it will be a gorgeous house and i struggled to find any alternatives but a few minor ideas could be worth considering...starting with the garage a personal access door so that you could carry rubbish out through the garage and come inside without having to go upstairs or open the roller doors or bifolds, the door between the garage and lobby is more comfortable away from the corner, the bathroom reversed is more private and will there be an external door out through the garden room to the garden for clothesline, emergency escape or access to the pool?

upstairs there's some ideas for the bathrooms, bay windows and external doors have been rearranged and i wonder if the smaller study should have access from the entry hall and be able to be separated with closing doors from the bigger study to create separate "his and her" studies?

on the top floor more suggestions for the family bathrooms with a separate toilet and rearranging bed 3 creates a bigger wiw and ensuite with a relocated walk in storage room and the ironing board is out of sight inside the master wiw and the external doors and bay windows have been rearranged

Oklouise, thank you so much for your considered feedback, it’s very appreciated. I’ve been looking at these plans for so long it’s hard to see them objectively.

Basement: Love the idea of a PA door from the garage to outside, along with flipping the bathroom. There is no external door at the back of the garden shed, as this wall is underground. Access is via the roller door at the end. Clothesline will be out this end.

Mid-level: The position of the bay window & French doors on the front exterior are set, as they are original & have to stay as per character restrictions (1901 Queenslander). Regarding the study, we had debated about a second entry point from the hallway, but have decided to utilise that wall space for built in bookshelves - the label is misleading, it’s not really a second study but more of a reading room, which is linked to the study via a decorative arch that will mimic the house’s original fretwork.

I much prefer your bathroom layout, however it’s hampered by the exterior wall windows. So while seemingly a big bathroom, we lose a lot of space to windows. Having previously had a window in a shower which eventually rotted, I’m keen to avoid that where possible. But it does restrict the layout, unfortunately.

Top-level: Love the rejig of bedroom 3, it’s a much more efficient use of space; however, we’ll have to consider how this affects the exterior side windows placement. This top bathroom layout is also dictated by exterior window placement. Finding the balance between natural light & function is proving quite tricky in these two side bathrooms.

Our other undecided is if we put a lift in the space that is the 2 powder rooms. Given we hope to live here into old age, it’s something we keep going back & forth on.

So despite months of work and redrawing of plans, we still have more work to do! Thank you for your wonderful feedback :)

i wondered if the house was a new build or renovation but whatever you decide it will be a gorgeous new home so good luck with the new work and look forward to seeing some after photos

thinking about a future lift and the bathroom windows here's some more thoughts...lifts can be retrofitted into quite small spaces but the real challenge is to line up the lift shaft from basement to top floor so i haven't included the laundry shute, AC or lift entry/exit which would need to be located with more fine detail but the lifts can have the access from either side and the laundry shute could be relocated from top level direct to basement with a separate shute from under kitchen bench to laundry?

and finding space for the lift suggested an alternative arrangement for the bathrooms with a separate toilet and no shower against the external walls

would be helpful to see how the house is positioned on site and within context as well as a front/street elevation - agree with Retro, but understand that considering external space requirements that this arguably is the only way to go for that size block with tennis court & pool....

my only other thought was that the family room upstairs is a bit internalised and positioning bathrooms and WIR onto (what I assume) is the rear yard/rear balcony is argaubly not making the most of the main living or bedroom outlook opportunity.....just my 2 cents :) good luck PD

I think a lift is a must if you intend this to be THE home, it will also be very handy for visiting parents.

Just remember to make it big enough for any possible medical emergency, ie; trolley bed. Looks like a beautiful house, I'am very glad that I don't have to clean it. cheers

The only other comment that I should make is to think about your roof plan. Looks like you have some large expanses of roof that may be draining into box gutters, but it is hard to read. Also include the rain heads and downpipes in the elevations as you don't want any nasty surprises during the build. I would redesign the roof to avoid box gutters as they are difficult to access and maintain when they are three floors above ground level.

