Adopting a puppy is like adopting another baby. They need a lot of time and supervision to get them to the self sufficient trustworthy stage where you don't need to supervise their every waking moment. You get there faster with canines than humans, but not if you don't have the time to put in the WORK that they need. The best dog for a busy family is often that ADULT Heinz57 mix. They still need exercise, training, and attention,but not like a puppy does. Consider adopting a black dog from a shelter and save a life. It's a good lesson for the kids that animals shouldn't be throwaways. Black dogs and cats are the least adoped and most euthanized. Save a life and gain a friend for life. Also consider that the best dog for your famly might just be a cat! Cats have taken over from dogs as the most popular pet in the US because they can potty indoors and don't need as much structured exercise and attention. They are perfect for those who seek companionship with less of a time commitment.

Great to hear that you have decided not to paint the brickwork. Can I offer my opinion - I'd suggest painting the garage door and surrounding frame and the adjacent beam and column (currently white) in a dark charcoal/brown to match the ground floor brickwork try Dulux Namandji or Mali. I would redo the retaining wall with large boulders in a more freestyle layout than the current straight line and take up some of the concrete drive near the retaining wall to create a garden on the lower level, curved to still provide access to all of the undercroft unless you wish to enclose part of it with a large full height window. I'd love to see the wrought iron balustrade painted black. My home in the mid sixties had salmon coloured bricks, white window frames and fabulous turquoise gutters! The downpipes were painted to match the bricks thankfully - turquoise might have been a bit over the top! Good luck with your project, would love to see your progress. W

There are hundreds of suggestions that can be made on how to update, renovate and re-design a layout to make it functional for you and allow it to respond well to the built environment. Engaging an architect or building designer at this stage may not be something you're willing to do, as spending money for plans on a house you don't own would not be the ideal situation. The issue with this is that the design phase of a project takes a lot of time and consideration. My best advice would be to play around with the plans and create some sketches, whether online or on paper. If you are happy with the possibilities then buy the property. Any house can be transformed, but whether or not you are satisfied with the transformation is a personal choice only you can make.

Ok so depending on floor colours and overall look that she is going for I think (if she is really adamant) that the blue could work if you change the Amaro cabinets to a whiter shade - this will give it an overall crisp, oceanside feel with the warmth of the soft walnut. Otherwise I would contrast it more with a mid-tone colour splashback in grey/brown tones. Again this totally depends of her tastes... Here's a photo that you could show her with the blue splashback - granted it is a little deeper than her selection but at least she can see it on a realistic scale and of course the timber/white cabinets are flipped in this one. Hope some of that helps!