I see this is a very old thread , with lots of comments . I've just skim read them , but I haven't seen anyone suggest anything like my 'top-of-my-head' idea -- I love the wood , and the white contrast , but pretty boring . Whats your favourite colour , or what ties in with the other rooms ? It might be blue or red or yellow or orange or green , as examples . So paint the skirting board and around the door a pastel shade of your choice , and add a small 30cm x 30cm abstract painting featuring that colour as the primary dominant one , above ( or possibly below , or maybe even get 2 matching/complementary ones ) the control panel . One lighting crowd suggested glass shades -- I'd actually go for someothing large but wooden , in much the same shade as your floors and steps , with LED bulbs -- you can get some stunning ones around 80-100 cm in diameter ( sort of a star ball shape ) for $300-400 . Total budget then $500 plus a painter and maybe electrician , unless you DIY .

Thanks for this helpful guide! I especially agree when it comes to always getting a professional to drain your pool, especially when you have a vinyl pool liner.

Firstly, describing a blocks orientation, just be aware that the terms "facing" & "frontage" are often confused. Usually the term "facing" is used to describe the direction from the house to the backyard (as this is often the direction the living areas will face). So a north facing block actually has a southern frontage. Before talking about the ideal block (with regards to orientation), lets talk about the ideal house. Note, these are generalizations, & will be affected by your location, & local climate. The above website tells us, that for most Australian climates, the ideal house shape is rectangular, stretched along the E-W axis. That is, the longer sides of the house will face N & S, the shorter sides will face E & W. We also learn that it's beneficial to locate living areas (& a large proportion of your glazing) to the north, where they'll be warmed by the winter sun, but shaded in summer by appropriate length eaves (when the sun is higher in the sky). As glass is a poor insulator, a lower proportion of glazing should face S. Southern windows will cool the house in winter (as they will not receive sun). When the sun is to the E & W it is lower in the sky, so eaves become less effective. So a lower proportion of glazing should face E, & W facing glazing should be minimised or eliminated (as hot afternoon summer sun can make a home unbearably hot). W facing bedrooms are particularly bad, & can become unbearably hot on summer evenings. So how do we find a block that accomodates a rectangular house, that is not overshadowed from the North? It's often possible on a large rural block, but not easy to do in an urban environment, where blocks often have narrow frontages. So compromises often have to be made. A southern frontage block, with a north facing backyard, is the most sort after block. This is because a living area facing north will also face the backyard, offering privacy (your husband will be happy). This type of block also reduces the chance of being overshadowed to the north. But as mentioned above, urban blocks are often long, with narrow frontages. This limits the length of the northern & southern sides of the house, increasing the length of the east & western sides, which is not ideal. Our rectangle doesn't face the ideal direction. So it's great to have a large frontage, building right out to the side boundaries, increasing the length of the northern & southern sides (& reducing the E & W sides). Also care must be taken, that an alfresco doesn't rob the home of northern sunlight (north is not an ideal location for the alfresco). An eastern or western frontage isn't bad, if you're happy to locate your living areas facing north, down the side of the house. But this can cause privacy issues, so is not for everyone. Also, for narrow E or W frontages, it's likely that northern living areas will be overshadowed by northern neighbours. So, again, a wide frontage is ideal, & it's a good idea to build close to the southern boundary, & have a side yard to the north. This will prevent overshadowning. One advantage with a western frontage, a large double garage will block western summer sun. An eastern frontage home can have a large W facing alfresco, which can help shade the home from western sun. For a similar reason, a northern frontage usually not a great idea. This is because a double garage will block northern sun, making the house dark, & cold in winter. For a northern frontage block, sloping down to the road, it may be possible to have the garage under the house, so that it doesn't block northern sunlight, but as you say, sloping blocks will increase the cost of the build (though it may be an interesting build). I've just described the four main compass points. Moving away from These complicates things, making it harder to shade windows. I'd certainly steer clear of NW facing living areas, as NW facing glazing is difficult to shade, & will become very hot in summer. Note also, that designing for local breezes & cross ventilation will complicate window placement a little more. The direction of summer cooling breezes in Perth is very different from breezes in Sydney. To your other question. As mentioned earlier, glass is a poor insulator. So, if you plan to use a lot of glazing to highlight views, it is best that the views (& the glazing) DO NOT face south. You'll have a cold house in winter, or very high energy bills, or will have to pay for very expensive glazing to minimise the heat loss. It's much better if the views (& the glazing) faces north, as long as the glass is shaded in summer (appropriate length eaves will do this. So for me, the ideal block (which would be very hard to come by), would be a very wide southern frontage block, with views to the north. Living areas to the north, bedrooms to the south, garage in the SW corner. So yes, if you can, I'd hold out for a block with views & the backyard facing north. Though there's compromises with every block.

it is always a good idea to improve your home and there are many inexpensive ways to add value. Do your research in your area - always make improvements that will INCREASE the value of your home Take ideas from what’s sold in your area- which homes achieved the highest prices - in particular what features made the most impact and why... The most impactful way to improve your home - befor you renovate.. De clutter de clutter de clutter . if you can’t then add storage - storage is king. Look at door hardware - is it outdated ?? change to a more modern look - black hardware adds a great contemporary look to doors, kitchen and bathroom cabinetry - if you have a contemporary home that is! Bathroom mirrors - if your home is a standard 4 x 2 and holds a simple frameless mirror - then update it!! if there is no window treatment in the bathroom add one - 64mm venetian come in contemporary colours including black. best idea- use Houzz to find bathroom images of similar style and look to yours / then look for bathrooms that emulate the look your going for! sometimes cleaning grout and changing a shower screen can make all the difference! Kitchens - if your kitchen is functional and your cabinetry carcass is in good nic - change the doors with a local cabinet maker - if your carcass is good then don’t go over board! Having renovated over 300 properties to sell I look for simple but effective solutions that will impact a sale... Paint paint paint - best and cheapest solution by far! TVs - if they are currently sitting on tv units - mount them to a wall- create as much floor space as you can - sell your tv unit to fund your new monitor arm. a small floating cabinet or shelf underneath the tv should do the trick! Look for effective storage solutions for everyday appliances or gadgets that you use - you’ll be surprised at how much “bigger” your home will be! Use old bathroom mirrors and glue them to alfresco limestone walls behind your feature plants ( i’ve done this many a time is small complexes and large and they are always fantastic! ART - large pieces of art - if you can’t afford a great piece then find some beautiful upholstery or fabric and staple to an old canvas or multiple canvases to creat one large art piece even multiple fabric choices Recover old cushions - there are so many seamstresses out of work that i can get them done for under $10 per cushion .. Good window treatments can make all the difference. Pick your main areas to invest in the best window treatments and do the basics in the smaller rooms .. you can always update them later. Look at the companies warranties - the longer the better is what you want! make them guarantee fabric and components and ask them which products look good and stand the test of time year after year. Lighting - both mood and functional is so important - LED people ... will save you so much more money in the long run! If you can’t afford a lighting designer - go speak to the people at beacon or smaller lighting shops They will consult for you for free so ask them! I aiways guarantee that every dollar i invest in a project must make me at lest 1 - 3 dollars in return. Do that with every renovation idea make sure you’ll get your money back!