I'd be combining the kitchen and laundry by knocking out the wall between them and concealing the laundry appliances in the new kitchen. Ikea kitchen, nearly new appliances (someone is always selling a new appliance that doesn't fit) and flooring (the new linos look really good or perhaps a laminate floor?) If you had the budget, I'd also turn the bedroom next to the laundry into the dining room so your living area connects to the back deck with a lovely sliding door. Maybe also remove wall between laundry and bedroom to create open plan living? Not sure if this is possible if walls are load bearing, but steel beams can fix that maybe? Dining room then becomes bedroom. I like connecting living rooms to outdoor areas, but that's the Aussie in me. Good luck! P.s. Find a good carpenter who charges by the hour maybe? (I married mine!)

Hi We have just created a Hamptons style kitchen ALL IN WHITE in an extension/restoration of a 100 year old home. It looks stunning. The cabinetry is all in shaker profile white semi gloss with Essa Stone 80mm bench tops and square posts at the corners. You don't need to have a different colour bench in order to do a Hamptons look... however the style needs to be complemented with the other items around it eg floor colour/style. Our floor is blackbutt floorboards stained with black japon (dark chocolate but light enough to see the grain) with semi gloss polyurethane. The white on it works very well. If you search for Hamptons kitchens you will find plenty in all white.

I'd go the bright white of the kitchen on the risers , and possibly the wooden panels behind the lower steps -- the wall colour might suit the walls , but just me , I'd like to make the steps look associated but slightly different , referenced back to the kitchen .

Basically , you are paying professionals to strip out 80% of everything , so $1000's , then other professionals to strip out wiring and plumbing , to end up with parts of a 50 or 70 year old frame , that suited a 2 bedroom layout but probably not a 4 bed ( that's what I'd aim for by the sounds of it ) . I'd suspect it would be easy to spend $50k to end up with a compromise ( think doors not exactly where you want , window holes that are too little or high , room sizes too small ) . And then you'll find a builder will only 'discount' you $5k for what is there , and then charge you $10k for all the mucking around . If it was adding on a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom , certainly worth costing it ; if swapping a kitchen and a bathroom , probably ; but when 80% of the rooms , which means 80% of the floors ; 95 or 100% of the roof ; every external wall and 90% of internal ones -- ask why ? If you had a 20 year old car that was a bit dinged , but its done you well , you'd probably go to the panelbeaters and spend $1k , maybe $2k . But if it was a bit dented , rusty around the bottom , motor smoky , gearbox slipping , paint faded , headlining fallen off and both front seats ripped and torn -- you'd head to the car sales wouldn't you ? Or if you had no $$ , you'd hope it lasts another 6 months . Most people wouldn't spent $20k or $30k on it unless it was extremely special .