After I had finished my Archi Masters I was working for an architecture firm who also did a small amount of work for a volume builder. They were actually a pretty good quality builder and at least got the orientation of their 'pre-designed' plans correct. We had the ability to make minor changes to every job and it pained me to see so many simple to implement passive options not being incorporated. Had most of their clients known that they would be saving MONEY over the longterm by making a few minor changes to suit their site, they all would have done it. The problem is unless someone can sell this idea to them as a financial/lifestyle choice, many just think it is about saving the world. It is a no-brainer if you have in interest in it, but for those who don't know, there is no-one there selling it to them, especially on the lower end of the market.

Hi Sarah, hope you enjoyed your travels last night, that's something we have spent our lives doing plus living in different countries. Do look into the attic room/s they are lovely and the Velux skylights very unobtrusive, look great and if positioned correctly take care of venting any hot air, as I mentioned ours were pivoting ones and could be locked open in several positions. I much prefer these to dormer windows, you don't really notice them. The stairs were built off site and lifted into position and installed, built in. At the time we did ours a very good friend a builder did the same but just completely opened the whole ceiling space right out towards the gutters into a large bedroom play study area for his daughters, also using Velux windows. Glass ceilings, like Velux windows have been around for years, believe me I know, we're both getting older. Velux windows can be used as glass ceilings in opening and non opening configurations. I would love to see you keep the outdoor loo as well and updating the old shed into a new connecting space to the house, perhaps a glass breezeway. I will have another look at your plan again over the weekend. I love your front iron gate as well, auto sliding driveway gates work really well and would really fit with your carport. My brother in law put in a tall timber sliding gate at his last home, lovely cheers

@Michael Smith - Where do you start? Similar and in addition to Dr Retro's comments, my advice as a starting point for any project is always the same: define your project requirements and nominate a budget. All decisions moving forward will derive from the balance of these two elements within your particular context. you need to refocus on the front end of the process, and set aside the backend construction for the time being...Since you have had no prior experience in this area I highly recommend you invest in experienced professional assistance with the process. It's a given that this type of project (involving building extension/structural adjustment etc) will require building approvals and/or potential planning approvals that require a process of design and development of professional documentation accordingly. Unless you have had experience in these types of things recommend you don't try and manage something like this unless you have a lot of free time, up for the task and are will to engaged/committed for a rather steep and potentially expensive learning curve. False economy in this area is a significant risk and easy trap to fall into for the inexperienced in this area. For something of this scale an appropriately selected builder will integrate the project construction management far more cost effectively that you can achieve independently as a newcomer. This general type/scope of project could be anything from 3-6 months in construction (depending upon the builder/circumstances/detail and whole lot of other factors) but you're getting ahead of yourself with this as first things first you need to establish the project scope and work through the process of design and documentation appropriately for any applicable approvals. If you're interested in further information please feel free to contact me directly - we can similarly service projects of this nature in the Melbourne area.....always keep in mind that there are different levels of professionals and you need to work out exactly what you require in this regard. Are you requiring higher level design assistance? Or do you just need someone to "draw it up" as you know exactly how you want it to be, and can get away with a drafting service.....questions for you to think about and work through/research accordingly..... @anotherbird - this stage can be particularly challenging when you have designed and documented, and then are left on your own to sort through and compare the "apples and oranges" quote differences, and it's not straightforward. I think here it depends on the builder you select. An experienced and competent builder should be able to have some of the things you've mentioned integrated into their process such as the building permit, and also providing advice as to the construction scheduling and how the decisions of finalising the kitchen design etc will be coordinated into the job. Sometimes builders want everything designed and documented prior to starting, others are more flexible and have the capacity to work from contractual allowances and refer you to//utilise their regular tried and tested subcontractors/suppliers to pull it all together collaboratively and sequentially. My advice is trust your instinct with the builder and go with the one that you feel you can work better with, rather than the one who is giving you the best price...the project will ultimately cost what it will cost, and more often than not it's better to pay a premium for less stressful build process with an operator that is tuned into your particular circumstance and needs, rather than go with a guy who might be cheaper but is more about "smashing it out" for lower cost and putting a lot of the responsibility of coordinating fit-out aspects yourselves.... hope this helps Best of luck with it all to both of you :) PD

Hi Jodie and okLouise! Thanks so much for your feedback. I was considering an island bench just to try space out the kitchen area a bit - the only issue with this option is that we'll need to do a bit of rework on the jarrah floorboards due to the gap left once the internal wall is removed. This is definitely something we're considering, I'm just cautious that it could be a tricky exercise (acquire the fill in sections of floor board, have a tradesman secure them/nail them and arrange sanding / oiling of the small section). I'm also a little cautious that the fill in section of flooring will stand out like a sore thumb... but we'll weigh this up and make some phone calls to see how tricky this would be. Sadly we don't have a floor plan. I'm going to sketch it up in AutoCAD once we've taken measurements of the entire house - this might take a bit of time though, so we thought we'd just start by measuring the kitchen / lounge first. Without trying to confuse you, the rest of the house is: - dining room through the internal opening (no door) right of the kitchen - internal door opening to hallway and bedrooms/bathroom opposite the kitchen - laundry on the wall on the RHS of the kitchen (from the views provided) And you're quite right Jodie - I was hoping to have the range hood as a feature! I think it will suit the style of kitchen that I'm going for. See the inspiration photo below: I am not entirely sure whether to go with dark cabinets because the space is so small, so I'll most likely stick to white (I know, safe and boring) but the overall style of the kitchens is what I'm going for.