The plan looks a nightmare - bedrooms facing the street, a tiny internal bathroom with no window to the outside (is that legal?) and a "lounge" that looks like it was meant to be a third bedroom. If the internal walls are stud and don't support the roof you're in with a chance, but I'd say to do a proper job the cheap option is NOT going to work. I'd put two bedrooms where the current family room and lounge are and extend the bathroom into the boot room to give window access, or scrap the current bathroom altogether and use some of the space in what is now the kitchen for a new one. Keeping the WC separate is a good move. If you make the street side the social side of the house you can open it right out and create a big front porch that's a social spill-over from the kitchen/dining area, creating indoor-outdoor flow. Planting (two or three shade trees and some stands of tall perennials rather than a "green fence" hedge) keeps your front garden private yet inviting and stops your front porch becoming a stage set for the street. Good luck! I think you'll turn this very ordinary house into a much nicer place to live!

Hi Jaymee, my name is Dean from Dean Dyson Architects. Without firstly fully understanding all the requirements and restrictions of your project we are unable to offer correct and useful advice. We have a process to help clients in your exact position. We go through a 'Needs and options review meeting proces'. This a one hour meeting with us at our studio is designed to help you understand your options and how to achieve them. We will bring you all the facts regarding your block, listen to your needs and ideas, advise you accurately on what you are able to do and tell you whether what you want to do is feasible. This process allows us to provide you with correct reliable advice and with actual achieveable options. Our clients have told us that following their meeting with us they instantly knew what was possible and how to achieve it. It saved them time and from having the same repeat conversations of can we even do that? If you would like to discuss your project further with me feel free to call our studio or visit our website should you wish to find out more. All the best with your project, Dean - 0400 039 508 Dean Dyson Architects.

You have a classic post-war cream brick home, and the cream brick is the feature with its subtle variation in colour. The dark brown accent colours, which are not original, were probably added in the early 1970's. With your tight budget I would not be rendering the brick. You may like to read my blog post about why you should NOT render a classic home. https://secretdesignstudio.com/render-brick-home-tribute-triple-fronted-blonde-brick-veneer-home/ I would be looking at removing the "feature" awning and replacing it with something more appropriate to the home such as vertical black and white stripe which I suggested to these clients who have a similar brick and tile combination to yours. I would then look at repainting the gutters and fascias to co-ordinate with the awning. Introduce some landscaping to soften the look, and consider painting or rendering the dark brown base brickwork (but never the cream brickwork). Finish all of the timber window frames in the original Dulux Vivid White. I would not be adding the fake Victorian-style verandah to the home as you have proposed with its ornate iron lace. It will just look so wrong mixing these elements from different centuries from homes with very different proportions. I don't think I have actually seen a new renovation with fake decorative iron lace since the 1970s! At the end of the day, you won't be able to "modernise" or change the style of the existing home with your budget. What you can do is to celebrate the 1960's character that you already have and build on the original parts of your home which will be more cost-effective. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls.

We are in the process of finalising our exterior for a new build on the northern beaches in Sydney. we have 2 concepts one with either brick veneer and the other with sycon cladding. cost will be a major factor in this decision as we like both concepts and are mindful of overcapitalising in our area. can anyone shed some light on approx cost savings in building a lighter weight upper floor with cladding?