please include dimensions of the original rooms and a site plan showing the width and length of the block and distance to the front, side and rear boundaries from the original house, direction of north and any views..and what is the original house built out of and is there an existing garage on site?

Hey oklouise, this isn’t dissimilar to mine and you’ve done some great ideas - can’t wait to see what you come up with here. :)

I’m surprised it’s not cheaper to know down and start again. That a substantial gut and lots of beams I assume. Is the existing addition worth keeping.,

Hi @oklouise - chuffed you've responded! This is the basic site plan the designer gave me. Didn't provide dimensions of existing rooms - however I've done a rough plan I will find and add. Agree with @Kate that it's a substantial gut - not what we were envisaging.

@oklouise - this is my measuring - obv wall widths etc bit dodgy.

Also @oklouise the house is brick veneer

PS - do share @bigreader. What worked for you?

Even to me , this makes no sense .

Step 1 -- are the bones good ?

Step 2 -- do you want to use the existing house as a 'base' for alterations

Step 3 -- assuming you do , and you are doing additions ( in fact , basically a new build of your kitchen/dining ) then wouldn't you keep most walls , most plumbing , etc , etc . Otherwise , as Kate says , you would start again , where you can choose the layout , the materials , rather than have everything as a compromise .

Some of the rooms look like they have been moved just for the sake of it -- that is crazy if it involves plumbing , doubly crazy if you are also altering walls , etc .

I'm afraid I can't see much logic there . We could all point out options , but I have no idea what you are trying to achieve , nor what the designers thought process is .

I agree with everyone else. I quite like the proposed plan but with so much of the original home being gutted the logic behind pavilion style extension (which I love and also have) is lost.

am i correct in understanding that you have vehicle access from the rear lane to an existing garage and don't really need the driveway down the side?..and north is at the front of the house?

The other thing if you are gutting that much you might as well take roof off and extend up and keep backyard. Looks like bricks at front and windows are nice

This keeps more walls

@pottsy99

1) The house is solid although existing floor plan is poor and pokey. We considered a new build which would be volume build to meet our budget. Renovated mid-centuries in Geelong, where we are, have much higher resale than new builds in our price range.

2) We do want to use the house as a base for alterations

3) The current back living room - laundry - bathroom is a brick veneer unattractive 80s addition with skillion roof

4) Agree re designers - they did drawing based on my houzz/pinterest without meeting with me (Trust me, I tried)

rooms we are after:

• Master bed plus WIR or BIR and ensuite.
• Front north-facing den with doors to garden / courtyard
• 2 guest BR with second bathroom - adjacent or contained (for visiting kids / grandkids)
• Study / office (both work from home) - room or area that can be closed off
• Laundry / mudroom - either within existing footprint or as part of extension access from rear lane garage
• large kitchen / dining / family room (extension) - to access north sun either high / clerestory windows and/or extension extends right over driveway.

Thanks

Yes @oklouise that's right about rear lane access - bit of contention with husband who wants to park his large car under cover at the front. I am happy to use lane. I think the driveway is valuable real estate that deserves better. This had been told to the designer, as well as possible second storey so we keep garden as per @Kate I am at a loss as to why so many walls knocked down - especially those that are barely moved.

I was thinking of options , and basically Kates sketch would be along the lines of what I am thinking .

Just some obvious things -- you have a chimney -- do you want that in your Master ?

You want doors off the front Den -- no matter what you do , that will cost reasonable $$$ , as you will have to alter the framing , maybe electrical , as well as obviously cutting through bricks . Could 'just' having screens and maybe even a small roof creating a courtyard in front , using the existing front door and probably creating a better entry experience if done right , be better than that ?

Same with things like having an external door from a laundry/mud room ? If that was important , personally I'd incorporate that as part of the new addition at the rear -- its way easier to design framing and walls with a door included , as opposed to modifying a 60 year old building .

Basically , we could question every room , and that is what the designer should have done . Without asking , I'd come up with a totally different design , but it would be what I would do , and maybe wouldn't be what you want .

And as far as adding upstairs , again personally I wouldn't . Engineering wise its difficult , matching styles is difficult , and cost will be quite a bit more per metre than adding on the rear , but you may feel the advantages outweigh the costs -- only you know .

siriuskey/differentways

I can clearly read your external dimensions but struggle with some of the internal, can you make them any clearer, thanks

unable to read the dimensions my suggestions are based on approximate measurements and divides the house into three separate areas: one for guests, one for work and the new rooms for yourselves and makes minimal changes to the original house apart from rearranging doors, removing the wall between old kitchen and dining and the old extension to create two guest bedrooms, with bathroom, separate toilet and north facing sitting room (access the front garden through through the front door) and two office work rooms (or extra bedrooms) or study and lounge and, assuming that the original house has a timber floor on stumps i've added a few steps down to the new master suite, nook, family, dining, kitchen and laundry with a simple hip/gable roof and plenty of open garden to create north east and north west facing courtyards and a wrap around front porch and carport with no other changes to the front of the house apart from landscaping, a a tall fence new fence and, depending on the condition of the original roof, gutters, windows etc it may be a good opportunity to replace all roof cladding and upgrade insulation and windows

but you should decide if you would like a pool as it could be worthwhile to salvage something from the old laundry/bathroom to create a pool house and/or shaded alfresco and push the extensions further towards the rear

without correct dimensions, a basic idea working with keeping the existing garage with it's boundary position making it into a double garage.

Your Pavilion extension as positioned as is with an Eastern and western garden, space for pool on the north western side.with access via the garage to the powder room.

Or the Pavilion could be pushed to the eastern boundary,

Mainly keeping the original house walls

I am not sure I can add much more than what has been suggested here, Deb but I would like to suggest that I could draw the 'bones' of this for you and we can tweak it till it is right for YOU! This is my delight and passion to assist with this kind of fiddling about with plans to get the layout how you want it. It is certainly a North facing block: not a degree off it! My first question: can you use the laneway to get cars into garage there or is it impossible narrow? Love to help with pencil and paper! Cheers Margot

Working with the existing garage being set back 1 M from the laneway boundary there should't be a problem with car access even if it was a bit tight there's room to move it further back

@Deb Howcroft , I would advise to cancel your current schematic drawings, because as we can all see, from drawings posted by houzz uses, there is a better way to do your renovation, than what the schematic plans show. I would not feel bad about inconveniencing the company, because it is your money and your home.