Hello @charlie_com Wow, what a great lot of advice and help. The Houzz community always amaze me with their generosity and info in helping homeowners with their project plans. And how exciting that you're looking at renovating! Your home has a lot of potential! I have a few comments to share which may be of use to you ... 1. Getting the design right - so it suits your family now, and into the future, (as well as creating a home that will sell well and quickly when the time comes) is a great way to start any project 2. Whilst your home is lines on a page, change is cheap - so whilst you may want to hurry up and get it built, it's worth taking the time to maximise every opportunity for your design, and to save time and money during construction, in the design phase. 3. Use professionals based on their specialty skills. Choose professionals you feel a good fit with, but that also have demonstrated experience in offering what you need. So builders are great at building ... some have an interest in design, but it's not their role or specialty. I have a blog on my site about the differences I see between building designers, architects and draftspeople - you can read it here as it may help you choose who is the best fit for you and your project. http://undercoverarchitect.com/architect-vs-draftsperson-vs-building-designer-whats-the-difference/ 4. Speaking to local agents is a great start to understanding what will add value and what won't. The Gap is a little bit of a tricky area of Brisbane value-wise (I have owned and renovated two homes there!) as it can have a bit of a ceiling on value. We really noticed that with our places, and our third reno was a home in Ashgrove, which is such a different market, even though it's one suburb over. Buyers in The Gap usually come from The Gap - it seems to be one of those areas that, once people move in, they don't leave ... because they love the bush setting, the amenities, and it is a lot closer to the CBD than most people realise! However, what people pay for in homes varies - so the local Harcourts is a great agency, and Ray White Ashgrove is also good, and Ryan Smith at Remax is awesome ... but yes, getting 3 or 4 agents in to talk about improvements, and value (even if you have no immediate intention of selling) is worthwhile 5. With kids your age, creating flexible, functional spaces that offer the ability to come together (but still feel some sense of privacy from each other) as well as spaces to be apart (but not locked away) is helpful as they get further into their teenage years. I would always seek to get living areas connecting physically to outdoors - it is especially one of the things that sets homes in The Gap apart from the Queenslander homes in neighbouring suburbs. It facilitates easier living in your home, and is great for young families especially. It will always help your home to feel larger too - as you capitalise on all of the block for that feeling of space. 6. Whether you change your entry or not is one thing ... you can change your address, but I would always check if one street has more real estate value over another. Being a corner block, the challenge is ensuring you create privacy on street frontages, so you don't feel exposed (but still get the natural light you need) 7. In Qld, yes, there is lots of sunshine. However, managing the heat load is essential for homes to feel great. So orienting spaces to the north and east, and reducing the access into the home from western sun. Creating overhangs that protect and shade from high northern summer sun, and also creating shady areas outside your home that cool breezes before they enter the house. 8. Working out your budget at the get go is a great start, and factoring in all those fees as well. I recommend that you think about what will add value to your home, and make your experience easier too. As with any industry, there are great architects, and not so great architects. However, choosing the right professional with great expertise - well, the money they save, and the value they build into your design and home - should more than cover their fees. I am very clear (even as an architect) about not pushing people to use architects ... however I struggle with the advice that says "an architect will cost too much - use a good draftsperson". We spend a lot of time in our homes, and a lot of money on them (often a 30 year mortgage!). If you were about to invest $100,000 or $200,000 in the stock market, what level of expert would you speak to about that? Perhaps thinking about it that frame of mind will help. Because you could be spending this renovation money on anything - so it needs to be an investment that adds value to your home, and your lifestyle in it. I have lots of free help and advice on my website, and send out more in my free weekly UA News (which you can get by popping your email address in on my website). Best wishes as you progress with your planning for your home. Warm Regards Your Secret Ally, Amelia, UA x www.undercoverarchitect.com amelia@undercoverarchitect.com ps - here are some before and after shots of a home we renovated in The Gap. You can see more piccies here ... http://undercoverarchitect.com/portfolio/denning-st/

i wonder if there's something buried under all that soil that made it easier to build up the soil level than install the old fence at ground level (check with council and "dial before you dig" about any water pipes, underground cables, septic tanks etc but if the raised soil is only about 60cm above the general ground area it shouldn't cause any problems to remove except lots of hard work and then you have to find somewhere to take the leftover soil and rubbish...a backhoe with driver and skip would be well worth the expense to clear the whole area neatly and quickly but first discuss a new fence with the neighbours as you may need to have a survey done to ensure you know exactly where the boundaries are and the survey should be part of the shared costs of the new fences on their sides...also check the insides of the garage to see if there appear to be any difference between the internal walls on the high soil side and the low soil side...if the soil has just been piled up against the outside of the garage it shouldn't cause any problems to take it away...if in doubt call a structural engineer for advice about the garage

Thanks @siriuskey. We had the same thought, but our builder said the frame style moulding is for interior use only and would perish in 2-5 years in the full sun on the front of the house. Perhaps there is moulding that is suitable for outdoor use... I do like the look. One of our neighbours has done it (blue-grey paint, white window frames) and it looks good. We have done the kitchen window in the back as an experiment; it is undercover and out of the sun though. I like the grey idea, but our neighbour's house is shades of grey (not like the book ;) and we didn't want to be too matchy-matchy. We might have another think about the paint... thank you for your comments. :)

Siriuskey, thumbs up on the designer of that bathroom and you for posting. I just love them. Drying shouldn’t be too much of an issue, thank goodness, as the en suite has the wood heater directly flued into it during the winter and, with good airflow, it’s not a problem in the warmer seasons, and the other bathroom will mainly be used by guests and the towels laundered appropriately. I find, Lorraine, in my household everyone just tosses the towels over the shower and the rails just collect dust. The coat hook idea is going to be perfect, and AH the idea of choosing a slightly more ornamental one will be perfect. So once again guys, thx. You’ve made this house thing so much easier