If you "change" anything that involves a building approval then the floor area on the plans relevant will count towards the overall amount. If it amounts to beyond 50% of the existing conditions then the whole building becomes applicable to energy calculations and so you enter into up spec'ing existing areas. And yes it can often be a good thing to be doing anyway, but of course it costs money. If the total area being changes is below 50% then only the areas of new work are applicable. I'm honestly not a specialist in this area, but I have to deal with the issues naturally in the course of the design and resolution of project solutions I provide, and hence I use an energy consultant regularly and we have a way/system of working through together how best to achieve the requirements for permit. As far as I understand it's a case by case/project specific exercise and also there's various ways of negotiating/achieving the necessary performance requirements - e.g. you can play around with different levels of insulation together with a particular glazing/window spec, and depending upon circumstances you can save money one way or another. Sometimes I'll squeeze windows overall down to get it under a certain amount to not trigger requirement for expensive glass...also timber windows rate better, but if you are in a bushfire area you'll be caught out or require very expensive timber windows...it's a real juggling act in particular contexts...which is why you really need to be working collaboratively with an energy consultant/specialist to work out the best solution in this regard, as well as the other aspects of design, structure and bushfire etc. It's a true team effort ;) If you're really up for some technical reading you there is some further energy info here NCC Volume One Energy Efficiency Provisions 2016 - Australian ... but it may get confusing........Coming back to the core of it, my advice: 1. define your budget 2. list and prioritise your requirements 3. seek some preliminary advice/assistance from a seasoned designer doing this type of work to test whether or not the general concept of what your endeavouring to achieve is viable, and this depends upon the relevant context/existing conditions etc (and bushfire rating is yet another layer on top of all this), and then refine the concept from there. If you are just doing a bathroom or kitchen isolated then you can arguably do it yourself, but if you're re-jigging the whole house like it appears you are heading towards, and on a very tight budget then I'd highly recommend (to save yourself headaches and frustration going around in never-ending circles) to invest some of your available budget into front-end design, to get to a solution that works to your nominated priorities so you achieve a viable and professionally advised outcome. Trust me it will be money well spent. Have a great Christmas, and best of luck with continuing to work through it all :)

The gloss Ceaserstones are durable, workable kitchen surfaces, but like any kitchen benchtop they are not indestructable, and still need to be cleaned. Usually a quick daily wipe down with a damp cloth is enough, but don't let spilt red wine sit around too long as it will stain. I can't vouch for the Raw Concrete and Cloudburst Concrete as I would not recommend them to a client. They are currently too fashionable and will date. A more classic look is better long term value when you consider that most new kitchens are around for fifteen to twenty years. The plainer the pattern the more obvious it is that it will need cleaning. Benchtops with a stronger pattern, such as Atlantic Salt are better at disguising mess, but still need to be cleaned. It is your money and your kitchen and if you are unhappy with your architect suggesting a product you need to let them know that you want something more practical. It sounds like you have done your research on Raw Concrete and Cloudburst Concrete, and they haven't! If you really want a concrete look benchtop then checkout the GFRC benchtops made by Slab Culture. https://www.slabculture.com.au/ Best of luck Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

to access the power point through a backboard cut a matching hole in the backboard to access the power point and add a small extension cord to have the power in a more convenient location but storage depends on what you need to store but try the PAX wardrobe (1500 wide x 2100 high) with extra shelves plus a freestanding chest of drawers eg Malm 80 wide to leave a small gap at the window wall for the blinds and use wall hung open shelves and don't forget to secure the wardrobe and drawers to the wall...if you prefer the chest of drawers to be the same depth as the wardrobe you could add an extra counter on top of the drawers (Ikea and Bunnings sell custom cut counters in various colours but consider having the chest of drawers and/or the wall shelves in different colour for constrast and matching knobs or handles to doors and drawers

Put a rug under your work area and hang some heavy curtains would be cheaper. But all 3 better