Thank you. No subdivision occurred prior to us buying (still vacant at present). We do have clear access to back of block off side street. Builder is currently doing up a few rough sketches to give us ideas. Council will approve downstairs as living space, it would be classed rumpus but not approval if classed as granny flat. I think downstairs space might not be ideal for mum as not particularly private; upstairs kitchen, lounge & then adding a open deck is/will be heart of home so is busiest and nosiest and particularly if putting entrance down there too... Initial thoughts have been convert downstairs on RH as half as rumpus/guest room, other half keep as garage. Extend slightly out the RH side as enclosed entrance foyer with door to rumpus, door leading out to side of house/ path to back yard and then with stairs leading up to lounge (w/- powder room under stairs). Carport over existing driveway & then above covered deck. Extend out back for a s/c granny flat with own access, courtyard and would also have internal access by putting hall way in place of robe in bed 1. Would eliminate existing entrance and hallway and use this as WIR for bed 2. Any thoughts on this? Thanks again for your reviews.

If you "change" anything that involves a building approval then the floor area on the plans relevant will count towards the overall amount. If it amounts to beyond 50% of the existing conditions then the whole building becomes applicable to energy calculations and so you enter into up spec'ing existing areas. And yes it can often be a good thing to be doing anyway, but of course it costs money. If the total area being changes is below 50% then only the areas of new work are applicable. I'm honestly not a specialist in this area, but I have to deal with the issues naturally in the course of the design and resolution of project solutions I provide, and hence I use an energy consultant regularly and we have a way/system of working through together how best to achieve the requirements for permit. As far as I understand it's a case by case/project specific exercise and also there's various ways of negotiating/achieving the necessary performance requirements - e.g. you can play around with different levels of insulation together with a particular glazing/window spec, and depending upon circumstances you can save money one way or another. Sometimes I'll squeeze windows overall down to get it under a certain amount to not trigger requirement for expensive glass...also timber windows rate better, but if you are in a bushfire area you'll be caught out or require very expensive timber windows...it's a real juggling act in particular contexts...which is why you really need to be working collaboratively with an energy consultant/specialist to work out the best solution in this regard, as well as the other aspects of design, structure and bushfire etc. It's a true team effort ;) If you're really up for some technical reading you there is some further energy info here NCC Volume One Energy Efficiency Provisions 2016 - Australian ... but it may get confusing........Coming back to the core of it, my advice: 1. define your budget 2. list and prioritise your requirements 3. seek some preliminary advice/assistance from a seasoned designer doing this type of work to test whether or not the general concept of what your endeavouring to achieve is viable, and this depends upon the relevant context/existing conditions etc (and bushfire rating is yet another layer on top of all this), and then refine the concept from there. If you are just doing a bathroom or kitchen isolated then you can arguably do it yourself, but if you're re-jigging the whole house like it appears you are heading towards, and on a very tight budget then I'd highly recommend (to save yourself headaches and frustration going around in never-ending circles) to invest some of your available budget into front-end design, to get to a solution that works to your nominated priorities so you achieve a viable and professionally advised outcome. Trust me it will be money well spent. Have a great Christmas, and best of luck with continuing to work through it all :)

What is the condition of the current bathroom and kitchen? Also what do the estate agents in your area say? ie will an additional bedroom and ensuite add value, or will an extra family room add better value? or will just a cosmetic upgrade be better?

are you planning a diy flatpac kitchen or custom cabinetry? unfortunately i don't think there's enough space to have such a long island bench and suggest that there would be better counter space and more easily accessed storage by moving the laundry door and having an 1800 island and standard tall pantry...moving the laundry door and omitting the corner pantry allows for an extra 1500 wall cabinets, more counter space, more drawers and the microwave could be positioned in a microwave wall cabinet with the door opening towards the window and the whole kitchen would feel more spacious and by not extending the wall behind the stove there can be a simple 30cm overhang for stools.....based on standard flatpac sizes something like this could work ...