The doors can be hinged to open outwards. Ours opened onto verandah and back garden. Had drapes shut for sleeptime. It was a narrower sitting area so we each had chair and ottoman on either side of doors. Wasn't wide enough to accomodate side tables, which we would have liked for setting down books and coffee cups. I used the window sills next to chair for this. The devil is in the detail, and can learn so much through trial and error.

Hi all, I can't seem to reply individually to your comments so here's a general one :) Thanks all for the suggestions and experience-I'm really intrigued by these suggestions of pavilion extensions, those links you attached Kate are super striking! Unfortunately for us we are on a fairly small block of land and one side of the house is a narrow driveway-we looked into building a garage/study on the ground but as we have to be 900mm from the neighbouring fence it was going to be very skinny and just not worth it. I appreciate the thoughts shared on keeping our feet on the ground but as we've two young kids and two dogs (and would love to have chickens again) I'm less and less inclined to give up more of the garden which is what we'd have to do if we extend out. Our verandah roof was done back in the 60's and slopes down and leaks in the rain so hence it needs to be lifted up if we were to build out. Kate, I LOVE your idea of the shed! We actually converted a massive steel shed into a gorgeous shed home when we lived in QLD on a massive rural block of land, loved how easy it was to 'knock' down a wall! :) Sadly we have learned the hard way that trying to save money by hiring a draftsperson that didn't ask us what our budget was has cost us time and money, but I guess in a way I'm grateful as this extra time has given me time to consider building up now instead of out. I'm getting a sense that it will be a lot more expensive to do so so might have to wait another 2-3 years to get re-finance happening. In the meantime we are making some changes to the current set up, slowly adding value and making it more enjoyable to live in :)

Alright brains trust! For anyone who wants to tackle this weekend's options. House one is a total crazy town - 250m2 of living space, with the top floor rented out separately (with a separate entry). We'd want to bring the two levels together into one house. House two is a little place, on a good size corner block. Our dream requirements across both houses are: 4 bedrooms, including main with genuine WIR and ensuite At least 2 bathrooms with a separate toilet (or 2.5 inc a powder room) Two living spaces Open plan kitchen/dining, with a big island and a walk in pantry A mud room connected to the garage Maximise indoor/outdoor flow, with light - it's Canberra, so we have both -8 and 40 with depressing regularity. Both of the properties are brick veneer, timber bearer and joist floor and conventional truss roof. House one has a SW facing facade, 780m2. House two has a S facing facade, 990m2. Both are flat blocks, and easements are at the edges of the property so no real encroachment issues. Unfortunately I don't have legible floor plans, other than the agent's mock ups, for either. Happy to answer questions where I can! House One House Two

Thanks Kate This is what room looks like now, posting a pic of what we were planning to have in the WIR ( table in WIR is like a make up table with Hollywood mirror ) My daughter seems to be more keen in having a large WIR rather than the study nook . So I’ll think I’ll leave as its (with large WIR) and at a study desk somewhere in the room. Think there’s room for that . Thank u ☺️