@ 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! .

We considered all of your ideas and more, to the point where we had a sure plan, quoted and ready to go - only to be surprised when we actually saw it. That plan was to make the current ensuite the main bathroom and enter off the end of the room, to reconfigure the WIR to a third bedroom and to make Bed 2 the new master with a walk-thru robe to the new ensuite - currently family bathroom. The issue was that despite taking room from the existing wardrobes between the WIR and Bed 2, the area was just too small - so back to the drawing board. What we have decided to do is keep the same floor plan, knowing that if we choose to sell and return the WIR to a third bedroom it will cost approx. $4K - we think this is a great return on investment, but for our needs the WIR is a big benefit. It turns out our draughtsman missed some vital space where our current pantry exists so we have been able to utilise that space and move the pantry. This has allowed us to change the opening to the main bath to be adjacent to the back door/hall area which removes it from the kitchen/dining/lounge. Despite our best efforts we couldn't make room for a separate shower and bath, so we will have a shower over bath (island style) larger vanity (1200mm) and a concealed cistern toilet. Our finishes will do the talking with exposed brodware michaelangelo shower/bath mixers, beautiful marquina carrara and nero mosaic floor tiles and subways together with a statement wallpaper. We will retain the ensuite as is but we will make the shower significantly bigger, add a large vanity and concealed cistern toilet as per main bathroom. Same finishes. The trick in the ensuite is that we will cover the existing windows opposite the existing shower with the vanity and shaving cabinet (they are frosted from the outside) so we can utilise that wall and it makes no difference to the outside of the house - plus they are double glazed and don't open on that wall so it makes no difference to light or function. Here are the floor plans and the before photos , demo has occurred and we'll be framed and lined prior to Christmas, so stay tuned for more updates!

If you've got great project management skills, design skills and an understanding of the building process for wet areas then go for it. If not I'd recommend hiring professionals, remembering you are not just paying for the work they are doing but also their training, experience and knowledge whether that be in design or building. Some of the bathroom product supply companies offer a design service (with varying level of design skills) and some builders can give you design advice (sometimes great, sometimes not). Alternatively, there are plenty of Houzzers who are happy to offer design advice and suggestions if you wanted to throw up your floor plans and a wish list. Once you've got your design in place I'd either hire a builder to manage the project for you or do some serious research into wet areas and engage trades as required, depending on your skill level; remembering some work like electrical and plumbing must be completed by a qualified trade. There are also a number of specific Australian Standards that need to be adhered to in wet areas for yours and others safety, now and in the future.

Thanks for the measurements, there were a few missing that would have made it easier to be more precise, But I'am making suggestions on what I think might fit within the existing floor plan which you are trying to do. the only small extension is to fit the laundry into a shared family bathroom. As there is already a shower and toilet in the current laundry I think it would be wrong to move them as they are close to your new alfresco area for the family to have easy access when you have your get togethers. To try and keep the girls bedrooms a good size and together with the other two bedrooms I suggest working with the fireplace and making the current Bathroom and ensuite but with the ability to share the toilet with the girls during the night. I have added my beloved barn doors to close off the kitchen from the bedrooms and also to be able to leave open during the day for extra light., the planned deck with roof over will make the dining/study/kitchen darker so you might need to consider a sky light. Anyway just a few different ideas trying to work with and around special features cheers