Can I suggest looking into having a quantity surveyor assess your property (and you can claim the cost of having this done). They will provide a depreciation schedule for you which will tell you how much each item will depreciate in value over the maximum number of years you can claim. If an item is at the end of its depreciable life, they will tell you what you are able to replace. Even if you only have tenants for a short while, you are able to claim depreciation for a pro-rata period that your asset is income producing. What all this means for you in terms of design - there may be ways to improve the look of your property in line with what you will want it to look like when you eventually move in, which could gain you a tax benefit. Of course, you have to have the $$ to spend on it in the first place. Oh - and in terms of furniture - do you know about Casey Auctions in Hallam? they are close by and you may pick up some really good bargains. I know we did!

It's hard to match tiles with the oak and black as its dated...not sure off your budget but they have kitchens in white under $1,500k in Masters and Bunnings if you get a nice plain white kitchen with cream bench top you can have any timber floor look you like and change the top tiles in plain with put plantation shutter in the kitchen window and you will have a transformed update kitchen dining area under $5k

yvonne.. re sanding cupboards I had mine professionally sanded because they were looking worn. timber is American Oak and it really didn't lighten very much by sanding. so depending on your timber you might not achieve much. i would change a few upper cabinets with glass doors, white perspex or remove a few doors, paint the back of shelving and hang wine glasses or whetever and break the load that way. I replaced my range hood with a pull out chrome one and that in itself made a difference nt tying in with the chrome handles. see pictures. maybe you could paint the legs or reupholster the stools to white...all part of the kitchen.

Melamine describes the surface finish, not the core of the board. Most 3mm thick boards at Bunnings are MDF (medium-density fibreboard) which is not water-resistant. When MDF gets wet it swells and falls apart so is not stable for places that may get wet, which is why there shouldn't be MDF skirting boards in bathrooms, especially near a shower recess. However, if your 3mm thick panel is not MDF based its success (or failure) will depend on what material it is actually made from. Your problem will be sealing any joints, like where it meets the benchtop and vertical corners. In addition, you may also have penetrations for powerpoints and taps which will also have to be properly sealed. Near a stove, you may have steam that gets behind and starts problems. Quite often a cheap, fast fix can turn out to be a more expensive solution in the long term when it needs to be replaced. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits