Oh yeah. I have the masks, everything has plastic sheeting underneath. I really have to wait for days that aren't too breezy, because of the paint coming off, plus the heat gun loses effectiveness when getting pummeled with wind. Unfortunately, calm days make for a pretty hot job for my end. The things we endure to make things right... haha After everything gets primed, then I need to work on a paint scheme. Might take another season to really get it all done.

This is a classic example of form over function. I want to be able to READ my book. They are not just there to look pretty/collect dust. It's like the scene in Black Books: "Are these real leather?" "They're real Dickens" "I have to know if they're real leather because they have to go with a sofa"

The next time I decorate by a colour of the year will be the first time. Don't hold your breath. I have nothing against this particular colour but it doesn't work with all the things I've collected over the years, and I am not about to discard carpets bought after hard bargaining with dubious merchants in Istanbul or Islamabad because they don't "go" with a paint colour that someone voted "colour of the year." In its place, I think the colour would be quite nice (better than this years choices, certainly). It's just that my place isn't the right place for it.

siriuskey, Yes, the courtyard is open to the sky (no roof over it), I assume this is what you mean by double story. Ref. below photos, I would love to get this look, especially the first and last photo, where you can see family living space from the first floor. I can't achieve this in my plan as it eats a lot of floor space upstairs. The referred plan (photos) has a very big void combining staircase, hallway and dining area. I know it is not easy with cooling and heating when you have such a big void. So, I explored a few ideas (with my limited knowledge on this topic) before achieving the current floorplan. I have also thought about, in my current plan, extending the void on the staircase to the dining area (it is more like L shape) but i wasn't sure if that makes any difference. keen to hear your thoughts.