It is just a great patio beer drinking table with a great view:) I couldn't get a picture of the table and the view because I didn't have the room with just a camera phone but this is the view from the top of the patio with it:)

Just to confirm I have taken the great ideas presented here as advice only and have no intention to do some dodgy diy reno's. With the exception of a couple of quirky exposed timbers as you can see in my pictures there are no other exposed beams. As you can also see from the pictures there is a large roof space on the right (east) side of the house but the ceilings themselves are flat with a slight dip on the north wall. Based on my own personal experiences I would have to agree with Two's Company that there is a tendency towards rendered brick in WA (although there are still many exposed brick houses in my suburb) while double enclosed double garages are also highly desirable. I would also agree that toilets within the main bathroom and non traditional laundries may be considered unusual by many (but not all). Ensuites with toilets however are still very common. Also due to the nature of our work we would prefer the laundry separated from food/kitchen area. For a 4x2 house it is only around 155m2 excluding carport/alfresco which makes the rooms feel quite cramped, hence the desire to open up the family room. However, as Two's Company suggests we will need to first get a builder/eng in to check load bearing walls etc as this will undoubtedly affect what we can achieve within our budget. Having said that I still excited by many of your ideas and with luck hopefully can work some of them into the budget. Cheers all :)

yes. stallion looks like it is in a sample hanger with all or most of the various colours available. your other photo with the 6 or so swatches looks like all warwick samples. The Bleecker pleat does look interesting. I haven't seen it in Australia. Just remember any 'different' headings will substantially increase your making cost. Making cost is usually not unreasonable in Australia in my opinion as we have regulated wages etc. so making will change depending on how much labour will be involved. the most 'flexible' cost with curtains is your fabric as fabric cost can have a very wide range as you have no doubt discovered. but the making cost is the same whether the fabric cost $25 per metre or $250. the labour is the same.

Early Settler has fireclay ones for around $1000.