Hi MJ, what a sweet cottage. I'd go for a thermal roller blind in the kitchen as it'll allow you to get your views and light, privacy of an evening and help maintain heat inside in winter - they're also easier to keep dusted roman blinds. In the bedroom, I'd go for a double railing with sheers that let light in during the day and then thermal and block out curtains to pull across of an evening. You would be able to pick up continuous thermal or block out curtains at Spotlight/Lincraft fairly cheaply - I like the continuous as you can have your curtains as full as you like). I wouldn't worry about lined curtains again as they're just far heavier and a pain in the butt with the amount of dust that both layers of fabric collect. I've got the thermal continous curtains in our bedrooms and have machine washed them and they were far less trouble when I was hemming them. In terms of thermal efficiency of your windows look at secondary glazing options - Magnetite, Ecoglaze and Justrite off options that you might find worth looking at (beats pulling out windows and replacing them).

Hi Donna - Look for a company that offer a 10-year warranty and a product that complies with Australian Standards. There are some companies that provide a 'kit' for your builder to install to make it a little bit cheaper again. There are also products that have a 'rack and pinion' design which minimises maintenance and eliminates the need for a motor pit - just do a google search for "dumbwaiter rack and pinion' . Good Luck!

They are a dark grey in a mat finish in a laminate rather than a two pack. My kitchen guy thought that the two pack is more easily chipped and more expensive. Heres a close up of the tile. We had trouble getting the exact tile for our stairs but there are lots like this out there. The splashback is a porcelain marble look tile. 90 X 60. Which is a good size for a splashback . Theres less grout to clean with the look of marble. im very happy with it

Hi there, I personally don't like the look of that rock wall with your home. It does nothing for it. I would get rid of it, you may even be able to sell the rock for a bit of cash. I would besser block a retaining wall in its place with posts and render this, then use your timber horizontally slated between the posts. Select a paint colour that works nice with your timber colour and carry the colour through to your house. This will also work in with your side timber fence. Also remove all the plants in the front, just because they are lovely doesn't mean they are in the right place or serve a purpose, you may be able to transplant them somewhere else in the yard. Plants: mop tops are a great feature tree and give lots of shade in summer. A hedge along the inside of the fence would look great, Lilly pilly's are good and Japanese box is tough as boots and requires little water once up a bit. Westringia, birds of paradise, hibiscus, viburnum, Murraya all take heat, depends on what look your after. My average temps in summer are 47 degrees and winter -3 & these plants survive. Yes I also agree with a path from the front to the door. Front door to house could have some timber posts added with an awning/patio to make it stand out. The timber would carry through from the front fence. Painting the brick can also give it a lift if you don't want to go modern with render. You could also paint the concrete driveway, there are some snazzy options available for this, plain or stencil. Best of luck! I'm sure it will come up a treat.