Hi Luke, If you want a DIY solution, I would recommend a combination 1ventilated shelving -available from hardware and storage shops photo below. 2 plastic drums and buckets 3 a storage platform suspended from the ceiling 4 vertical storage- ie wall mounted hooks and shallow shelving eg in photo. Start by grouping the stuff as follows; 1 Stuff too heavy to lift above shoulder height 2 Stuff that is accessed regularly 3 stuff you only need annually or less( eg Christmas and camping gear) Options for allocating layout Sort according to task or people eg Tools/ handyman Kids gear Sporting equipment Cleaning Chemicals Garden School Pet Or sort according to size (this is the most space efficient and uniform) All shallow things (tools and garden) All tub storage All bulky storage Or sort according to each family member Then Create a storage platform just below the ceiling, this can simply be a series of rafters or metal poles which create a rack- Store on the platform the rarely used items and large light weight items such as; Lengths of timber Trestle tables Camping / Christmas gear and luggage etc Wall storage is broken into shelving for stacking items and vertical wall storage. The vertical wall storage can be anything from purpose built panels with accessory holders- available from numerous suppliers and a few photos below. This storage creates highly visible and accessible storage for high use and otherwise fiddly items. Almost like a vertical filing system. This storage being shallow is ideally located in the "tight" sections of the garage, maybe near where the car door opens. The tub storage is best located where there is more space on ventilated shelving. Ventilated (steel)shelving is also available at hardware and storage shops and is very sturdy, economical, adjustable and easy to install. By spacing the shelves tightly together just the size for the tubs you will maximise your storage. Labelling the tubs will assist everyone I finding things too. Keep the shelving as shallow as possible- so that the tubs sit right to the front to retain order and save space. Heavy items eg fuel, pool chemicals and paint need to be stored on the floor or low. Then allocate according to the method of sorting mentioned above, within that grouping position the most often used items between waist and eye height. Awkward stuff like bikes really depend on how often they are used if you need to maximise space wall racks are best. I have another couple of photos I will send later if I get a chance :)

@mlk01, You are right about the message button, I have it on my profile but no one else seems to so that's odd! If you click on my profile for example, you will see on the top line right beside the profile picture: Your house, Ideasbook, Bookmarks, Activities, Messages. In fact I remember that when anyone typed a reply like I'm doing now, you used to be able to click a "private" button, which meant only the person you were typing to saw your comment. Perhaps Houzz can answer these anomalies?? I'm not on Facebook or Twitter, never got into it and have no reason to do so anytime soon ha-ha As for talking privately to someone, you could post your email address here as could oklouise and delete it whilst you are still able to edit, as I've done once in the past. Just not sure how long the edit feature lasts.

Parking and traffic is such a huge issue here, so I don't really have any option, it is Coles for me, but my last experience at a Woolworths store finished them for me anyway. I wanted some tubs of yoghurt but all the tubs on the shelf were past their use by date by weeks. Called the dairy manager and was told it was all he had and why would I want to eat such stupid stuff anyway. I have to admit over the last few years Coles seem to have really got their act together, and customer satisfaction is extremely high on their agenda. If I can't find a product, staff just don't tell me the aisle number, they take me to it and ensure the product is on the shelf. Store management is always visible and willing to listen the complaints and problems. I definitely don't like Coles agenda to replace branded products with home brands. They are taking away our freedom of choice and to me that is un-Australian. They are also putting Australian companies out of business costing people their jobs and incomes. Too much is about greed and not what is good for this country. They are also not factoring in customers with special dietary needs as far as added ingredients go, nor are their products always the healthiest. Salt content is one big issue - it really is a joke when a product labelled "low salt" has a higher salt content than another brand's normal one.

Sounds like a very stressful situation! If there is absolutely no way the builder will allow you to change things (even if they did, I imagine they would ask you to foot the entire bill of pulling the tiles down and replacing all water proofing in addition to new tiles), I can make a few suggestions for improvement. Firstly I would suggest replacing the tiles above the vanity with a white mosaic, a patterned or a textured feature tile/strip. You could also use this same tile to replace the vertical feature in the shower. There are some beautiful shapes and sizes available to choose from. Secondly I would address the grout situation in this way: Floor - dark colour grout & Walls - Light colour grout. Lastly if it does not prove too difficult or expensive, maybe replace the tiles below the vanity with a plain white tile (could be similar size). Good luck and I am sure once you have a lovely mirror up and some crisp white towels, it will look just wonderful.