Anyone who has the luxury of an old 1900s timber floorboards is, in my view a very fortunate Houzzer and would have a very difficult time trying to get anything today that remotely resembled those boards. I have a Queenslander from that era. All Queenslanders has tongue and groove Hoop PIne floors and they were nearly always covered in newspapers with "lino" ( made in England) over the top...so were well preserved. The advice I received about these untouched floorboards that had been seasoned naturally for many years prior to use was to initially "feed them" with a mix of kerosene and pale boiled linseed oil and then stain them if I wanted then give them a couple of sealant coats that would still allow them to breathe. I opted for just a kero and pale boiled linseed oil sprayover whenever they looked "thirsty" and I've used thick rugs to protect them from wear and tear. I've had them like this for 30 yrs or so and am very, very happy with my floors...and they are soft wood. Every couple of years I douse the floors with turpentine as this penetrates the timber and prevents termites, then continue on with the stain, kero and linseed oil mix...then get them buffed. That's just my story that may be or not a little helpful, I was born in Victoria so am familiar with the balck Japan satin that was used down the boards exposed each side of the hall runners....and the boards were the wider ones. Its a pity that multiple sandings compromise the tongue and groove..sometimes such floors need reinforcing from underneath. After acertaining that, maybe a light.soft timber "overfloor"rather than a hardwood would be the go although quite a bit of maintrnance for the first few years. You could stain it any colour you wanted. by getting a light to mid brown or teak stain and give it several coats allowing drying in between until you were satisfied with the colour. Its a good thing to keep in mind that timber flooring from that era was very well and naturally seasoned for years prior to being sold for use...the idea was to seel people timber that would last. I have put on a couple of decks here and am rather disappointed to see that the newer timbers are showing signs of wear and deterioration whilst the original timbers are still as unblemished and solid as the day they were used to build my old home. I think that was a very good lesson for me. All timbers today are kiln dried for expediency so, since they were not permitted to "age gracefully": and gently they are not naturally strong. If ever I do any more timber renos to this place I will be sourcing old timbers form places being demolished. These often cost more...but there's method in that madness! I'd say to anyone wanting their floors to stand the test of time...Buy old timber and treat it as it would have been treated of old. Should have some photos of these floors somewhere. I'll post them if I can

http://houzz.com/photos/4165767 Do you like this room? It is quite contemporary and warmed with the furniture. I personally think it is lovely!

Go with pine, either some recycled Baltic preferably or the newer one. If it looks 'orange' it may be Cypress Pine. This, if refinished properly looks like a light honey colour. It looks superb if done correctly. Refinishing it all with an oil (we used some European manufactured oil) rather than polyurethane. Poly looks good initially but is difficult to touch up if needed where as the repair using oil can be hidden easier. The poly also essentially 'glues' the boards together rather than allowing some movement. Spotted Gum is very nice indeed, as is Iron Bark but the difference of red brown to the lighter pine will be too much. The two different Pines will be ok.

Hi CH, Well it is certainly a classic old plan of the 30s or 40s , its a bit hard to tell whether its a Californian bungalow, or some other period. Posting a couple of pictures would be good. Also if you could make some reference to where the title lines are and the adjoining neighbors relationship to the site would help. Reference to any planning regulations or heritage laws might also significant in any planning decision. The kitchen seems to be a relatively new design, is it worth retaining, or is it marked for renovation? The condition of the other wet areas is also unknown - it might help to know, the number of occupants and their interests would also help to define the design proposal further or are you designing for resale? 1. The first thing that I would look at is the entry, side entries to my understanding have the greatest number of break-ins, if possible it is always best to place the entry to the front so that it can be seen from the street. Depending on the front elevation and any "local Planning issues" I think this is an achievable option depending on your likes/dislikes. 2. Bedroom 1 would really need a bathroom and maybe some walk in robes, these could be added as part of an extension. 3. If the entry was located at the front it would allow to bring a garage or carport next to the living and dining area, helping to improve security by using a roller door or similar to provide a secure entry to the new garage. 4 The north facing area next to the open area would become and "alfresco area maybe with an outside kitchen/BBQ area, this is a well located area of good size for external entertaining. 5. Landscaping and fences would also determine the look of the house and the "curb appeal" That's is where I would start the first design discovery, then after three or four revisions it might all be a bit clearer and a lot different than the first design ideas. I It generally takes a bit of design effort, and a bit of money to find a solution that is acceptable to most stakeholders - most of the times its worth it in the long run. I do think that your approach is the correct one - its cheaper to change drawings that move walls - getting a good design solution is the key. I would be happy to continue helping you on this project. Hoping this is of some benefit Regards Michael Manias mm407p@gmail.com