We built about ten years ago. If you've ever read Susan Susanka's books about the "not so big house" concept, that's where we were coming from. The attention went into the efficient design of the house in relation to topography and orientation, and into the quality of fittings. We didn't want to have rooms we didn't use. So, 165 sq m, 3 bedrooms (one became the study), a small but very efficient g- shaped kitchen, open living/dining. We did have two bathrooms - one en suite, the other a combined bathroom /laundry - but while both had showers, neither had a tub. Bathrooms without tubs aren't very marketable to families with young kids, admittedly, but older folk often prefer showers. I do yhink having only one bathroom is problematic, but sticking with 3 beds, no study, isn't. We have an aging population looking for smaller, better houses.

Hi all, I can't seem to reply individually to your comments so here's a general one :) Thanks all for the suggestions and experience-I'm really intrigued by these suggestions of pavilion extensions, those links you attached Kate are super striking! Unfortunately for us we are on a fairly small block of land and one side of the house is a narrow driveway-we looked into building a garage/study on the ground but as we have to be 900mm from the neighbouring fence it was going to be very skinny and just not worth it. I appreciate the thoughts shared on keeping our feet on the ground but as we've two young kids and two dogs (and would love to have chickens again) I'm less and less inclined to give up more of the garden which is what we'd have to do if we extend out. Our verandah roof was done back in the 60's and slopes down and leaks in the rain so hence it needs to be lifted up if we were to build out. Kate, I LOVE your idea of the shed! We actually converted a massive steel shed into a gorgeous shed home when we lived in QLD on a massive rural block of land, loved how easy it was to 'knock' down a wall! :) Sadly we have learned the hard way that trying to save money by hiring a draftsperson that didn't ask us what our budget was has cost us time and money, but I guess in a way I'm grateful as this extra time has given me time to consider building up now instead of out. I'm getting a sense that it will be a lot more expensive to do so so might have to wait another 2-3 years to get re-finance happening. In the meantime we are making some changes to the current set up, slowly adding value and making it more enjoyable to live in :)

I'm going to thro a wobbly into this mix: Have you thought about going two storey so there is some outside space for boys to play? Looking at your site plan play is either in the pool or the street! Master bedroom, with all the robe you want upstairs and a kids free zone! Or boys rooms above as long has they do not own hob nail boots! Then do not use ALL the extra space on ground for your film works! Seriously this would give you some breathing space and some real outdoor living area to enjoy which you can do in Ipswich climate. Four beds separate bath rooms and stairs above with a laundry chute. Down stairs a real laundry (proportional to a five bed house) A powder room with shower for after pool. Your study of a size worthwhile and theatre room for family second sitting room as well as clients. The master can then have better sized robe, all the bits you want in ensuite including separate loo (lovely idea) but please on outside wall with window. Personally, I'm not one for two storey but in this tight site I think it would be much better. Good Luck, Margot

there are numerous Sydney based building companies that offer a KDRB service and many that offer display homes that can provide an excellent starting point for house plans that can be modified to suit.. check websites that have designs (with prices) identified by width of block, size of house (50 squares=465sqm) number of bedrooms, bathrooms and garages for suitable houses and ask for quotes based on your specific site and be prepared for much more than you expect but probably less than the cost of a house needing major renovations that doesn't meet your needs.. and of course you could hire an architect to achieve a truly custom designed home but a few tips would be to obtain a proper site plan showing exact length of all your boundaries, direction of north, locations of services, a detailed contour diagram showing the precise levels of your land and contact local council to find out the maximum size house that can be built on your block and any restrictions for height or easements