Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating volume build in ANY way....there's actually little positive I can say about it except they are a more affordable option, and for some people that's the priority.....,whether or not it's in fact good value for money is a whole other discussion ;).......people have to work out where they sit within the quality to quantity spectrum for a particular project..................It's certainly a challenge here for you in that how can you accurately assess and distill/filter the "advice" offered by various parties?.......Seriously, unless a builder actually absorbs your design brief and comes back with a considered solution, any suggestion/comment such as " you could raise the ceiling" or "put in a window" or "use trusses" of whatever is neither here nor there, and are just floating ideas to consider in the mix...........but isolated "suggestions", whilst may be ideas to consider, don't effectively dealing with the overall solution/big picture to your challenge..................there are different areas of expertise in this game.....builders are builders, (and they seem to have a knack of getting called in and influencing too early in the process) they build stuff and certainly they have an idea about this and that from experience, and they can provide sound quotation/opinion on how much it will cost to do something... BUT really only properly/accurately once there is hard documentation in place (read: documented&specified, not basic concept/design sketches/verbal ideas) .......I have great respect for builders (it's a seriously hard rugged gig) and I know some fantastic ones, but builders are (in general) not "designers" unless they have come form a design background......and the conversations if held too early can be (unintentionally blurred, confusing and actually detrimental to the client and what they really need to be focusing on...........design advice from a builder can be offered with good intentions, however I have found it generally comes from more a singular benefit angle (usually motivated by business/profit) whereas (good/seasoned design) advice from a design professional comes from more complex, balanced and creative position and process in which various aspects are simultaneously managed/considered to achieve results for a client on multiple levels, ie, cost, function, aesthetic, experience etc.............the different and various professional skills all have their place, but need to be utilised in the right order relevant to the process......................yep I wish you all the luck.....these are always big investments, and big decisions, both emotionally and financially :)

If you don’t like the fence then remove it. It doesn’t really fit in with the era of the house. Returning a window to that blank wall would improve the look of the house. It currently looks odd and unfriendly. Windows improve your street presence. Choose windows in keeping with the rest of the house. Also think about orientation. If the front is facing west you’ll get harsh western light in summer heating up that room unless you have vertical shading. It might be why they bricked it up in the first place. Which brings me to the awning to the right of the house. It is what makes that window look odd. It would greatly improve the look of the house if it was removed, but if your house faces west you might regret it. Really think hard before rendering. Bricks are virtually maintenance free. Render will require ongoing maintenance. And there is the potential to look like you’re trying to turn the house into something it’s not rather than embracing it. As trends go, brick is back and render is on the way out. Not that you should always follow trends. Your money might be better spent on landscaping and other things that will improve the amenity. Congratulations on the new house. It’s very exciting.

good points SK and Eco thank you. Looks like I'll be going with the flick tap, offset at 2pm to the right of the round vessel basin, mounted in the centre of the top of the vanity (not semi-recessed). Any thoughts on whether the vessel basin should be bang in the middle, or offset to the left slightly to balance the tap being on the right?

Have a you a block of land already? Which part of the block faces north? If you are just looking at facades, then yes it is personal opinion. The orientation of the home to get as much winter sun into living areas is very important. Do not look at designs of an actual plan until you have a block. Then the shape of the block and the correct orientation will dictate the facade, not the other way around. I’m in Perth, and summit homes is an excellent builder. They have been successful for about 40 years, and are always adapting design and their building products to current building requirements.