The problem with box gutters is that they are out of sight and out of mind as you can't see them from ground level. If there is a blockage then the first time that you realize that you have a problem is when the water starts running down your plasterboard.

Best of luck,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

BUILD Architecture Award 2018 · More Info

Paul Di Stefano Design, thank you for your feedback. I have included the site plan and front/rear elevations to give more context.

As to the upstairs family room being internalised, I agree to an extent. This is the original part of the home, so we are keeping the front two rooms, along with this one. Given the main living areas are downstairs, we're happy to lose the upstairs back deck to private bedrooms, as we are unlikely to entertain up here. It will be a private space. I have visions of lying in my bath with the French doors open to the back deck, which has green and leafy outlook.

Cheers again for your input. It's all very appreciated and helping me have a fresh look at things :)

Dr Retro, will the square roof connecting the original and extension roof and the extended skillion over the rear extension and verandah avoid any potential problems with box gutters?

it's always a matter of sorting through the personal priorities one way or the other - not necessarily right or wrong, but just preferences - I think that the original traditional character, formality, scale and symmetry has been taken through quite well/consistently with the proposed extensions which is good to see...we all will have opinions on certain aspects, but ultimately you know how you want to live and as long as this drives and is reflected/represented in the design solution then you'll be fine....I'd agree though that a lift is worthwhile for these scale and format homes - we always design them in as a default on the 3 level jobs - and if required you can easily set-up different side openings for different levels if the layout calls for it...good luck! PD

Firstly i love the old world charm of this epic size project, but i'm sure it's just me and our small walk thru robe to our ensuite. I wonder if having a lobby opening into ensuite than walking through a dressing room to the master bedroom constantly is the best layout. Plus a long walk to the loo in the night.

And given the scale a lift is a great idea.

Just thoughts to ponder, looking at a plan is one thing but visualising it is better. Maybe if your architect could show's you 3d model if they use a B.I.M software program it would really do this justice.

another thought to increase privacy for the lobby and ensuite would be to offset the entry doors

yes on closer look I'd agree with 3D re master layout, but of course it is personal preference......it seems a little strange walking through a robe before accessing a main master space - I think this part of the issue with the upper layout in that you've got master zone directly next to the 2nd (kids) living area and what this is trying to achieve is appropriate separation, which it does, but arguably not managed as well as it could be. I like the lobby idea, but ideally the master should come off the lobby and then maybe then access the ensuite via the WIR if you need.....IMO it's worth considering other layout options in this area - it's like it's a tight site flow solution that's being forced because of the scale, when a master suite for a residence such as this should not feel odd or awkward. but properly balanced....perhaps the answer is something like flipping the master and Bed 3 positioning so the Master access is more direct via a lobby and the Bed 3 is more appropriately zoned like the others...various pro's& cons to weigh up one way or the other

considering Paul's suggestions here's one example of a reversed arrangement of the master suite and bed 3 which adds extra space and external access to the family room

Yes Paul i think your on the right track as architects and designers we often ponder these things for a while. An i can see some benefit in your last attempt OK but the architect has gone to a great deal thought on the symmetry of this building and i think the bay window is part of this problem.

Don't get me wrong we have a bay widow in our kitchen an love it, as ours is cottage style currently. I just think that one does go thru a dressing to the ensuite. Entry points need to change as well. Plus it would work better for service to not be all over the upper floor ( plumping nightmare ).

Actually questions have to be asked why B3 gets an ensuite while being of the bedrooms and B1 has use main bathroom. Is there heritage issue's on this level or does it only relate to front elevation of the house.

I could also be of benefit to see original layout, As it looks like really only most of the back of house will be new. I may ponder some more

While not scaled maybe this sort of layout, could be reworked a bit to achieve desired result.

Sorry for the belated reply everyone, thanks again for the feedback. Certainly more food for thought regarding the master suite layout. My preference is to keep the master bedroom in the same position as I love the two sets of French doors for air flow, plus the elevation and outlook is nicest in this corner. However, i certainly agree that we may have to alter the bathroom/WIR/lobby positions to most optimally use the space.

You guys are great, thank you!