Hi Adelaide again - been giving more thought to my suggestions and they are not going to work. For some reason I just can't get my head around metric sized rooms, I have to convert back to the old imperial. So assuming you are going to build up the alfresco area to make it a walk out from the house, look at taking that right across the rear of the house. With the master bedroom I was looking at walking into a hallway with a walk-in wardrobe opening off it but you will basically want the whole 3rd bedroom to achieve a decent sized wardrobe and give you maximum storage. I'd have the ensuite where the void area is, which basically leaves you the laundry for the bedroom - way to small. However if you were to extend the bedroom across the alfresco area, this would give a great sized room, with large windows looking across the back garden and doors opening out to the alfresco area. I'd then extend the house and the alfresco area to the end of the Activity room, slide the family room to that end and put the laundry in at the void end, which could be accessed from the outside or from the family room, whatever suits. This also has the advantage of keeping all your plumbing together except for the kitchen. Don't think about excavating, it can cause massive water problems. No matter how much you might add drainage, or seal the structure, there always seems to be those on in a hundred year events that can cause unexpected flooding. Water problems have to be the worst nightmare.

Hi I was over in Brisbane a few weeks ago looking at some homes to renovate recently and while doing some research came across a concrete home built in Newfarm a while back. If you search for an address in google being "concrete home gibbon st" you will find an article about it and the architects details. He was Larry Weston from memory....not sure what his practice name was... Only comment would be that both the engineering and finishing of exposed surfaces need to be done by people with experience. You will pay extra for this type of detail but it is worth it to avoid an unsightly crack right through your feature wall/floors. Good Luck.

The accuracy of a builders price depends on the information that he can price from. Any builder can given you a ballpark figure without any drawings or documentation but it will be very rubbery, so probably plus or minus $100K (usually plus). It is a waste of time at this early stage to be shopping around for other rubbery figures. I am happy to give you a rubbery figure without even seeing your home and I would anticipate that you would expect to pay between $300K and $500K for two attic bedrooms to nest neatly into the roof of a Californian bungalow. Of course this is the bottom end, and it could go easily go a lot higher depending on the structural integrity of the existing building, and how much of downstairs needs renovating at the same time. If you engage a design professional to complete a proper measure up and concept drawings the builders price will be more accurate, but still not very accurate. Even if you engage a design professional for full working drawings and an engineer for the structural there will still be a little bit of variation as there are still some unknowns. Converting an attic space into two bedrooms (and possibly a bathroom?) is not a straightforward process - it is actually quite a complicated 3D puzzle, and lots can go wrong if it is not measured accurately, designed well and drawn up to a good level of detail. Structural issues, head height issues, stair design, roof pitches, window flashings, insulation, overlooking, street elevation etc are all important issues that need to be carefully considered. For many draftspeople, this is beyond their normal type of work, which is why I would recommend that you use an architect or building design professional that is experienced in attic conversions. In your situation, I would engage a local design professional, preferably one who is used to more complex extensions, to design it to concept stage, then get your builder to fine-tune his figures. Ideally a building professional who can model it in 3D can be a good insurance policy that it all fits together as it should. If it all looks good then proceed to a more resolved design, and then full documentation. Converting attic space is always going to be an expensive way to create more space, so it is crucial that you spend money at the start to get the design right. It is even more expensive if you try and skimp on design fees by engaging an inexperienced draftsperson, and problems with the design are only realized during construction. Unfortunately, I have seen this happen too often ( I often get called in when projects go off the rails by others) with head height clearance and stair design in many attic conversions, and it is very expensive to rectify. Best of luck with your budgeting, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits

with so much to do i would be inclined to hire a builder to organise all the work and hire all the necessary trades including a carpenter, cabinetmaker, painter, plumber, electrician, tilers, waterproofer and landscaper and supply building materials, recommend suppliers for fixtures and fittings. .and i have to admit that it will always cost more than expected... small individual jobs are not attractive to tradespeople and usually long down the waiting list and, despite having lots of renovating experience, we've found that our builder usually has reliable contacts with tradespeople and can demand better prices for supplies and labour due to the promise of repeat business and it's very difficult to better their results despite the extra cost