it could actually be cheaper than changing the upstairs kitchen but only the trades would be able to confirm a realistic price for demolition and installation of new plumbing... your proposed floorplan looks good except the master bedroom won't fit the wiw as drawn, the upstairs lounge would be better with access back and front to the balconies with bed 3 and 4 at the side and what about the new kitchen in the downstairs storage area which doesn't reduce the size of the new living dining room and retains the big garage and ...why not ask a few real estate agents for a selling price as is and with the proposed upstairs or downstairs renovations...

It is a lengthy and complicated process in getting the order right with your trades. It can vary from project to project, however, the best advice I can give is do all of your research, planning and ordering well before you get any tradespeople on site. Some tiles and sanitaryware have long lead times, and these may be pushed out with our current global challenges. There is no point in booking in a tradesman if the things needed are in a container on a slow boat from China! Cabinetmakers should not start building their cabinets until the plaster is in and they can complete a site measure. You need to have made heaps of decisions and fully resolved all design aspects before your stage 3 rough-in, otherwise your choices will be limited, or expensive if you need to make changes. A good builder earns their money, not because they know how to swing a hammer, but because they are good project managers, have good sub-contractors that they can rely on, and know-how things work and go together. You can never do enough research in making the right decisions. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

Alright brains trust! For anyone who wants to tackle this weekend's options. House one is a total crazy town - 250m2 of living space, with the top floor rented out separately (with a separate entry). We'd want to bring the two levels together into one house. House two is a little place, on a good size corner block. Our dream requirements across both houses are: 4 bedrooms, including main with genuine WIR and ensuite At least 2 bathrooms with a separate toilet (or 2.5 inc a powder room) Two living spaces Open plan kitchen/dining, with a big island and a walk in pantry A mud room connected to the garage Maximise indoor/outdoor flow, with light - it's Canberra, so we have both -8 and 40 with depressing regularity. Both of the properties are brick veneer, timber bearer and joist floor and conventional truss roof. House one has a SW facing facade, 780m2. House two has a S facing facade, 990m2. Both are flat blocks, and easements are at the edges of the property so no real encroachment issues. Unfortunately I don't have legible floor plans, other than the agent's mock ups, for either. Happy to answer questions where I can! House One House Two

Hey Larkspur, thanks for the great response! Actually, you are correct, according to the building inspection: "The original section of the dwelling is constructed upon a strip "edge beam" concrete footing system incorporating a suspended timber frame (bearer and joist flooring system) with the newer addition/s constructed upon a concrete slab footing system." That original edge beam has had a damp course put in along one side of the building, just FYI. I actually have trouble telling where the original section ends. The floorboards extend into the 'dining' area (hardly a dining area - you might fit a small table with 4 chairs in there). However, the rear of the bath area towards the courtyard is sided with that same weatherboard type material that's on the extension. I suspect they may have rebuilt the exterior of the bath and laundry area but that it was the original profile of the house. Regarding the fibre cement. My inspector noted there was a chance such material contained asbestos. But the building approvals attached to the Form 1 were given in the very late 80s / early 90s. As far as I am aware, they stopped making that material in the early 80s so I am hopeful we missed that. There is, however, a small amount of confirmed asbestos backing in the power meter box for example. As you saw. I am a huge bath fan and would definitely put one in. I have a soft spot for the cedar wood japanese baths but I suspect that's a pretty niche taste and wouldn't add as much value for future owners as much as me haha. The bathroom, even in it's current envelope, has heaps of spare room. The northern light actually enters the 'bottom' of the layout - e.g. the verandah / lounge / spare bed side. However, we get a fair bit of light in from all those windows in the breezeway. There is a very odd step down between the dining room and the are marked as living. As in, you jump off the floorboards onto tiling in the living area. As you get to the rear of the extenion, you actually step back up again. Not sure why they did that. The courtyard is level with the lower dining area. If I had a vision of a great kitchen, it'd be one with a bar running along that wall where the laundry meets the dining area. Maybe that bar would run along the windows to the courtyard too, forming an L shape. And a very functional, big cooking and prep area with a window to the courtyard. So, someone cooking could chat to their buddies and hand them a plate over the kitchen counter, or through a window potentially. The first house we really loved had a huge walk in pantry, triple insulated. That'd be awesome too but not sure if we would have room for it! Style is up in the air. We need to live in a bit longer to figure that one out. It already has a nice warm feel and I think we would try and keep that.