Air condition is called aircon, the combo air conditioner & heaters that you hang high on a wall are called swingers. Countertops are called benches, yards are called a gardens, closets-wardrobe, bonus room-rumpus room, hardwood floors or any wood is called timber. Living in the country is living in the Bush. Carpenters are called a Chippy, electrician -Sparky, brick layer-bricky, plumber-dunny driver. Downtown is called CBD. Neighbor is spelled neighbour. If a room is painted and decorated in updated colors & pattens they are called “Fresh”. If a house is updated in higher end-sophisticated materials it’s called “smart”. Fittings-are basically light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, appliances. Color is spelled colour. Picture rails are still pretty common. Queenslander-is a traditional style of home in Queensland that has a bungalow/Victorian/country/cottage feel. “security screens” are popular on windows & doors-which is a metal lattice. Full fences around your property are also popular.

The next one - the Scandi/Industrial one is to build and sell. The one after, 'should ' be the last one - the forever house. Re: the shipping container. We did do all the work ourselves - well my husband fitted out the container and an attached caravan in two weeks! At the conclusion of the build of the house pictured, we put the whole lot up for sale and ended up selling it to a family that was doing the same thing in country NSW. We've started a business called Container Homes R Us with the plan to make little homes for people, not so much houses made of shipping containers - cause in our opinion, that costs more than just building a standard home but making it look like a container. We probably couldnt start anything till next year though, which gives customers time to think about their design.

In my early twenties I designed kitchens for my mother and two aunts (Uncle built them and they worked), but when it came to designing my own - had to fit a constrained space and no possibility of extension - I chewed my lips for ages - like Nicole, I drew and measured ad infinitum, and used graph book walls, views etc. I did one extra thing - which I think worked - I listed all that I wanted to store, and tried to analyse how I liked working in the kitchen. Some things I had to settle for because of space (such as a smaller dishwasher) but most of it has worked. We have a corner pantry, which I (and the cat, husband a bit larger) can walk into, but have not put small appliances in there - they sit in a large drawer beneath the main working bench, which also works well. It all looks good to me Nicole and thinking carefully about needs and how things work in advance usually results in something you'll be happy with. Good luck!

Hello Queenslander! There are lots of options for wall lights. Has the builder made allowance for wall lights in the cavity? Or has he only made allowance for a recessed or flushmount ceiling light? And now that it's all framed and lined, you are probably on a tight timeframe? Have a look at flush mount ceiling lights for a raked ceiling at Fat Shack Vintage. But get the correct dimensions first and you'll probably need it to gimbal on the batten, so that it can be mounted properly on the ceiling. Alternatively, if you are looking for something a little more modern for wall lights try the brand Nordlux, available from Milton Lighting and other places in Brisbane. But you will get about 70,000 hours out of a good LED downlight - that's about 8 years without ever turning it off! Lighting is tricky! Good luck.