When designing a kitchen - you need to think about function first. Typically one takes food from the refrigerator or pantry, prepares it at the sink, then cooks it on the stove. Therefore, the logical progression between these three areas is in a row - and your layout does not take this into account at all - and your hutch is in the middle of where you need to have a major workspace. I would invest the money in moving the plumbing to the back wall Where you have your stove drawn in now, which will allow for plenty of room for the dishwasher to either side, and plan the stove in the space where you have the hutch currently. If you Were to move the fridge closer to the back wall, you could slide your hutch between it and the entrance wall to serve as your pantry - which means you might not need to extend that wall out at all since it has a finished side. I would skip the cabinetry peninsula - and instead find or have built a big chunky table or workbench with an open shelf below which could be used as a peninsula - and continue your country/un-fitted kitchen style. This way, your work progression would be counterclockwise - from hutch & sink on the right, to the sink at the back, to the stove on the left, to plating and serving at the peninsula.

I live in the country and am completely reliant on tank water. I also have a grey water recycling system and can tell how much water has gone through it at any one time as the filters need to be cleaned after so many litres of water go through them. I can almost guarantee that the bath with a couple of grand kids splashing about for twenty minutes having fun will use less water than any of their parents showering does. Even topping it up with more hot water if needed. Unless you are very conservative with your showers baths are not that bad and the value they add to the resale of the average home outweighs any downside. I definately wouldn't buy a house without one. I have had a house that has a bath the size of the shower though, about 1m x 1m by maybe 40cm deep and I think it was called a hip bath. My sister in law has one at her house, she got it from Lanark, as her house only had a shower which is not practical and it was the cheaper option than redoing the whole bathroom. I dont know if that is what you are after or not.

Thanks tweeza, the second idea is also very nice. Gives a long platform to put things on. Also, thanks to Ray. I understand but I have got extra powder room for guests so I'll keep the toilet in. Now working on the bathroom for the back house. This is what the architect has come up with. I like it so far but the vanity is against the window, so where will the mirror go? What are my options here? Do I make the window smaller and taller? or are there any other options.

Jenny Yun, you need to check back on your original plans/marketing brochure. If they show a separate shower to a bath that is what you thought you were buying. A builder can't change from having a shower and a bath to having a shower over a bath without contacting the buyers. Get your solicitors advice if the builder has made this change without going through the proper channels. A Certificate of Occupancy certifies that a home can be lived in. It is a requirement of most local government councils that an occupancy certificate be issued prior to the purchaser of a home taking occupation. If I were you I would be getting my solicitors to confirm about the Certificate of Occupancy before moving in and asking some questions about drainage and mould growth under the bath. Your solicitor should represent your interests, and knows what the law says, so they should be helping you. It is such a pity you have already settled - I hope it is not too late. If there are a lot of apartments with the same problem you may need to consider a class action if you can't get proper rectification from the builder. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls.