Thank you every one for your input! We are very grateful for such great ideas :) VanessaL - the space next to the garage is the 4th bedroom/study, yes we have considered the dog leg in the hallway but we actually preferred it over a long straight hallway, to allow a little more privacy at the back of the house when the front door gets opened, people wouldn't be able to see all the way through the house to the back fence.. also the toilet your referring to is accessed via the ensuite so wont actually be walking past it on entry into the master Andy Pat & Liz Henderson - we have considered the northern alfresco blocking off the winter light and we are intending on having liz's idea of a angled roof over the alfresco or windows above the alfresco roof on the raised ceiling of the living included in the building design.. Liz we would love to see your photos Girl Guides - yes our cool breezes would come from the S, the garage is locked into being on the west as that is where the driveway access already is and changing it is a cost we would like to avoid Oklouise - this is a great plan thank you for your input we have considered having the ensuite on the external wall but then realised it is either going to be the toilet on the exterior (forcing still to have a sunlight) or the shower, where being so close to the fence (1m) the window would most likely only be a long high window - possibly being less effective than a sunlight window anyway? We really like your layout of bedroom 2 & 3 altho we are planning on having a window on the external wall above a sink in the butlers pantry.. and we really do think we would like to keep the dog leg in the hall Please note as well - the estate we are in requires re-assess that is why we have the rear roller door from the garage up the side of the house

m_walker5, just from the 2 photos so far it seems to me the main first improvement to that space would be to remove the wall to the kitchen, so you need to find out if this is loadbearing or not. Stick your head up through the ceiling manhole to see how the structure is framed. If it is fully framed (rafters, ceiling joists, struts bearing down on internal walls) chances are that that wall is loadbearing. On the other hand if it is gangnail trusses (triangular frames with W braces held together with metal nail-plates) you are in luck. These typically span between outside walls and internal walls can usually be changed or removed easily. This is your staring point for deciding how far you want to go with this depending on budget, and is the point where you should involve an architect/designer to work out a comprehensive renovation plan. I have just completed a very similar project where the renovation was urgent (kitchen cabinets were falling off the walls!) but the budget was greatly reduced as the owner unexpectedly lost one source of income. We managed to do a full kitchen renovation, remove walls to create larger open-plan spaces, full re-sand and polish of floors, full internal repaint, all for about $80,000.

I would just like to thank all of you brilliant people too, as well as Karyn. I am I’m a similar boat with respect to only having fur babies and wanting in the future to have a home and not just a house , that meets our needs. Although my first decision will be whether to continue throwing away money in my current money pit of a home, where it is all about the land value and people - such as my new neighbours, remove the house and build oversized mansion for the block or alternatively buyers want to walk in and will pay $1.3 - $1.7 for the mansion that is already completed. Neither of which are within my means or suit my living needs .....pity my house is such a money pit. With all this rain, it has highlighted possible multiple roof leaks from tile roof - easy to see where there is no sheeting on ceiling. Anyway....... As well as being extremely impressed and actually touched by how much Houzz users are prepared to help another stranger ....kindness of the human spirit.....Karyn, I have been reflecting on how much you are teaching many people about the ‘process’ of buying a turnkey house and land package. Don’t underestimate how much you are helping others who may consider venturing down this path and are naive to all the constraints associated with this type of build etc....particularly when one has the additional stress of being otherwise alone on the journey and overwhelmed by the things one has to consider.... Wishing you the best of luck Karyn with both the process and the outcome. and thank you houzzers for your creativity and generosity to strangers....

Hello everyone… thanks so much for the input. Dreamer, i like how you mention that as the family grows the room will adapt to our needs. As for the existing pantry, perhaps we change the doors to match the future joinery in kitchen. Im still in 2 minds about adding an additonal wall behind the kitchen wall to lounge 2 (as the walk in pantry). Just wanted to reiterate that the photos attached are of the existing home we plan to settle first week of January 2022. The previous owners added an additional rumpus room to the house as a man cave I suppose. We plan to update the flooring with herringbone or either straight timber flooring (light/sandy coloured engineered timber), this includes removing thr carpet and replacing with timber into lounge 2. Also we plan to install new carpet into the bedrooms (window frame colour is monument blue). The house has plenty of light throughout which is why we loved this house. It's a north facing home which is a bonus for us. Blinds, flooring will be changed along with a newly renovated kitchen in the future. Later down the track we plan to update the bathrooms too. The walls will definitely need painting, I'm still in two minds (either vivid white or white on white)!?