Are you looking at putting in an irrigation system in or are you looking for drought tolerant plants?

We will be incorporating a very similar floating roof to an alfresco area soon, so very please to bump into your project - It looks great! What an amazing use of the front yard! The fence also is very smart, adding to the street appeal of the corner property (though bit of a walk to the letterbox ;). Would love to see what the other side of the property or what the backyard looks like, was this part of the project? or will it be stage 2 further down the track?

Of course there are other aspects to consider, but orientation plays a very big part in the comfort of a home. The home I'm living in requires not heating or cooling at any time in the year. The living room has sun streaming through the windows this morning, & it's currently 21C inside. That's on a winter's morning! I'd be looking for a lot more than the bare minimum 5 stars! Why build a new house that only just meet an energy rating that will be unacceptable in only a few years. Many builders will orientate their builds poorly, & have to install expensive extras like double glazing just to reach the minimum standards, adding costs to the build. Reorienting the build costs nothing. Plus you'll save on heating & cooling costs. In the end, you'll be far better off financially, plus you'll be living in a far more comfortable house. You're lucky to have the north facing backyard, only 1 in 4 houses have it. Most blocks have quite narrow frontages, you've been blessed with a wide frontage & are extremely lucky to have that very wide backyard. Is be using it to my advantage & placing all the living areas to the north, along with the parents retreat, & the master of you can manage it. The other bedrooms, & bathrooms could occupy the south side (along with the media room, if you want it dark).

Thanks again everyone. These are the best plans I have, still a little hard to read. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zlrfdddp702e45v/2nd%20floor.png?dl=0 Above are a few quick renders of the stair location/direction being changed, and a random woman to use for perspective! Thanks Oklouise! Siriuskey, is this (above) what you had in mind for the kitchen? Looks nice, not sure about cupboard space though? Laura really wanted a butlers pantry, but I don't think we have the space, but I was trying to have some sort of walk in pantry. And this was the last version I had designed before getting your suggestions on here: Not sure if this will work, but here is a link to the FloorPlanner project, if anyone wishes to tinker! https://plus.floorplanner.com/projects/53937748-our-houzz/viewer