Hi everyone, so... 3 years later and after many back and forth we have decided to knock down the house and rebuild. The cost of renovating was just too prohibitive and not to mention the unexpected surprises that surely would come with it. We should start the building of the new home in a month or less. Just wanted to thank everyone who helped in this thread, your opinions were very important and helped us decide. We are not doing a custom build, instead we chose one of those pre-designed homes (Dennis Family) but we are very happy and excited. Cant wait for it to be done. Will post photos when ready.

You have chosen lovely pieces, I love the idea of a floating tv unit, then a coffee table that really adds a wow factor to the room and compliments your sofa and bench seat, some great art on the wall, cushions and a throw... gorgeous

Absolutely, 100% ;) .....interestingly with that homeowners/builder's warranty, it's arguably a big fat farce.. because if push ever comes to shove they have limits on how much will be paid out regardless of the job cost, and it's a ridiculously low blanket cap like $197K......apparently it's only rarely ever paid out to even that amount and it's only in the case of say a builder dying or going bankrupt with unfinished works....so it never ever covers the whole build costs even though it's based on the contract sum...how dodgy is that! - shows who's really making the money in this game ;) ........so siriuskey absolutely great/sound advice to have as much insurance in place as soon as the building is completed, so if it unfortunately burns to the ground at least it's covered by a home policy....but cross your fingers while it's in construction and hope for the best!!!

A person standing at the sink needs space to stand in....don’t put the toilet so close to the sink. You need storage under the counter...drawers and doors need to be opened for access.....don’t put the toilet so close to the vanity cabinet. If you both will use the sinks and mirror at the same time you need to allow enough room for arms-up-elbows-out for two. If you don’t do grooming at the same time, one good sink will allow more space for separate storage. Don’t forget good lighting: good sconces on the mirror wall AND at least four recessed lighting cans. The ceiling lighting will also reflect light off the mirror onto your faces. Be sure you add a good exhaust fan which vents odors and excess moisture to the outside through the roof or wall.