These tradies are cowboys . I have never seen a mess like that in a bath or else where in over 30 years . The bath normally sits on a bed of concrete slurry or if it is a cast iron bath it should be supported by either feet or the hob. The bath should have enough room under the edges to allow the tiles to go under the lip so a proper silicon seal can be applied all the way around the lip of the bath. As for the insulation it is not necessary to have it wrapped in any water proof protection. If the water is getting onto the insulation then you have bigger problems and from the look of the photos this looks like a definite future possibility.I like to put insulation batts all the way around the bath to try to retain the water temperature for as long as possible,not many people do this though ,but the more you insulate things the better. Looking at your photos the pipework connecting the waste is broken off so the hob will need to have atleast one side pulled off or an access hole cut into it to connect the plumbing. I would be getting these plumbers and builders checked out,if the photos are any indication to go by then there would be other areas of faulty workmanship for sure, -sorry to tell you.

I think a full 3D walkthrough and visualisation package is MORE than worth the cost. Get an architect or design company to do it for you and you wont regret it. It makes a huge difference actually seeing the flow of your house when you walk through it, the light changes at different times of the day/year, (all adjustable in the 3D package). Incredibly important for solar gain etc. Also gives you the ability to really visualise where your furniture items are going, where the lights look best. We are thrilled we did it and the print outs or actual 3d file can be used to show builders/tradesmen to relay the look youre after and the setup. Even for some of those qualified people it can be a help to fully visualise the end result. If youre spending soooo much money building, factor this cost into it. Well worth it.

Hi AndrewJason, I love cavity sliders. they are there when you want them but not visible when you need the space open. Having said that they cost more, take a bit of wreckage to set up and in you WA case you will be wrecking brick walls to put them in which might be a stretch of mess too far. BUT you will need to weigh up if they are worth it in the end. I do not think the build will be too bulky in the kitchen/dining because it will be superbly practical on both sides and it maybe just a matter of what you are used to. Not sure about "Average Joe...…" we are all good at somethings, mine is plans, function, practicality, solar. Yours might be brain surgery, empathy for unwell folks, kinda or you make the best seafood lasagne in the world... we are all needed to make for a great world: and it really is that!!! Good luck with your splendid home: I think it is beautiful. And PS if you do make the best seafood anything I better have your address....!!!!!!! MK

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Lots to learn and so much to consider. I ended up doing more research to decide sizes for built in and walk in robes. We decided to keep one of the bedrooms at the front of the house to be used as my husbands work space. We have 2 kids and get interstate visitors often which is why we initially wanted a study plus 4 bedrooms. But I like the idea of a living space to break up the hallway a bit and to let some light in. I know we have to think about the northern light for the front room, but my husband works in there every day so I think it works better energy-wise. We moved the guest bathroom closer to living space as per oklouise’s plans (so helpful!!) and did a similar configuration. I think it’s nice for entertaining for guests to have easy access and not to have to walk past bedrooms to use the bathroom. With the reconfiguration and the extra length we added to the family/meals area. I think it’s looking like a pretty good sized area without going over our budget. The kitchen also no longer faces the hallway which is so much nicer I’ve attached our updated plans