I love the option to work in a private office while still feeling connected to the larger open plan space. And who doesn't want a huge blackboard to creatively brainstorm?

I have bought everything from pen refills to rugs & multiple ebay purchases of 2nd hand curios. Mostly now it is tickets for travel & accomodation, music events, movies etc but also travel insurance & even appointments can now be made online with some doctors & other professionals. Of course there is the odd pizza & I order wine online too direct from the cellar door. Security is the issue with unknown sites so I'm very careful & use paypal when I can.

My 10c worth: If I was to make a door like the one in the pic, I would use a piece of 38mm thick Triboard. Having a good-looking exposed track system is expensive for a larger or heavier door. Also make sure there is sufficient strength above the door in the right place to hang the door. We sell these sliding track systems in NZ, Id recommend the Henderson Rustic 80 system. Looking online overseas, theres some pretty good deals, but there's always the quality risk. Nor sure how much you are able to do yourself, there would be lots of savings to be made there, as usual!

Depends on the roughness of the bricks and the amount of recess in your mortar joints. Normally rendering is the most expensive as it is the most labour intensive, especially if you need scaffolding to safely reach a first floor. Bagging is second most expensive, as most bagged finishes are then painted. Painted bricks are next, but the cheapest is to live with the bricks, clean them with a high pressure hose and spend the money you save from rendering on other aspects of your exterior, such as landscaping and painting window frames and trim. Whether you go render, bagging or painted finish they all need more maintenance (and repainting down the track) than traditional face brick. Staining from pollution in rainwater is also a problem with rendered homes. Many homes from the 1960s and 1970s were designed for the bricks to be a feature, and when they are suffocated by a thick coat of render the character of the house is destroyed. Many new homes today are rendered to disguise lightweight construction and poor brick workmanship, so think really hard if you want to match the look of the poor construction of today's homes. Best of luck with your considerations, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls