"Architect-designed houses are not accessible to all." This is a myth championed by the building industry. Alternatively, why not focus on the key benefits architects bring to a project. Here are a few for you: • Appoint an architect to your project and you’ll gain a home designed for the way you want to live.The alternative is a builder-designed home that suits what the builder is used to building. Quality builders will ask for plans and specifications to be thoroughly documented so that they can go ahead and do what they do best, which is build. Working out with the owner what you’re going to build and why is the architect’s role. • An architect manages planning approvals. This process is complex, often arbitrarily applied by many Councils, fraught with pitfalls for the novice and is ramped up every year with new hoops to jump. If you want a professional on your side who knows the territory, will go in to bat for you and will forge a way through this minefield, you need an architect. • If you’d prefer to put the works to tender to a number of builders rather than having to accept the quote of the builder you started the process with, you need an architect. • If you’d prefer to protect yourself with a proper, architect-managed ABIC contract that works equally for both parties and is legally enforceable, you need an architect. • An architect will minimise costly changes during construction as he or she will produce a proper level of drawings (expect 20 x A3 pages for a new home, rather than the 1-2 pages you’ll receive from a drafting service.). The reasons for this are that you have on paper exactly what you want to build. Without this, you are entering a contract with a builder with none of the details resolved. You wouldn’t do that if you were buying a house, so why do it when spending an equally significant amount of money? Unfortunately, some builders see this approach as an opportunity to happily accept constant changes from ‘project managing’ owners because it’s just another variation that he can charge for. The longer he is there, the better for his margins, particularly when there’s no contract to speak of. Finally, an architect is a specialist with a professional duty of care, irrespective of financial gain. In other words, they’re there to support and protect you, without benefit to themselves. No one else in the building industry can provide this.

Lovely print. I had a peacock feather print and I had a colour called glacier Grey behind. Think it was Wattyl . Again like your other walls it is a greenish grey but darker. I also had my prints on a charcoal wall..loved that too. As you said the picture ties in with the chairs and now it's not necessary to add more matching colours. I'd buy a couple of sample pots and paint large pieces of cardboard. With the other walls I would consider painting them in whisper white (Dulux) a very universal colour that ties in nicely with all colours.

I don't know about it , can you change it, you can have modern and different but I think your tv unit is mid century style and table is Well I don't know what style it is than you say you want tribal . As someone suggested earlier , stop shopping before you move in it might be all wrong and your taste and ideas might change by then. Trick in decorating is to be patient and only buy when you are absolutely sure that you can take it back. Ha ha.

Hi Kim, Re other comments that have been made on the northern orientation of the house, this does seriously benefit the performance of the dwelling and energy savings no matter what climate you are in. If your preferred aspect is north east, you can still acheive this by stepping the plan rather than angling it. See my rough sketch below. Laundry and office could be interchangeable but with the laundry as I have shown it, you will have outdoor access to an area that is away from the front door. If you can keep your plumbing together, that helps with keeping the cost down but this is not fully aceivable with having separate wings to the house. I'm assuming you want to keep the kids play room as far away as possible so keep that on the north west corner. You can get some afternoon light into the living space via the kitchen or a skylight if you want that. You could swap the dressing area and ensuite in the master bedroom to give sound privacy and allow a bigger window into the ensuite that is not onto the outdoor living area. Also, that could give access to the ensuite from both sides of the bed but keep the plumbing off the bedhead wall. The toilet could be nearer the room entry too for quick access when needed. If you are in a hot climate, for bed 4 have the main window facing south but west if in a cool climate. Alternatively, a corner window might work. Put larger overhangs to the north that suit the sun angle to allow sun in for the cooler months and keep it out in the warm months. East and west, control the sun with window sizing and placement and screens if desired. Good luck. Christine.