Hi Linda, Sorry to hear you are at your witts end. So dissapointing when you have such a negative experience of what should be a wounderful and positive experience building or renovating. Don't let it get you down too much, it shouldn't be too hard to get the rail changed if you explain to your builder that you are very dissatisfied with the rail and that you want it changed to a shape that's more appealing. Don't get yourself flustered but be firm, male builders at times think that woman are dumb and anything will do and that is sooo wrong on sooo many levels!!! My builder is hubby and althought he doesn't consider me dumb, he wouldn't want to ha-ha....but he does have that "it will be fine mentality" that I have to constantly keep in check but we work together real well and laught about pretty much everything and how he's not having anything to do with building my kitchen that he jokingly says he can do with a chainsaw just to stir me up ha-ha. Keep in touch. Cheers, Barbara

Tell me about it, the ones across the road were going all day and night in the front yard, including revving up a motor bike they're not allowed to ride! my hubby wears flannie shirts when he's not in work gear. He likes ripping them, that's a trend that should end. of course, all Australian flag thongs (flip flops) are made in China!

based on approximate dimensions i've reduced the extra hallway width upstairs, added the two storey void (or bigger upstairs bed 2 or small study) moved the stairs to the west and rearranged upstairs and down with a central rumpus room or potential extra bedroom and master suite across the rear...the stairs are still open underneath up to the downstairs bathroom door that is enclosed under the stairs to create more bathroom privacy and a generous nook for the piano...swopping the laundry provides a small porch for the garage and laundry with option for security screen on the outside of the porch ...the eastern alfresco will be cooler for afternoon outdoor entertaining (western alfresco creates circulation issues with the kitchen) although the existing dining and living areas could be swopped (btw don't forget the alfresco floor space extends up to the fence for more flexible furniture arrangements)

Yeah I will have to set some time aside to go measure all the rooms, so bear with me. I think I'll need to re-draw the original layout too, so it makes more sense what I'm doing long term. A previous owner opened up the current dining room and kitchen but it means the lounge has 5 doorways and is an awkward thoroughfare with nowhere to put furniture. The kitchen then ends up too visible. I keep hoping the drawing will turn up but it's not so far! My parents are compulsive renovators, so I grew up checking out salvage yards and open houses and worst house in best streets and talking over "what would you do with this space?" We ended up moving like every second year! It means I know I can turn this house around. I don't however intend to do all the hard graft for someone else to enjoy. Its really more of a creek than a river so it's not super wide, so the tree line shades the waterway a bit, but its all gorgeous and green year round. At the moment the windows aren't quite in the right spots. when we reclad I'll open the up more. The bath has a great view.