Wow, where has the time gone? following up to our post 18 months ago, a lot has changed since then... What's New? We relocated our entire factory to 34 Haydock Street Forresdale (30km south of Perth) Installed new Auto load/unload CNC to help with supply Installed new edge bander custom built from Austria We have orders being shipped interstate every 2 - 3 days We have orders sent to N.Z & Christmas Island Launched new showroom for Perth Customers 426 Scarborough Beach Road Osborne Park Prices online have either remained the same or even decreased Online Design software soon to be available online, stay tuned. Products & Service Over 110 cabinets to customize Over 200 different door colours and finishes from only the best brands Flat Packed or Pre-Assembled Custom made laminated benchtops Order Online or In-store Delivery all over Australia We are cabinets makers who have a passion software and website development, our first online ordering platform was launched back in 2006. Our business model is 'community focused' meaning the more people who use our system helps with our buying power and our costs come down, these savings are updated online for everyone to benefit. eKitchens (08) 9456 3108 sales@ekitchens.com.au www.ekitchens.com.au Check out our video

I'm not sure where you're from but I'm guessing the UK? I'm having to translate some of your terminology which is unfamiliar to me. We all speak English but definitely different localities have their own words to describe these things. If you don't want to make a feature of your joinery (which I figure is your baseboards and your window and door trim) then yes I'd paint them out in the wall colour. Satin is a good choice not so much for reflecting light, but because a shinier finish is more durable than a matte one, and these areas need to be resilient. Your new place sounds wonderful. Best of luck on your renovation.

Hi Sam, I've got a few ideas: Don't make changes once your plan is set - they cost. Spend the time before you commit to things educating yourself as each change brings costs and time. Make carrying a tape measure in your handbag a habit and carry the measurements for everything that you're shopping for - saves back and forth and allows you to know that what you're looking at fits (which means that you can be haggle on the price). Don't be afraid to haggle (be nice, but haggle) on materials and appliances and don't be shy about pointing out you're buying multiple items with electrical goods as most of the sales people work on commission so Joe Blogg wants you to by all your appliances from him in one go. Also go shopping with comparable prices and don't be put off by them saying "oh that's an online price" - if they want the sale they'll meet the price. Avoid custom made - go for doors, windows, cabinetry that are standard sizes where you can. Anything custom costs more. The beer economy works especially well particularly with junior tradies or tradies that are small businesses. Don't get painters in, paint it yourself. If you've got concrete floors live with them for a while until you can afford carpeting etc - ideally in areas where you can use their thermal mass to help you heat and cool your home. Tap into friends and family skill sets - the artist (abstract art for your walls), the sewer (custom cushions), the gardener (plant advice and cuttings/seedlings), the shop-a-holic who knows the out of the way shops (bargains), the design guru with impeccable taste (comfort blanket when you're picking wall colours). For your landscaping get family, friends and neighbours to strike cuttings for you where you can - you cant get cheaper then free. You can also have a "working bee" for good friends who are happy to get dirty - they come and give you a hand doing the hard labour - you feed and water them. For your outdoor furniture look for second hand. If you can - do the clean up on site each day yourself - that way your tradies are working not cleaning which will save you money on their bills and can check for what has been done each day and catch any mistakes early. Buy the ends of roll carpet and have them hemmed for bigger rugs that are cheaper than rugs from mainstream shops if you shop at carpet warehouse outlets Invest time into doing your lighting plan and go with LED's - they're a bit more expensive now but will save you in the long run (and save you having to deal with ladders more then once every 10 years or so) - and use a specialist LED lighting company - I can recommend SUPERLIGHT in Sydney. we've used them and the ladies there were so helpful. If you've been tempted to do intergrated technology into your house put the wiring etc in for it just don't install it until you can afford it. Good rectified porcelain tiles can replicate natural stone tiles and you avoid having to seal the tiles every 12-18 months. Good luck!

A few options- "LVL" standing for Laminated Veneer Lumber is worth looking at (Hyne Timber makes this as well as many others), but this is typically for large overhead exposed beams/columns. Structural Plywood - your first pic is ply (you can see the layers) with a coloured laminate on top. If you can look at marine versions & very thick sheet ply, then you would just need a carpenter to rip it into lengths, then install & finish with satin clear or a tinted finish. Decking materials (merbau is a similar colour to second pic), but get a builder/carpenter to assess whether they are thick enough to not warp when installed vertically. Hope that helps :)