Just to confirm I have taken the great ideas presented here as advice only and have no intention to do some dodgy diy reno's. With the exception of a couple of quirky exposed timbers as you can see in my pictures there are no other exposed beams. As you can also see from the pictures there is a large roof space on the right (east) side of the house but the ceilings themselves are flat with a slight dip on the north wall. Based on my own personal experiences I would have to agree with Two's Company that there is a tendency towards rendered brick in WA (although there are still many exposed brick houses in my suburb) while double enclosed double garages are also highly desirable. I would also agree that toilets within the main bathroom and non traditional laundries may be considered unusual by many (but not all). Ensuites with toilets however are still very common. Also due to the nature of our work we would prefer the laundry separated from food/kitchen area. For a 4x2 house it is only around 155m2 excluding carport/alfresco which makes the rooms feel quite cramped, hence the desire to open up the family room. However, as Two's Company suggests we will need to first get a builder/eng in to check load bearing walls etc as this will undoubtedly affect what we can achieve within our budget. Having said that I still excited by many of your ideas and with luck hopefully can work some of them into the budget. Cheers all :)

Last piece of advice simonsays - never "assume" anything - more often than not people sorting through this stuff on their own misjudge, either in under or over estimating what's involved, incorrectly thinking that it will be either easier or harder than it actually will be to achieve whatever it is......you need to define your various project requirements/details etc as a starting point, and have clarity on what aspects are more or less important for you. This also must include your budget BEFORE you put pen to paper working through the design solution...so if you want a 2-way fireplace, consider it now, and factor it in within the process of working through the costs (which should be occurring simultaneously.........also, remember that "design" is a process, working towards an outcome, which as always is about resolving project requirements to budget within a particular context/conditions.......the project outcome, whatever that is, will be very much determined by the design process and the extent it is invested in and executed....hope this all helps and best of luck with it all :) PD

Hi Sara, It's difficult to find a plan that is orientated correctly & fits all your needs isn't it. But keep looking, & see if you can find something out modify a plan by flipping out, or making small changes. As many of others have mentioned, you are in the enviable position of having a wide block with a northern rear aspect. Use that northern aspect to it's full potential! Stretch the floorplan at the rear, across most of the with of the block. So try to locate the majority of your living areas at the rear of the home. The living room, the dining room, & the kitchen. I think I read that you're not a fan of open plan? How about broken plan, to break things up? Western sunlight is harsh on summer afternoons & evenings. So although some of the most recent plans have both facing living areas, I also see west facing bedrooms, which is a bad idea. Try to locate bedrooms on the south & east. So the master in the SE corner, the minor bedrooms to the eastern side. Unfortunately something has to face west. Try to locate rarely used rooms here if possible, certainly not occupied bedrooms. So the garage in the SW corner. The second multi-purpose living area/kid's retreat, or possibly the main bathroom, the laundry, butler's pantry if you're having one. Possible the alfresco in the NW corner. If you want to read up more on building a comfortable, energy efficient home, start with this great website, https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design

I am going through Granny Flat issues at the moment. First of all I agree with oklouise, avoid calling it a granny flat. Was it built as a Secondary dwelling ? I am seeking certification for my 'granny flat" which was originally built as a 'pool house" on the block. It was subsequently added onto on two sides, but the additions were never approved by the council. A secondary dwelling classification means you can rent that dwelling separately. We have no desire to rent ours, so we are going for an extension to our main dwelling. Ours is under the 80sqm, so no probs there. Council is taking a dim view of classing it as a habital dwelling, so on plans we have called the bedroom a 'storeroom' and the kitchenette is an extension to the existing pool shed. I think you should seek advice from a Private Certifier, your local council may be one that requires you to go through a Private Certifier anyway.