There are hundreds of suggestions that can be made on how to update, renovate and re-design a layout to make it functional for you and allow it to respond well to the built environment. Engaging an architect or building designer at this stage may not be something you're willing to do, as spending money for plans on a house you don't own would not be the ideal situation. The issue with this is that the design phase of a project takes a lot of time and consideration. My best advice would be to play around with the plans and create some sketches, whether online or on paper. If you are happy with the possibilities then buy the property. Any house can be transformed, but whether or not you are satisfied with the transformation is a personal choice only you can make.

my suggestions include swopping the smaller wiw for more bedroom and bathroom space rather than an extra bathroom and the entry to the master bedroom has been moved to allow a little more space for the ens and wiw and downstairs i suggest combining the living and dining area and using some of the under stairs space for bedroom storage for the guest room...having the patio on the north side would allow inclusion of the extra outdoor space up to the laundry door into a more spacious outdoor area with the barbq along the fence...your concern about using the pation in winter would depend on the climate but the northern corner of the house will be the best aspect during cool weather but the patio an dany other windows may need sunshade from the western sun

Hi Josh, do you have a particular budget your aiming to keep within? And are you willing to be without use of the lower level for a certain period of time? Not being nosy but the more info the Houzz community have the more useful, and detailed, the responses can be

the dimensions shown on your plan are inconsistent and don't create an accurate plan of existing spaces ...measurements should all be from inside each separate existing room...rooms shown as 3 and 4 are too small for modest bedrooms and may make better locations for bathroom and laundry and why do you want the kitchen at the front of the house?? what is the internal measurements of the old kitchen, living area, front bedrooms and any front entry hall, how will you access the garden from the kitchen and living area...is there an alfresco with access from inside, what about a garage or carport, what is the length and width of the block, what is the distance from the house to all four boundaries, how will you use this property and/or what about number and ages of those who will live in the house and please describe the local climate etc etc......... we can't offer realistic suggestions without more accurate information...i'd be asking the kitchen cabinet makers to suspend work until you have a much clearer plan for the whole property (NB cabinets can often be rearranged into a different space)...even if you don't make all changes at the same time it's essential to have a clear plan for the whole property before doing any more work