What basig is referring to is called an edge build up. You don't need to ask for this, it is the standard way to fabricate stone Benchtops. Stone slabs are generally 20mm thick, although the most common. Benchtop is around 40mm as laminate tops are 38mm. You can opt for any thickness you wish with stone as only the edges are joined to give the impression of a thicker top. Caesarstone has 12mm and other products even thiner than that. High end designs are currently utilizing these profiles to provide contemporary lines, however I get the impression you don't want to push any boundaries with your tops. Hope the thickness breakdown helps.

Fill it with pieces you love and learn to zone out what you can't change. Funnily enough we are having the opposite problem - about to move into a home we have created but still with the 'rental' stuff...it will be an adjustment. Have you seen [this[(https://www.houzz.com.au/magazine/meet-my-houzz-the-coys-stsetivw-vs~60048479) Houzz story about living in a (albeit friendly landlord) rental? Perhaps that is the key - find a great landlord...?? Good luck. I love the concept of hygge - it exactly describes the kind of space I want to create at home and I can't wait to share it with my friends and family. Thanks so much for that link :)

Yes, I would go to the website for "Steel Shower Screens Australia" and complete a quote request http://www.steelshowerscreens.com.au/ They do some beautiful shower screens with a fine steel frame, however they are not cheap. Best of luck Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

Hi oklouise, Thanks for your efforts, it's a tricky house as it has been added to over the years by the previous owner. Hopefully these two plans are easier to work with. The current kitchen + dining/lounge are a converted deck which overhang a paved area. The supporting walls upstairs run E-W and are the northern wall on bed 3 and 4, and the northern wall on the family room running across to the bathroom. The area including bed 1 & 2 and the ensuite is an extension that was used as a granny flat, so bed 1 was actually used as an kitchette/lounge by the previous owner. We'll probably end up using bedroom 2 as a study, while bedrooms 3 & 4 are for children. Downstairs: the floor of the workshop/garage/laundry area are about 60cm higher than the rest of the downstairs area so the ceilings are low in that area. The garage isn't usable as a garage as the driveway is too steep. The thick walls downstairs are besser block walls. There is a window spanning the exterior wall of bed 5. The hot water heater is in the current laundry so we've been trying to avoid moving the kitchen too far from there.