Wilson, one way to accrue a list of potential builders, is to drive around your area of Sydney and make note of which builders and building projects similar to yours as well as those who are currently building houses you admire. I would compile as many as possible and be discerning in your list. You might also notice how long particular builds are taking and if tradesmen are regularly on-site. I realise in Sydney this could be a big job, but it may well be worth your time. Then, check out the builders' websites to see their projects and any reviews. As you move closer to short-listing builders, make an appointment to meet with them to show and talk about your project. You will get a better feel for who you think you can work with, any creative ideas they may have to improve elements of your plan, reduce building costs, etc.

Hi there Dave, sorry for not responding sooner, I have been a bit unwell. I would like to add the following ideas. 1) You mention going to a kitchen company and showing your current kitchen plan, the better thing for you to have done would to have taken your floor plan with measurements and asked them what they would suggest, as long as they didn't want to charge you. This way you would get more ideas, not just them politely agreeing hoping to get your business, and why not, 2) I would contact several builders to come on site and give you their ideas of what needs to be done and advise if you would need to involve council and the building costs involved in doing this. The builders will have their own trades electrical and plumbing that work as a team 3) You mention flat packs, they are a great option and can save you a lot of money, Bunnings will do a kitchen plan and cost in store at no charge, Ikea will do the same but not sure about any charges. You can also go online to both and work out a plan, but I would strongly suggest you speak face to face them as they know their product. Bunnings run in store programs where they show you how to assemble their cabinets, both stores have video tutorials, believe me it's worth watching as flat pack anything can be a nightmare. If you can assemble your own cabinets in your own time it will save you a.lot of money, starting sooner than later would be a very good idea I didn't get up to mentioning in planning the layout of your kitchen that the larger the cabinets you use will also save money, ie 2 x 900 as against 3 x 600, the cost per unit plus instead of paying for 3 cabinets to be installed it's 2. It's also makes for a simpler looking design. Most of our Bunnings kitchen is made up of 900 units 2 x Drawers & 900 units 3 x drawer. The exception is 800 cabinet for the sink. 5) Cook top, I would strongly suggest you work a 900 into your kitchen (this would mean having to use a smaller cabinet either side or just between the cook top and the wall). 900 cook tops give superior space to use especially when using large pots/woks and fry pans, they also help to protect laminated bench tops from accidental put down and burns, 6) Range hood, the best look for your kitchen wouldn't be a large stainless wall mounted unit and that's good news as the intergrated ones in over head cabinets would not only look better, give more storage and would cost less. 7) The Island, you have been trying to decide what size, well if you don't have plumbing installed, the island can be free standing with or with out plinths and can be moved if you decide you need more space. You do need to have a couple of power points but make sure they have a longer connection. Our Island is 2.7 x 1200 and has both a cook top and oven with power points and can be moved approx 500m in each direction due to having longer connections. 8) Bench tops, you mention laminate due to cost, we had that problem what with the size of the island. So we went with Plywood (not Marine) We went to Mr Plywood who when the next delivery came in chose a piece with a beautiful grain, had it cut to size and delivered. The plywood sheet came in a 3 meter length but not all do, we had enough to do the sink bench and a top for a tressel table & legs my better half made. cost with delivery 2hrs approx $400. We did a shadow line bench top which had a smaller size white set back under lay. You need to use a good two pack pot sealant on the Plywood. Finally I don't know where I got the picture of the retro coloured kitchen cabinets, but look online at both Bunnings and Ikea cheers

Hi there, the proportions of your home at the front are very good to work with - you could easily go cottage style or modern. I think it is the apricot/beige colour of the render and the black windows and ironwork at the front that is letting down the facade, luckily you have a roof colour that will work with many wall paint colours so lots of options for repainting the render. I cant see if your windows are timber or aluminium, but if timber painting them off-white would make a huge difference as would replacing the ironwork posts with timber posts, some timber trims and railing. That style of facade works equally well with a bold paint colour or a lighter colour, so again you can opt for a classic or modern look. Is all that paving needed, is it for parking? If you dont want to remove it then perhaps just taking out some pavers in the center to form a large square and planting a feature tree (edged with box hedges or planted around with groundcover) would look amazing and break up the large paved area. Julie's images show how great box hedges look, using them to line driveways and divide areas creates a formal and neat look.

Alright brains trust! For anyone who wants to tackle this weekend's options. House one is a total crazy town - 250m2 of living space, with the top floor rented out separately (with a separate entry). We'd want to bring the two levels together into one house. House two is a little place, on a good size corner block. Our dream requirements across both houses are: 4 bedrooms, including main with genuine WIR and ensuite At least 2 bathrooms with a separate toilet (or 2.5 inc a powder room) Two living spaces Open plan kitchen/dining, with a big island and a walk in pantry A mud room connected to the garage Maximise indoor/outdoor flow, with light - it's Canberra, so we have both -8 and 40 with depressing regularity. Both of the properties are brick veneer, timber bearer and joist floor and conventional truss roof. House one has a SW facing facade, 780m2. House two has a S facing facade, 990m2. Both are flat blocks, and easements are at the edges of the property so no real encroachment issues. Unfortunately I don't have legible floor plans, other than the agent's mock ups, for either. Happy to answer questions where I can! House One House Two