Hi Louise :) Apart from the kitchen location, we've actually kept fairly close to the original idea! The only change is that the back will now be big glass stacker doors (as mentioned above) the same as at the front. We can open the whole room up to the outside, front and back. The whole first floor will all be pretty much open plan so we've decided not to worry where the door to the laundry & bathroom is. The dining table will be up against a wide window with a built-in bench seat, to save room and allow a wider pathway to the kitchen. The kitchen looks straight into the dining area, it's all open. So when I'm standing in my new kitchen I'll be able to see out to the back garden, all the way through the house, and see the spa area too. I can't wait :)

1st Plastic zip ties work with poles and areas you can zip tie to firmly. 2nd Suction cups will fall off in high and low temperature (ie. air condensing and the temp affecting material expansion and contraction). 3rd If you or your partner have the tools, skill and time you can drill small holes in the glass then securing it with clear zip ties. 4th If you buy rapid set epoxy glue you can glue the rope light to the glass directly giving a floating look to the leds. 5th If the lights will be near a edge you can buy small metal hooks to hold the ropes. Don't buy the plastic ones with self adhesive, they will fall off. Hope this helps.

check "pinch pleat" style hooks...usually available at Spotlight, Bunnings, some department stores or any curtain maker but you can often find a few odd ones at teh Opshops to test which shape suits your curtain...they have the hook part that hangs on the track but also have prongs that project upwards and can be fed through several vertical loops to make a pleat every 10 cms then a smooth gap, rather than continuous gathers, and hold the curtain upright..the different styles have the hook attached a different levels along the prongs so that the hook can be hung higher or lower....the right one may depend on the weight and width of the fabric to suit the curtain space...making the curtain narrower can sometimes help and another option is to add weights to the hem of the curtain.. some special curtain weights look like big flat metal rings about the size of a 20 cent coin and are wrapped in a small pouch of fabric that is sewn at intervals along the inside of the curtain hems...(lots of work so try hanging a few keys on safety pins along the hem to see if that helps before you start sewing) best of luck with this very annoying dilemma

Interesting project there........when you're dealing with extending immediately from an existing building there are usually two ways to go....1. blend/extend seamlessly so that there is essentially no indication of any additions, or 2. separate/distinguish clearly between the old and the new. It's usually reflected somewhat in the floor plan as well. There is also a spectrum within both of those categories on how it can be done and whether its deemed to be done well or not so well. The issue I see with the facade articulation resolution (on your drawings) is that it is arguably neither one nor the other. The window/fenestration articulation is an issue because there's no confident consistency or sequence to the proportions of the new glazing areas. If you want "timeless" then you need to pull it into line with a particular style, either remain faithful to the reference/traditions/scaling/proportions of the original, or if that is either challenging or not providing the functional outcome sought, then consolidate the style/breakup of the extended windows to be visually contrasting yet balanced/controlled against the original. It's a similar story with the materials, it needs to all balance compositionally. Usually the decisions in this area come down to how best to balance also in conjunction with the roof form. And getting to the roof, this is again similar in that it's not ideal to mix & match gable and hip forms unless there's good reason to do so or you feature projecting gables out from a primary hip composition like as in cal bungs. I think you'll find it would be a better outcome to confidently work with one or the other here. In this case the existing primary reference is the gable form and this could be really be made the defining building form feature, but you need to decide upon how you articulate the gable forms - it's like there needs to be a clever/clear approach/language developed with some contemporary material to express the garage gable full height so it reads as the single material, rather than being broken up with the garage door and the gable infill - if it was a hidden door and the form finished more consistently the whole thing would look classier, professional and more elegant. There is super potential here to get this right and look amazing. I think the layout is all OK but some harder work is required/deserved on the facade, street presentation and form resolution, which obviously you are aware about since you've asked the question......possibly here, less in more ;) PD