Hi Joanna We love both! A common misconception we've found with freestanding baths and spas is that they're simply be too heavy to move around for cleaning purposes. To make cleaning manageable, our 100% Australian made baths and spas are manufactured using Gelcoat composite construction which is extremely strong yet not overly heavy (5mm thickness to ensure structural rigidity and increased thermal properties). So one of our baths is typically around the 40-50kg mark which allows most people to easily slide the bath out from the wall for easy cleaning access. Freestanding stone baths are a different story altogether! Regards, Brad AQVA Luxury Baths & Spas

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 :)

Thank you siriuskey :) The location is metro Adelaide so very hot summers and cool winters. Plans are for timber frame wall and roof construction, rendered hebel panels for all external walls and colourbond custom orb roofing. Party wall construction with 25mm gyprock shaft liner panels. Laminate timber flooring for living areas, carpet to bedrooms, tiles to wet areas, stone bench tops. Exposed aggregate concrete driveway & front footpath, grey concrete/paving to side path & pergola area. The market for these homes is predominantly downsizers, first home buyers and possibly single/separated parents with young children who do not want a large block of land. Basically nicely completed traditional/modern homes with above average finishes but not too high end.

I have a Caesar stone bench top. I have a double sink with a drainer attached. I also have a drying mat always on bench top next to sink. The drying mat is for anything that needs washing in the sink, or for glasses that have a wet base. If the items are put on the bench they leave water marks on the caesarstone. You may not see them in certain light, but they are always there. I use a caesarstone cleanser every couple of months. It takes all the water marks away. So.....if you don’t have a drainer for the waiting to be or washed items, then buy a few drying mats.