Hi Emma, Lots of great ideas, love the idea of a larger fridge to fill that large space, build in s/s microwave, shelf or shelves either side of range hood , timber but I think stainless steel would add a bit of glamour, fill with beautiful items, then stand back and decide if you want to update cupboard doors, if so plain would look great, some great stools ... gorgeous

Solid conceptually, and a great effort. but as Retro said the building expense will be more in the extent of perimeter, detailing and gable form nature of it rather than the size. From a functional aspect I'd be getting the bathrooms breathing a bit more, and also consider flipping the whole main living so you're not walking past a laundry from the main entry, and you present/enter into the main living which would be much more open. Possibly you consider changing the entry point though if you prefer closer relationship off the kitchen/laundry with the garage....This is where you need to balance function vs experience....... Also I'll add that no plan is EVER "perfect", rather it is either better balanced and aligned one way or the other in respect to your particular needs. Without understanding context also it's hard to comment as when you have a rural context the opportunity to respond to potential panoramic views & orientation changes the way we plan the building. Also response to sustainable design, and say if north is up the page having bedrooms on the west unprotected is an issue and also the west facing window to the master....... What you may be better to do, rather than go straight to a builder, is to take these to a Designer to help you refine your ideas and finalise the concept. It's a great start, but if you go straight to a builder you're missing a critical part of the process and bypassing vital design expertise (which will include energy efficiency, engineering/structural/costing understanding that will help you realise the full potential of your project. Definitely on the right path, though Best of luck Cheers PD :)

Wise words anonymousanne. Thanks all for your helpful advice so far . We have a 3-5 year plan I guess our priority will be creating 3 cosy bedrooms, with fresh paint, carpet and blinds ......not sure if they will be the existing bedrooms..or whether we will take the lounge as the master. A dilemma how much to do in the bathrooms.... Flat pack kitchen, appliances paint etc...It would be cheapest in the kitchen to replace the Existing L only...but I do like oklouise and siruiskys suggestions for the kitchen dining areas in the plans that have been drawn. I will get a builder friend to take a look structurally for now..still hoping to open the back up a bit more, for better internal flow of the house, so we can enjoy living there while we save to do major works

Hey. Maybe pop the the plans or a sketch up so that we can visualise better.