Miranda You appear to be making all the right choices in life. I will be a little bit presumptuous by offering some advice on helping you to raise your child in touch with nature in this age full of all the electronic lures that keep the kids indoors. or, when outdoors, glued to a small screen, rather than the glory that surrounds them. I am writing a book about landscape architecture and have a section regarding the importance of embracing nature in the preschool years. - which I would like to forward that section to you. However, my computer skills are limited to email and US Mail. I don't even know how to attach a picture to the text. If you would like to receive this draft from my future book, send me your email or postal address, and I'll get it right off to you. My email is cascio.offsite@gmail.com Good luck with your new challenges and opportunities. Joe Cascio

I think that your builder's quote seems fair and reasonable, and am surprised it is not actually more. You have an old house with old walls that are not straight or square, and you want to make it all perfect for your square set for your ceiling/wall junction? As mentioned above this is precision work, and needs a fair bit of preparation to get right. Why don't you research Edwardian plaster cornices to see if you like any of them and ask your builder to quote as an alternative to labour-intensive square-set, which has a more contemporary feel? As quotes for variations are not in competition with other builders who are quoting your builder doesn't need to be super-competitive. I know some builders who make a lot of their profit from variations. I don't think your builder is one of them. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

after attempting numerous variations i can't see any great advantages to an extra 1800 added on to the living area except to offer extra length and empty floor space to a room that is already big enough for all the basics but lacks wall space for storage and TV but, without a wide opening to the entry, you could have a couch arranged differently and a doorway to bed 3 would reduce storage and furniture options for both bedroom and lounge but, maybe the window in the lounge could be replaced with a cantilevered bay window with awning roof roof to create a bay window seat and the small extension could be better used to add a generous laundry which would allow more storage in the kitchen or a more generous bathroom as the only way i can find to keep a separate toilet is to move the existing toilet door to allow enough space to add a tiny handbasin to the existing toilet plus a door across the entry hall to add privacy from the front door another option for the master suite, would be to steal space off bed 2 to relocate all 3700mm of the original biw and use small freestanding wardrobes and/or chests of drawers for storage in the minor bedrooms...some varaitions for the bathroom and other ideas collected into one plan and you could also keep the original master bedroom for guests and invest in a spacious new master bedroom (with or without an ens) behind the new garage with access through the original bed 2 that could be used as a dressing room and whichever bathroom varaistion you prefer

as already suggested it would be useful to consider acreage floor plans that take full advantage of so much space but i've redrawn your plans to scale to show more detail of how your rooms rooms would fit together and total about 315sqm and some simple variations to consider but, having built homes on acreages, we've found that without the shelter of neghbouring homes it's useful to create extra sun and rain sheltered areas by widening the whole house by having a garage separated from the main house with a connecting breezeway to create an extra carport and/or undercover play area and have covered mud areas at every entry