Astraea, from what I have read, it seems the force of that tornado leaves nothing unscathed. Kutchie mentioned silos made from concrete 16 ins thick being reduced to rubble - how thick would walls need to be!!! If they can dig a whole in the ground 6ft deep that is a long way down for a basement to be. One would think though NASA could come up with something - spaceships have to withstand huge forces. I was so relieved to hear tonight that the death toll is nowhere near as high as first thought, in fact only a third. Of course one death is tragic and the poor little kids who drowned was horrible. Unfortunately, the mob next door are exempt from zoning laws, they have special protection as part of the Govt's cost cutting methods. Instead of having facilities for serious mentally disabled people they lease homes and, in this case, put 5 of them into the home with full time live-in carers. This is the first time the owners have ever trimmed the trees, despite my constant requests for them to do so. We even had to chop one back that is on the street front as the postman couldn't get to our letter box. This time they have taken the top off them although it is still not necessary for them to be so high, but they did have the power lines running through them which was the biggest concern. I have been going to complain to the Council about them a few times but there is not a lot they can do, I would have to go to some mediation board that has been set up for this sort of thing but it is too far away. The main issue I have is that if any work is done on them, it all has to be done from my side which means they are clomping over my garden and I get the mess, but if I stop them, which I do have the right to do, then I have to put up with the trees right over my side garden and driveway. Legally, they should come to my door and ask permission to enter my property but of course workmen never do. I'm actually wondering if the Charity that runs the home may have organised it as they pruned every tree and shrub on the property, but it is the first time it has been done in about 20 years, so at this rate I may never see them again.

We have a similar home in a sydney beach suburb. We are in a different position where we have bought ours as a downsized but are just about to restore the old 50s beauty to its former self. We have quotes of around $400000 to gut and change the floor plan which includes 2 bathrooms and a new kitchen and also add internal stairs to the garage and a large deck off the back, lift some ceilings and replace gutters, eaves ect ect ect. Attached are my inspiration boards and what the house looks like now, hopefully in about 4 months I can update you.

My $0.02 - in NSW designers are NOT registered or accredited, beware. All architects are nationally accredited. I suggest that there are a lot of things you can do yourself before you start - get a proper survey of your block, ensure that you get them to provide angles for anything that isn't square....understand if there are utilities like sewer pipes which will affect your setbacks or useable space...... Go online and workout the sun angles for your longitude and latitude helpful for solar and overall layouts. West facing picture windows are not the best. Some of the solar firms have online calculators which help to do this. Read the local council rules and understand them, apply them to your survey and your design ideas....including if you are a corner block and if you want to go two storey...... If it is still a 'go' Get all of the heritage, flood, fire etc checks done by council - around $150 depending on council........ Eliminate or at least understand all the big constraints before you go any further........ Look again at the survey- any contour lines may cost you money, assume a cost of at least $2000 per sqm to start and do some layouts of your ideas on paper, add up all of the spaces, can you actually put them on your block? How much is the total?.......yes garages are slightly cheaper to build but still take up precious footprint space.... Is access likely to cause issues for trades, equipment and deliveries?......... Keep refining and updating the ideas and plans thinking about how you want to use the spaces and move around inside and out.....where are you putting the wheelie bins, clothes dryer etc..... Try the free to use BASIX site forms if you are in NSW, understand how the size, shading and orientation of windows affects your sustainability and adjust, this will also apply many of the local council rules as well..... Do you want a brick house, with render? A pole home, a kit build? A fast build insulated panel build? What type of roof?...... The more you have worked out for yourself the better, look at the kit home options, there are lots and some are very good... Everything is delivered and you just construct with the trades and some may have builders in your area.....The new InsulLiving Code Mark BCA approved options are also worth a look..... Anyway do all of that before you line up for the fleecing floor lol

Hi Bec, I said it was coming, My idea is to open up the kitchen against the back wall with large Island and access to the verandah. This would need a full height wall or one the same height as the cabinets which could allow light in to the hallway and not interfere with the ceiling, I think there's already a wall included with the existing kitchen. Meme suggested using the family room which would save on adding more rooms, this would work really well with full height pocket doors between it and the kitchen, great for theater snaks. If you were to use this space you would have to go to the ceiling on the walkway end of the room as well as between the kitchen and new media room cheers