please include upstairs floorplans, where is north on your plans and describe your local climate

1.5 m hall width is fine for that distance for me. The change of ceiling height seems appropriate defined to set family from kitchen.
I would add a sliding door on hallway opp the wir to allow some privacy between bed and bath for guests when needed.

One more thing, swing the home theatre foo the other way so it doesn’t conflict with garage entry. Perhaps add some glass to the garage entry door.

With all due respect to your builder he doesn't know what he is talking about with design, but hopefully you are not employing him for his design skills. Hallway space is dead space, and this is even more important with a narrow lot. Build your 2m wide hallway when you are building your McMansion that is over 400 sq.m, but for your home a 1.48 metre wide hallway is appropriate and to the right scale of the house. I would even consider narrower down to 1.2m wide as it is a short hallway and opens up when you get to the stairs, and add the difference into the rooms on the same side as the guest suite and study. Best to get a tape measure out and check against your current hallways.

Your study looks manageable, but it depends on how many people will be using it at once, and how many seats, laptops and printers you will have in that room! I would not have it open plan with the entry hall as I don't have a super tidy workspace all of the time, and in your home it is the first thing you see.

Yes, your dining area will look and feel strange with the big difference in ceiling height, especially as the change in height happens over a window. I would either realign the rear of the first floor back to the laundry wall, or make the laundry wider, move the dining room out and reduce the alfresco space.

Leederville · More Info

There are options to resolve these solutions better, but I can't with the information provided and the time it takes to properly review the design. There are a few other things that I would change if it was my design, but they are minor in comparison.

Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visits

Your downstairs area needs a toilet that is separate from within the bathroom,

I quite like a lowered ceiling over the kitchen ( name eludes me at the moment), works better with lighting extractors etc.

And no way to wasting that passage space, 1200 - 1500 only

I would change the guest walk in robe to a powder room.

@oklouise: Upstairs plan attached.

Entry is North west facing. We are in Western Sydney and temperatures in Summer runs for 5 - 6 months and temperatures between 28 and 42, winter is for 4 - 5 months with temperature from 0 to 19 degrees approx.

@Kate: thank you!

@Dr Retro House Calls - Thank you for your inputs on hallway and study, agree with you - will hide study from hallway. In terms of the dining, we could look at bringing the laundry back and move the dining and reduce alfresco but the size of the dining and alfresco reduces significantly. We felt the max. we could reduce was 300mm, anything more than that would make the space smaller? Also the alfresco will not align with the beam that runs between kitchen and living so we are not able to make a decision.

We actually have same width, same region, same orientation but smaller size. So sharing our solution as it has similar front area. I wanted the entry to feel slightly generous so had 1.7m width which narrows to 1.5m. Your study will be reduced but its a good size still. To resolve the rooms alignment, we had a feature ceiling above wider entry, but then opens to void. Here, your feature walls can now have have one side double height, part of bed 3/4 walls.

Also, we did opt for powder room, bigger laundry and Guestroom with a WIR and ensuite, a little luxury goes a long way :) our overall building length is 18m exclusive of porch/alfresco as we mind the walking, suits our 4 bedder actually. Best of luck!

@Dr Retro House Calls Thank you for the tips and yes you are right about the 3D angle to design the space better. About rotating dining table to 90 deg, my husband did suggest it. Good idea but only other concern is we wanted a window seat in the dining with bi fold windows similar to attached. I understand we can still go with it but then the window seat is disconnected to dining table. Good idea to get an independent design professional to do further design review, will try it.

I hate bench seating at a table. To hard to get in and out. Ok under window by itself though.

I agree with Kate. Bench seating really restricts the configuration of a dining room.

I think I have gotten my head around everything , now I am definitely no designer but this whole design seems like it was done by someone stupider than me !

Downstairs you are going with 3 metre ceilings ( slightly higher than standard ) presumably to get an airier feel . Then you ( or your builder ) want a relatively narrow hallway ? Go slight luxury there IMO .

The study has already been discussed , but one thing no-one mentioned was the 'slash' /bedroom 6 there -- a study with a bed ( even a single or bunks ) needs to be bigger . So surely the 'answer' is to make it bigger , push everything back until you get to the dining , and guess what -- yes , the split ceiling would not be a problem !

As Dr Retro says , turn the dining table around , make the alfresco a bit smaller . The alfresco has a ceiling -- it is under the roofline . You have lots of sliding doors . So the temperature and outdoor feel between the alfresco and the dining area is neglible -- I'd go for a bigger dining area any day ! In fact , even if you are BBQ nuts , you could presumably have the BBQ and even some seating 'outside' ( I tried to check the length but gave up , but I assume you have a back garden ) .

But heres some other weird things . The garage almost certainly needs a window . Minor I know , but why not ?

Then , without seeing an actual impression , the front seems weird . There looks to be columns , and a wall on the other side , a metre and a half or so in front . Its job -- to hold up a balcony . The front entrance is set back , but doesn't seem to have much , if any , weather protection ? And then the other side , in front of Bed 4 , has a large window but no balcony .

Now I know the stairs would need a tweak , but why not move the whole upstairs 'back' by the metre and a half , lower the kitchen and dining to 3 metre ceilings ( a 4 metre ceiling in a kitchen may look great , but that top metre will be a pain to clean , and basically unusable -- cupboards , etc will be too high ) .

Then you could have the balcony ( or 1 balcony right across , or a roof above the entrance , or even a bigger , more roomy entrance -- and yes I do realise it is double height , but make it a longer , wider , double height more lux entrance ) set back , more space front or rear if thats a priority ?

Basically , it looks like someone has taken a template , added some bits , and gone 'there you go' , without considering the overall picture .

Design looks reasonable enough to not really require any changes.

Aim for flat ceilings through out, 4.0 m ceiling seems excessive. 2.7 - 3.0 m IMO is almost perfect unless the house is huge - its about good proportions and not trying to 'wow' people with excess.

Consider how long your stairs will be!!

Hi Pottsy, I’m with you on the upstairs setback, I didn’t raise it as didn’t have the facade or know why they want a roof in front of garage.
MB - I agree, noise goes up voids and kids through things down and not great for privacy, A 1 m higher ceiling will trap heat.
2.7 m is most economical to avoid plaster waste.

So am I understanding this right, the garage gets the benefit of the northern orientation and the alfresco faces south?