I had to settle for a shower for years and years because the place we lived in only had a shower although my showers are deefinitely not a three minute person, more like 15min ha-ha I too decided on a spa bath in our new build, one that is big enough to fit two people but is simply a bath shape and I'm finding it hard to get myself back into baths because of being used to a shower for so long but I don't regret it either. I used to read the paper in the bath back when papers were what was around back then and I do miss that ha-ha

considering all the other advice here's some more suggestions. ..showers are 1200mm x 800 - 900mm, three handbasins would each be about 700-800mm wide but, custom made with a single top and three small drop in sinks there would be more available counter space, matching mirrored wall cabinets would reflect light from wide, above door height windows on both sides with a solid timber hinged door and security screen (although a sliding door is the neatest and most waterproof privacy would be a problem and frosting the glass more expensive and not very private at night)...the best option will be the one that suits most of the users most of the time but it would be a shame not to have external access and there's plenty of space and so many possibilities

the door to the small study would be through the old opening where the wedding picture's hung and the new door for the ensuite would be near the bedroom entry door and the space between the two columns could be filled in flat on the bedroom side and have tall storage on the ensuite side...as you've already discovered the major costs of bathroom renovations i suggest that before making any final decisions you should first consult a plumber about costs of moving the plumbing...with my latest plan the toilet stays in the same location and the new vanities use plumbing from original vanity and the new double shower could possible use the old spa plumbing with pipes redirected in the new wall between the study and new double shower and then the carpenter would need to be consulted about moving doors and walls...

Kate: - I like the idea of a door at both ends of the new central bedroom doorway - maybe some kind of thin sliding door or a foldable shutter door might be best? - house can’t be knocked down/rebuilt due to location in a heritage conservation area OkLouise: - thanks again for doing this - I’ve loved all of your updates, they are so well thought out and hope to incorporate them all into the build - will send you a token of appreciation when the build is finished! - we have already been thinking about whether to rotate the kitchen island 90 degrees as you have drawn - i think it might look weird? but i’m not sure - theres a lot for us to process with your new updates so we'll need to spend some time thinking about them! - i’m resistant to reducing the size of study 2 as that’s the most important room for me as i will spend a lot of time there and it is doubling as a work productivity office/man cave so really want that room to be fantastic! - i thought the laundry chute was above the laundry but will need to ask the architect Siriuskey - I also think there may be too many bathrooms in the house - due to the good location of the property i think it is hard (within reason) to overcapitalise on the property so believe it will grow well in value in the long run so would rather overdo it than underdo it - FWIW the other houses in the street/adjacent streets are kind of similar to our proposed plan so its not out of keeping with the area - am still wondering about combining the downstairs powder room/adjacent en suite into one big bathroom for a bath - variable number of family members staying but 4 to 11 over 3 generations at various times of the year - the plan for the mudroom is for it to be the entrance into the house that we use most so it can also act as a cloak room too so that’s why its not near the laundry - i don’t want a lift in the house as it seems unnecessary for our needs and fi we ever ended up in a situation where we needed a lift we would just sell and downsize Dreamer: - i think we (parents) might end up living downstairs when the kids get older/noisier - they are in primary school currently Pleased to Bijou design - point taken about number of bathrooms - i don’t really have a good answer Paul Di Stafano & Dr Retro - i can sense and empathise with your professional frustrations :) - thanks for the good luck wishes, I agree we’ll need it - fortunately I’m a lifelong/relentless optimist and things always seem to work out ok in the end (and if they don’t, I’ll take it as a positive learning experience) - thanks for the insights into dodgy busy practice business models mummagabz - thanks for comment about small robes - will look into making them larger