Ok fair point! The ceiling looks lower than it probably is and has no style to it. No great light, colour - just.... Nothing! The blue rug doesn't match any other shade of overused blue - by match I mean compliment. Should I go on??? I'm sure some people take a photo every time they open up a paint tin. I don't drool I tell it like it is, if it's good I'll say so!

In a previous post on this discussion forum I described my laundry bin...a 30L cardboard barrel which I lined with an old shower curtain and decorated still reigns supreme on the lid of my top loder, Nobody knows what it is and its a never ending source of admiration from an artistic angle. Lacking floor space the only option was to sit it up there or out on the veranda.It works as a cat toy too. It has, however, acquired some vents in the lid since some of my art shirts are often a bit oily and I learnt that some oils tend to self combist in enclosed spaces and can be the cause of house fires. Sometimes hiding things in plain sight is a good option. With Tribbletrouble45142k7Trek...Your baskets sound pretty...why hide such nice functional souvenits!

Hey annb, Siri and bigreader - thank you so much all of you, for taking the time to explain your personal stories to me... I loved reading your replies. Have given me much to think about :) I love the idea of a couple of shelves with photos... one or two select albums around our coffee table and a family wall collection I think - a real talking feature. Any other spaces will have some nice artwork I think? Storytelling through photos and beautiful artwork on our walls - I hope - we can find a nice balance. Now.... the task of working out which specific photos to put where lol! I don't want it to look cluttered.... so it may take some playing with configurations on the floor - to work out which layout will look the best :)

It is rarely cost effective to try and work within an old addition like your lean to. And hard to find somebody that will do it. Most will want to demolish and start with a clean base, and it’s generally cheaper to do so. Your ideas for expansion invoke removing part of the original back wall of the house. This is generally holding up the roof and is costly to adjust/remove. So demo at $25k depending on site access/asbestos, $20k per beam to replace back wall, $25-30k for paperwork/plans/permits. Then your rebuild costs at $4k sqm again depending on site specifics. And the new kitchen at $30k. Plus floor coverings, painting etc. A 100k doesn’t go very far with old houses.