@ Tilly, others and nexusone... I live in rural Queensland... As far as tradies go, there are not many and they are all vying for the work, so their reputations are very important to them and people do talk Have no idea where you two Houzzers live..must be somewhere expensive because $3-$4,000 for labour for a tiling sounds exorbitant...unless every wall was entirely tiled to the ceiling with tiles that were also priced to impress. @ nexusone... It doesn't have to be like that...unless there's the "keeping up with the Jones's" to factor in. What's a "top quality" product anyway? One that costs more? It all comes from CHINA if you trace it back! The Chinese are a very large part of our economy and despite what many think they know, based on some of the negative things that have been publicised..... about Asian "sweat shops" etc.... when it comes to maunfacturing hard items (like plumbing ware, tiles etc...) the standard is mostly excellent and the cost is extremely reasonable. Where do you think our resellers of "top quality" hardware get their product from? Greece? Italy? Apologies for disagreeing and no offence meant, but we need to get our thinking caps on here. How is it that I could buy a magnificently crafted 8inch chrome plated retro styled brass shower rose for $79 ( including insurance and shipping)? Why is it that when I finally sourced the "Shepherd's Crook"...( a 1.2m long curved piece of chrome plated brass pipe) from an Australian reseller...that it cost me X3.5 times more than the actual shower rose? Where was this pipe made? Guess. I'm no advocate for trade with anywhere but hardware does not have to be exorbitantly expensive, and "top quality" is not necessarily associated with Brand or price. It pays to do your research before you do your shopping and to gain any technical information you can fathom to help you to understand what you are being expected to pay for! @ Tilly.... You mention that you supplied ( ? purchased) your own tiles, and on top of that you paid $3,800 for the "top quality" tiler's labour. In my experience of hiring tradies of all kinds over a 30 year period, off and on, and of having to keep abreast of costs of materials and hardware and of workmanship standards and methods, I found that there's a limit to the quality that can go into any product and into any labour, including putting tiles on a wall...(without getting ridiculous and grinding up diamonds in the glue!) So the amount of $3,800 tiler's labour alone doesn't make sense to me, especially since you had already paid for the tiles. So tiling alone in one bathroom cost about $4-5,000? not including anything else? I may have easily misunderstood...its easy in writing, but everything sounds very inflated based on "quality". I'm glad it was not I who shelled out all that hard earnt money. The comparison costs of your bathroom to your daughter's using DIY labour is about the same...did you leave something out? If one can find the right outlet, items and labourers...things should not and need not and, in my experience, do not cost that much, not even for "quality"...and that word needs defining. Nevertheless, Tilly, extremely interesting reading about your costs and experiences. Thanks! I'll add the info to my "experience" diary! @nexusone... Courage, again! Do your homework well, become informed, shop around and, may I suggest, based on what I perceive from the information kindly supplied by everyone here...When you go shopping, go outside your city, town or usual haunts where you are not known, keep it impersonal. Online shopping is not as scary as it seems either. An Idea about plumbing You say your bathroom is 1930's...that's the Art Deco era...external plumbing was the rage. Could you maybe consider fixing your plumbing TO the wall rather than having it IN the wall? You could just about have any design tapware you wanted today..Art Deco products are available in many styles. Retro Plumbing is IN and would go with the style of your bathroom. Just something to consider. All I think all you would need to do, (bear in mind I am not a plumber) is bring a fitting for HW and CW to the outside of your wall and you could then have, attached to those, any kind assembly/combo of taps and shower head you wanted, I wish you every tiny bit of good luck with this. It WILL work out! .

Mm. Sure. Just make sure you've allowed enough room, once it's in its in but 10 cm is maybe ok. I like your taste. I always give a little test before I buy anything myself. There's so much to choose from, it does get confusing. In saying that, I think the copper will out date quick. I'm sure your choice in the end will be great.

Save the pink bathroom! The original floor and the pink bath are beautiful! And obviously appropriate to the era of your house. http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/ To give you a more spacious feel, have the door replaced with a cavity sliding door - it gives you an amazing amount of extra space, we did it in our bathroom I would replace the vanity, which is obviously not original, with a custom laminate vanity with cupboards underneath in pink (top) and grey (cupboard doors/sides) or even a boomerang pattern for the top (http://retrospaces.com.au/retro/images/laminates/Renovation/FirstLadyPink.jpg) have a skilled tiler repair any areas that need repairing and have the tiles professionally cleaned and re-grouted and re-do all of the silicone, Then replace all the tapwear with new chrome taps but in an appropriate style (like these for example http://www.caroma.com.au/bathrooms/taps/retro/retro-wall-top-assemblies) and a new glass shower screen. A really fresh coat of white paint (use the bathroom product), better lighting - put a light in above the mirror (http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/00255303/) and a fan/heater/light in front of the vanity exactly above where you'll stand when you get out of the shower. If the mirror isn't in good shape (or it may be mirror doors on a cabinet? I can't tell) then think about replacing the mirror too. You'll save a heap of money over completely re-doing the bathroom and importantly you'll be in keeping with (and preserving) the midcentury design of your home.

I like oklouise's layout with 2 major changes. I would lose the cabinets/ counter/ sink along that wall. Keep counter beside fireplace as you need it beside the cooktop. Make the island as big as the space will take and put your sink in the island. This eliminates corner cupboards and allows for more storage in the island. Also, think about how you use the kitchen. Do you want/need a seating area? We opted not to have one and this enabled us to put more storage in the island.. Also, with a bigger island you get more prep space. A single, good sized sink is better than 2 smaller ones. Go for one that takes your biggest baking dish. If you make your island your prep area, having the sink close and underbench rubbish bins, makes for a better workflow. If you want wall ovens, I would make the cupboards along the other wall full ceiling height, with two wall ovens. We went for a convection microwave which gave us versatility, and a full oven underneath, for those times we needed the extra oven space. The convection microwave is more energy efficient if you are only using one shelf in the oven. We use it most of the time and love it. If you have a big island you don't need any more counter space. The extra storage enables you to put everything away and keep the island uncluttered. A final note: we went for drawers under counter height, increased counter height to 950mm and drawers in the pantry to about chest height. All the kitchen was custom made, giving us extra height in the drawers under the island, and extra depth in the cabinetry along the wall, as we pulled it out to fit the fridge in flush. We had a special double height drawer made for tall appliances. You need to think about the dimensions and quantity of what you want to store and watch the details. Make sure everything has been included in the design. Don't be afraid to nitpick and ask questions, particularly about the drawings if there is anything you don't understand. Don't assume something you have said has been considered in the design. Check and double check. Misunderstandings can happen over the smallest thing. This is a photo of our kitchen close to finishing. We have been using it for a month now and have so much space to store and cook. We love it! (Especially the lack of corner cupboards!) The Island is 1100mm deep, allowing for drawers on both sides. The cupboards above the fridge and ovens have vertical divisions for platters, trays and cutting boards. The opening on the side was originally a window to the sunroom at the back of the house and has now been framed in wood stained to match the cabinets. Cornices to match the existing cornices have been installed at the top of the cupboards. The Island extends out into the sunroom to allow a small bookcase for cooking books. It wraps around the narrow bit of wall that remains between the former window and the original door from the living area to the sunroom. The Island is fully open to the living area.