Hi Amanda My renovation work has ranged from $1,500/m2 to $4,000/m2 (and more). What varies is the standard of finish, the amount the existing home is disrupted, and the structural gymnastics being performed. I would concur with the above advice that finding the right design professional and briefing them well will help you deliver a renovation in alignment with your goals for it. What also is important is starting your reno with a great overall strategy. There are a few ideas involved in this, but one that has worked for my projects (both my own and my clients') is to capitalise on the economy of building 'new' when extending. New work is less expensive to build than renovating (on a square meterage rate), so consider whether you can bolt on your extension and not disrupt the existing too significantly. Below is a photo of the type of thing I mean - this was a reno I did of one of our own homes, and we added a living/kitchen/dining pavilion on the rear of an old Queenslander home. This home is another example - the entire extension was built for a similar price to the refurbishing of the existing home - and yet provided significantly greater returns in space and design. "Before" shot from rear "After" shot from rear You may not be seeking something of this aesthetic (and your council may limit your aesthetic too), but the general intent of these extensions is that they 'bolted' onto the existing home. The roof of the new extension is separate to the existing, with a transitional built element that tucks under the existing roofs to bridge between the two. Best wishes with your plans - getting ready upfront will also help you manage your costs. Time = money so when you brief your team well, everyone works efficiently, and construction can flow seamlessly without unnecessary delays, then that also assists in keeping on budget. I wrote a blog about how projects go over budget, and how to minimise this risk on your project. Click here to read >> Regards Amelia Lee, UA www.undercoverarchitect.com amelia@undercoverarchitect.com

oklouise, thank you for taking the time to pull together such a comprehensive and thoughtful design. There are lots of elements we like, and there are a few things we feel will be problematic. The reorienting of the house towards the East doesn't sit well with our vision of our living areas facing into the back yard. I love the courtyard area (screened room) you've created, but would prefer something like that at the back of the house, not the side. There is insufficient room to make the NE side of the house the 'back yard'. I like the storage you've created in the hall way but I still see the need to remove the old fireplace in the old kitchen, if it's cost effective and structurally possible. We'd like all bedrooms of a similar or standard size, so I'm not too sure about the smallish bedroom remaining the same size (the one with the toilet cut out of it). We'd like the front room to remain the main bedroom, and thus include an ensuite and WIR, rather than pushing the main bedroom to the back of the house. We don't want or need a third bathroom - just unnecessary and more room to keep clean!! Plus, there's no room for guests, LOL. We definitely want the garage to sit at the left hand side of the house, but probably a double carport moreso than a garage. We also like the idea of a built in desk/study that can be closed off - without building a whole study (room). So much to think about and your plan has provided some really different ways of thinking about the floor plan and orientation. Thank you for this. The parents outdoor retreat is divine!

It depends on many factors, some interrelated, some not. Unless you are dealing with more off the shelf/volume/standardised design solutions I'd be somewhat wary of utilising any fixed overall /m2 calculations to base your decisions on what you can or can't achieve or should/shouldn't do for your project :) We prefer to present/offer our professional opinions of likely construction cost by collating the projected likely trade breakdowns carefully considered for each particular scenario proposed, factoring in various aspects such as quality, site, scale etc that will ultimately contribute to influencing the number involved. Have found this to be a more accurate/realistic approach than simply applying $$/m2

this house is such a great example of it's era it would be a shame to change it too much and the dark framed original windows and doors (with horizontal divisions not colonial panes) stained or painted a similar dark colour (including black) would be excellent but only over the original dark trim and others will make better suggestions for colour schemes but if you decide to add the entertaining areas, carport and covered walkways, dark posts, fascias, decking and pathways could make a a nice contrast with the blond bricks..DIY can be a great cost saver but having recently almost completed a similar renovation and about to start on another (we're also a retired couple) i would strongly recommend that you invest in a builder to take care of the overall construction and save money with careful planning (to avoid last minute changes) demolition (NB there's probably asbestos to consider) we saved by sourcing all our own taps, tiles, sinks, doorknobs, light fittings and happily recycled many of the existing fixtures and fittings (including sections of plaster cornices and etc and you could try painting, DIY flatpac kitchen and wardrobes, and consider prioritising the work based on your personal daily comfort eg although i suggested the old sunroom is worth renovating as long as it's safe and weatherproof the upstairs doesn't really need major changes and you could concentrate on the biggest project first OR start small and work up but it's always preferable to plan the whole property to avoid duplication and have a builder quote for the whole renovation and then you can stagger costs (and stagger out of bed each day) doing work in stages...In the meantime i'm assuming that your plans are from a real estate add so your very first project would be to make a very accurate plan of what you already own so measure every wall, thickness of walls, position of windows and doors, width of stairs etc ..even a few cms can make a huge difference in your options (eg the floor of the "study nancave" is probably lower than the living room and not waterproofed so do you want/need it enough to raise the floor, step down, enter under the stairs through a secret tunnel, come in through the old garage or leave it for the the boys??) obviously i can write ad nauseum but you will need proper plans for the external structures so it would be worth investing in professional drawings for the internal work as well your pre-planning will save time for the professionals (and your money) if you're reasonably confident about what will fit the spaces and i would be happy to revise the plans if you want to message me directly with the accurate measurements