something that you had to work really hard and save scrupulously to get...then you are entitled to it...and that applies to small things and to getting a home of your own.

Hi Creativelychallenged, thanks!! We are so in love with the house and are now planning an extension off the back to get some more floor space :) I can't be stopped! The front of the house has original windows. We restored them and they are pretty much the only thing that we kept in the house. Everything else was completely stripped out. At the front we also have huge bi-fold doors that open onto the balcony, I'll post a shot of this so you can see those. We look at the ocean so wanted to open the house up to those sea breezes. The floors are brand new. The are an engineered timber floor board that we put over the old floors. The original floorboards were in great condition but we took so many walls down that it would have cost a lot to fix them, so we just went over the top and my husband installed them to save costs. They are "Latte" by Preference Flooring. I love them! Our bathrooms are also brand new. The ensuite used to be the main bathroom but was tiny and didn't even have a toilet. We swapped the floor plan to make it the ensuite and the old dining room became our main bathroom. Here is the original main bathroom (we converted it to the ensuite) Ensuite - Excuse my filthy shower Here is a shot of working on the front windows. They were worth the effort! I'll post a few more before and after shots once i find them out of the 13,000 in my phone :)

To Australian Home Designer. Thank you for your advice but I'm not trying to replace the doors with a window. The double glass doors are on the study, and they open onto the very small balcony which measures approx 2M X 0.9M. The balcony has slate type tiles on the floor, there is a roof above and it is enclosed either side by concrete? walls. The balcony has an opening about 2 M wide by 1.5 high, which is what I'm trying to addres. The balcony is next to useless as it is and I could make more use of it if I could enclose it. I tried to add another photo to give a better idea, but for some reason I wasn't able to. So, I'm not trying to replace a window but install something in an open space to act like a window. As this area is considered common property (even though no one else can have access to it unless they walk through the apartment), I have to advise the corporate body. Chances are they'll ask for me to arrange for a by-law to be drawn up. It never ends does it? The other thing I should mention is that Council said (when I first approached them) that the developer would have used every available space to the enth degree. The developer has confirmed this with me. The block is almost 2 years old and all owners are the first occupants. Thank you for taking the time to respond. It is much appreciated.

Thank you everyone for your tips. I am feeling more confident now, I can start to picture what has been recommended by everyone. I am curious to learn more about some of your comments: GDP Interior Design - you mentioned a repeating pattern on the balcony, could you please further explain what you meant by this? The floor tiles or railing or wall? I am intrigued as we really want to add a little something there. Also, great tip with the eave colours, to be honest, I would have just gone plain flat white but I guess this would be too contrasting with the other colours if we did right? Sammy Elder - I LOVE your idea of the cantilevered/suspended roof. Thank you so much! That gives us something extra to work on! LesleyH - Plantation shutters is/was right up there on the to do list. They are very expensive for what they are but they certainly are popular. Could you please help further describe what you mean with your comment about cladding? I was looking at cladding options and initially was thinking I could clad the top half but there were many comments about how it often looks like you're trying to cover/hide something (bad walls, cracks etc). Thanks so much everyone, what a great community this is! Dan.