Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating volume build in ANY way....there's actually little positive I can say about it except they are a more affordable option, and for some people that's the priority.....,whether or not it's in fact good value for money is a whole other discussion ;).......people have to work out where they sit within the quality to quantity spectrum for a particular project..................It's certainly a challenge here for you in that how can you accurately assess and distill/filter the "advice" offered by various parties?.......Seriously, unless a builder actually absorbs your design brief and comes back with a considered solution, any suggestion/comment such as " you could raise the ceiling" or "put in a window" or "use trusses" of whatever is neither here nor there, and are just floating ideas to consider in the mix...........but isolated "suggestions", whilst may be ideas to consider, don't effectively dealing with the overall solution/big picture to your challenge..................there are different areas of expertise in this game.....builders are builders, (and they seem to have a knack of getting called in and influencing too early in the process) they build stuff and certainly they have an idea about this and that from experience, and they can provide sound quotation/opinion on how much it will cost to do something... BUT really only properly/accurately once there is hard documentation in place (read: documented&specified, not basic concept/design sketches/verbal ideas) .......I have great respect for builders (it's a seriously hard rugged gig) and I know some fantastic ones, but builders are (in general) not "designers" unless they have come form a design background......and the conversations if held too early can be (unintentionally blurred, confusing and actually detrimental to the client and what they really need to be focusing on...........design advice from a builder can be offered with good intentions, however I have found it generally comes from more a singular benefit angle (usually motivated by business/profit) whereas (good/seasoned design) advice from a design professional comes from more complex, balanced and creative position and process in which various aspects are simultaneously managed/considered to achieve results for a client on multiple levels, ie, cost, function, aesthetic, experience etc.............the different and various professional skills all have their place, but need to be utilised in the right order relevant to the process......................yep I wish you all the luck.....these are always big investments, and big decisions, both emotionally and financially :)

It looks like one of those solid brick, charming, art-deco inspired homes that were built between the wars around Melbourne. If the internal walls are solid brick, and you are working to a budget I would be looking to maintain as many of them as possible. A first floor extension would probably be cost-prohibitive, and ruin the look of your home. You have an unusual shaped block, so my first step would be to engage a land surveyor to complete a contour, feature and boundary re-establishment survey so that you can get a better understanding of the parameters of your design challenges with setbacks and heights to consider. Once you have established your budget range call in a design professional who respects the existing architectural character of your home to help improve the flow, the relationships with the outdoor spaces and to help you manage your wish list with your budget. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

Hello Andrea, If you don't yet have any designs finalised, we would love to hear from you! We have over 10 years of industry experience; and can put your ideas + dreams for this project onto paper plans. We also have great industry connections which we can use to help you decide on the perfect builder. From Atria Designs.

we've found that renovation is usually a much more expensive option than building new and siriruskeys idea of a separate new building connected by a link to the old house would be my choice for most older homes needing renovating and unless the original house is in very good condition and has many redeeming features that you want to keep i'd collect some quotes for a knock down rebuild for comparison and also try and identify the variations in renovation quotes.. the variation is huge and implies a major difference in work to be done?? it would be interesting to see your plans