I wonder if you should look into this a lot further. I find it hard to believe that you can't sell a house in the kind of location you describe, walk away, and find a nice place maybe in one of the more peripheral areas, that will meet your requirements, give you cash in hand, and not touch your $100,000 nest egg. No, you certainly wouldn't end up in the inner city but you could end up in a situation that provides the facilities you need and gives you a financial cushion. That said, my real concern would be how to make this house workable for boarders while preserving your privacy. I think you need to provide a floor plan of what you have for anyone to make anything approaching informed advice.

Hi mutcherson, Having once owned in this type of development myself, quite often even the landscaping has to be unified. We, new to this style of living, bought and started to put up a garden shed, within our own side yard, and we got a knock at the door, you need approval for that, some neighbours upset, they had a meeting and they eventually let us go ahead! Judging by your photo, showing your side sliding door, it looks as though your front yard is private? if that is the case, you can probably plant as you wish, we did, we had more of a cottage garden, but the overall development landscaping in the public areas was more Australian natives style. So add lots of different height and colourful pots. Then pick a spot, close to your front door, to add a nice bench for relaxing, sunning yourself in winter, reading and putting on and taking off of shoes, perhaps some outdoor bright scatter cushions to make it even more comfy. Also, if your garden is large enough, perhaps make a little area out of recycled bricks layed in a circle, place a small setting of round table and chairs and add a colourful umbrella, nice for visitors to share a coffee or for you to read the Sunday papers. Around the garden, plant taller plants with underplanting of variegated foliage or colourful flowers, what about some lemons, which you could grow espalier style up your fence/s, what about a small potting bench or storage of somesort? I have seen some small garden sheds in the shape of a guard box, which can be brightly coloured which would be quirky! What about buying and hanging some chimes (not the loud type though). Finally, add a nice piece of sculpture or art on the wall next to your front door, this will all help make it YOUR space! You can do all or some of these suggestions, as long as the overall effect is not too busy. You enjoy your new home.

Hi creativelychallenged, I'm pretty sure all the tiles are faux-marble from Beaumont Tiles. I've used them in bathrooms and they are cost-effective (from $40sqm un-laid) and look beautiful. Marble and now faux-marble is a classic look so not prone to dating. You may have noticed its recent popularity due to the faux-marble now available as the average homeowner may not have the budget for real marble. People worry about decor 'dating' - think about what you love, what will make you happy to live with - decor doesn't last forever because our own tastes change and decor can suffer from wear and tear. Choose what you LOVE and you can't go wrong :-)

Though I don't know for certain, I think the cotton/linen shades are removable. I wasn't able to determine this by my searches. This could easily be confirmed by making an enquiry to supplier before purchase. Alternatively, a handmade one could be made removable by making shade slightly larger than frame and making ties.