Samantha B I just completed my kitchen Reno in Perth. My pantry was also bricked up like yours. Literally doubled the space by getting rid of it but we found out after that the pantry was structural & we had to put an extra support beam in the roof instead ($800) so be careful of that! We completely moved the plumbing, gas & electrics & it only cost a few hundred! So don't be afraid to do that as long as u know decent priced tradies! We ended up doing nearly everything ourselves & went with a masters flat packed kitchen & sourced our own stone benchtops dirt cheap ($2500 installed for a 2m bench & a 1.5m island each with one waterfall edge.). Heres before & after pics.

Hi creativelychallenged, I'm pretty sure all the tiles are faux-marble from Beaumont Tiles. I've used them in bathrooms and they are cost-effective (from $40sqm un-laid) and look beautiful. Marble and now faux-marble is a classic look so not prone to dating. You may have noticed its recent popularity due to the faux-marble now available as the average homeowner may not have the budget for real marble. People worry about decor 'dating' - think about what you love, what will make you happy to live with - decor doesn't last forever because our own tastes change and decor can suffer from wear and tear. Choose what you LOVE and you can't go wrong :-)

the existing floor and roof over the covered deck may not be suitable to enclose a new room but the space should be enough for a master suite but swapping the dining and kitchen would make better use of the central area...bed 3 makes a better laundry/mudroom with some space to be added to expand the old bathroom and the lounge could be converted to an extra bedroom and/or small media room.. ..

You will need a bath with three or four tile flanges to match the one in the first photo. It has to do with complying with the building regulations for waterproofing and protecting the timber framing that is under the tiles. If the edge of the bath where it meets the tiles is not properly protected from water seeping through then concealed wet rot could start, and eventually everything will need to be ripped out, and built again. Sometimes even the timber floor joists under the bath rot out and need to be replaced. So I would do your research and co-ordinate carefully with your builder to ensure that the details are correctly built. Some builders will not go to the trouble of getting it right as they don't care if your bath falls through a rotten floor in ten years time. Quite often your choices in the bathroom should also take into account the long term functionality of the bathroom, rather than just the aesthetics. Best of luck with your research, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits.