LB I think you confuse me as much as I probably confuse you. LOL. ;-) I noticed I had some crazy auto correct word in my last post which I think was supposed to say "able" (I can't remember now what it even said) ;-) Oldroo I think the builder said something like sticking the old roof bats under the floor. The rain, yes we had it here more then a week straight!! It was great because 1) I was on the sunny coast in Qland that week! And 2) we are on tank water which we have been running off empty for about 6 months now and we just got a second tank connected a few weeks ago as well as guttering on our shed and guess what.... Our tanks were overflowing for days!! We could of filled 3 or 4 tanks at that rate!! So I am very happy about the rain!! :-D

I agree with the other comments. Both rugs are too small, especially the dining room rug and you could use one or both rugs to introduce some colour into the area. I would consider one patterned rug for the dining area and a plain rug in one of the colours from the patterned rug in the living area. The dining area rug should be big enough that when you pull out the chairs to sit down, they're still entirely on the rug. The living area rug doesn't need to be too much bigger. Rugs which look soft and plush may help to soften the tiles and look inviting to guests, but they could be difficult to keep clean with two pets. I would definitely try to find some art for the walls. There are a range of somewhat affordable options from online sources like Urban Road. Just choose an accent colour or two and find some art which will help to introduce that colour. The sofa, especially with the ottoman, does seem to be too large for the space. I would consider storing the ottoman elsewhere and trying to pull the sofa away from the back wall if at all possible so that it doesn't look squeezed into the space. The TV cabinet and dining table are very different styles. As the dining table looks newer, I would try to find a TV cabinet which compliments the dining table. I would look for something as low, narrow and unobtrusive as reasonably possible given the confines of the space. I wouldn't worry about a coffee table due to the small space. Once you have your accent colour, a vase or maybe a small, regularly used appliance like a toaster, in that colour on the kitchen bench would help to tie it all together. You have a neutral base, so I think you can choose any colour. Good luck!

HI All....read everything and to me it would appear the main cause is your slab, albeit issues around the slab. A trench is a start, with extra drainage (black round pipe with heaps of holes in it, and loads of scoria). My opinion is that the actual ground is damp and unfortunately concrete is porous, so as long as there's heaps of water around that cannot drain away, the concrete will slurp it up. (I'm no drainage expert) As far as your gib goes, I don't think you have any option but to replace it (then insulate wall by wall as you go.) Here in NZ, I previously worked for a company that did leaky building repairs, and honestly, that black mould is a very real danger to the family's health, so it's got to go. Like others have said, you may get rid of it visually for a period of time, but once you rip the gib off, you may come across other issues. I'd also invest in a dehumdifier and keep that cranked to start getting moisture out of the air, or other options as others have mentioned. Sorry Cathy, ain't no easy fix there..................... Is it possible to have a look into council records to see what the land back in the day was actually used for? That may give you an insight into what the problem could be.

m_walker5, just from the 2 photos so far it seems to me the main first improvement to that space would be to remove the wall to the kitchen, so you need to find out if this is loadbearing or not. Stick your head up through the ceiling manhole to see how the structure is framed. If it is fully framed (rafters, ceiling joists, struts bearing down on internal walls) chances are that that wall is loadbearing. On the other hand if it is gangnail trusses (triangular frames with W braces held together with metal nail-plates) you are in luck. These typically span between outside walls and internal walls can usually be changed or removed easily. This is your staring point for deciding how far you want to go with this depending on budget, and is the point where you should involve an architect/designer to work out a comprehensive renovation plan. I have just completed a very similar project where the renovation was urgent (kitchen cabinets were falling off the walls!) but the budget was greatly reduced as the owner unexpectedly lost one source of income. We managed to do a full kitchen renovation, remove walls to create larger open-plan spaces, full re-sand and polish of floors, full internal repaint, all for about $80,000.