Louise, sorry but u are messing with a good design - have a read of the design notes at yourhome.gov.au. The design is a 7star design including reverse brick veneer (fancy term for bricks on the inside..thermal storage), the roof line is changed - have a look at the high up windows which provide light and warmth, the bedrooms are now at the back of the building (cold and darker). the whole design is now changed, airflow is affected as is the wonderful views that the building would have from each room (except the media room - and who cares with that anyway?) Also I am proposing a double garage/carport with a nice breezeway to connect the house. Also the study is now gone! As I suggested above, the trees on the east may have to make way for the home, but in the long run they can be restablished, and the garden modified to suit the contours of the land, and the look of the new building.

first 1. ask local council about regulations for any Granny Flat in the backyard as well as converting the existing garage (sometimes it can be more cost effective to construct a new building 2. post a plan of the existing house and garage showing position of toilets, laundry and kitchen sink and 3. a plan of the block showing the house and garage and distance from buildings to fences and 4. please explain the purpose of the new space.... 6m x 3.6m is not much room for more than a bedsit type accommodation unless it's only meant as a private space for someone who will also share the main home something like this might work but needs to satisfy class 1a building regulation ...including, insulation, wall lining, windows, ventilation. plumbing and waterproofing etc

Love it! Can’t make it to awards or to tour house but I would love to see more photos if you were able to share.

The approx 60sqm space doesn't include the stairs and is only one bedroom. I haven't decided on laundry as it could be possible to share the existing one which opens off the existing garage. The external stairs would be adjacent to the side door off the garage which is next to the laundry. I don't already have plans but have been playing around with a floor plan myself. That is why I'd like a little input on the design possibilities. Using the upstairs area myself might be possible one day, but not for the foreseeable future as I have two dogs and need the yard. I also have a number of interests for which I need my existing space. Additionally I don't want a whole houseful of tenants with which I would have to cohabit. Ideally it will just be one person. Thank you for your suggestions re the MyAgedCare Program, but I have just had the experience of that process with my own mother. The waiting lists for care are very long and even just getting assessed takes a long time. Last time I heard there were 90,000 people on the waiting list and some 16,000 died in 2018/19 while waiting. Additionally, you only get a few hours assistance a week, there is no live in or on call help and a lot of the money gets eaten up in admin costs. It doesn't hold a lot of appeal for me in it's current form. Hopefully the Royal Commission will result in some improvements and it may provide a better service by the time I might be in need of it. I have considered buying another house on a bigger block where I could put a granny flat , but haven't found anything suitable. Most houses which offer this possibility are unrenovated so I would have to do a full reno on the house as well as build the granny flat. When you consider the costs and disruption involved in that, plus the costs of selling and buying and moving, it just seems all too hard. That's why I've come back to this option.