JudyG – Happy Birthday!! Tras – I had that exact issue with where to transition colors, because my house is open concept. The kitchen & dinette are a pale teal .. but they’re open to the great room & foyer, which are peach. I paid the color expert at the paint store for a consultation, and we talked about how far towards the blue I really wanted, I could go in the kitchen/dinette .. leaving a medium green ceramic backsplash, and where to transition colors. We also talked about light & warm colors to replace the dark colors in the main bathroom & finished basement. It was worth the $125, and I didn’t have to wade thru 100 conflicting comments on Houzz! Darzy – I so agree with you, about the scope of fixes some posters recommend. If I asked how well a fabric I was considering for the couch went with other furniture already in that room, I wouldn’t appreciate people telling me to paint the walls, change the windows, replace the flooring, and change the stone on the fireplace! Another subject for us OLLDs to chat about – Consumer Reports magazine/website – are they really unbiased & even handed? Do they have a bias against high-end manufacturers or products?

Thanks Louie and Georgi for your comments. Great suggestions for me to think through. Thanks for taking the time to provide that detail. To help see the space a bit better, I've taken out the wine rack and replaced it, temporarily, with a shelf (that was in a different part of the house) that matches the one holding the water filter (the second shelf is to hold our phone and modem - again, due to a small house, it's really the only place the phone and modem can live). Plus, I've extended the table so that I could get a feel for the size table the area could potentially accommodate, now that the wine rack isn't there. The size of the table with the extension is: 1800 x 840. Ignore the look of the current table - regardless of whether we go banquette seating or not, we would like to change the table and perhaps a pedestal table would be best so that it makes it easier to get to the seats at the back. By the way I noticed that when I look at this post on my iPad I don't see all the photos I included like I do when looking at it on my laptop. Hopefully the photos I've included show okay for others looking at this. Thank you.

Hi Sarah, If you refer back to my initial 'Help' post, you will see the ideas were already there and our dilemma was actually more in relation to which paint colours might work with our bricks. Also, I'm not sure where the idea of us not wanting to add a garden has come from as my post clearly states that the improvements 'will also include a simple low maintenance garden'. I can only assume that the confusion has come about due to so many expressing that we should just do the garden and not worry about anything else, but that would simply put us back to where we were before the previous garden was removed. With all due respect, I can appreciate that many have posted in an effort to save us from what they consider to be unnecessary work and expense, and for that I am truly grateful, because it would be really lovely to simply not worry about doing anything, and as you said, go and enjoy a holiday instead! :) That said, people also need to acknowledge that we are not all of the same opinion when it comes to buying or selling a home. Aside from focusing on our revamp, we've also been actively searching for our 'retirement' home. Suffice to say, the first thing we notice while driving around is kerb appeal, or should I say, a lack of when it comes to some properties, including ours at the moment! :( While the photo's may look good, in reality, the exterior is tired and dated, with the gravel driveway being close to bare earth. Compared to the interior of our home, costs outside have been relatively minimal, therefore I can honestly say that we are quite excited about this project, but, it's goes without saying that we don't want spend a bomb either. Might just be the only little revamp this exterior's ever going to get! :D Anyway Sarah, full credit to you for giving me my first aha moment, which came through reading the final paragraph of your post. You've made me realise, that up until now, some of the decor and colour preferences I've presented are those both myself, and my husband would like if we were the prospective buyers, as opposed to what might work in favour of a broader market. Therefore, after some discussions tonight, we have concluded that... Columns, will definitely be plain square, as round will appear too similar to the existing ones. Front Door and handle will be simple classic Porch tiles - both against the idea of painting, so will definitely replace Paint - haven't ruled out neutral creams. Colour is simply something we're going to have to experiment with Existing gates will stay and get a repaint Our home is a spacious 3 bedroom/ 2 bathroom/ 2 car space with granny flat out the back, therefore we see it appealing more to couples with a young/growing family. I can't thank everyone enough for their time and effort in providing an endless stream of invaluable advice and photos... it's been nothing short of enlightening and I only wish I could print the visual that's in my mind now, compared to the muddle that was present when I first reached out for help. As with any revamp, the journey will be a mix of both highs and lows. That said, it's the end result we're working toward, and we expect to achieve nothing less than a positive outcome. Cheers again to all, Sandi :)

Looks like the real estate agent photo is quite stretched and that the kitchen is quite small, largely because of that, I'd personally recommend having two medium size pendant lights hanging over your bench-top. As for the dining table, i'd recommend a glass topped dining table, so that light can flow through the glass, so you don't block yourself visually - and in essence, creating an illusion of a larger space then perhaps it actually is. Gabriella Otimi Hansel Gretel Australia