I have just turned a double internal garage into another room and turned the existing driveway into a courtyard. Swapped the drive to the other side of the front garden and built a Stratco pavillion as a carport. Best decision! Our garage had a 2.5m ceiling so it actually steps down from our hallway opening. I like the idea of integrating the laundry into a large pantry in the kitchen, will be doing the same next. original picture

imo the biggest challenge/cost would be removing all those big solid walls, changing doors and windows and repairing ceilings and not the extra plumbing (new bathrooms and kitchen cabinets, fixtures and appliances cost the same regardless of the extra few metres of pipes) and a new location can make the most of the available space but it can sometimes be more cost effective to add an extension rather than attempting to squeeze too much into an existing building but you need an engineer, builder and plumber to give expert advice on site ... better not to assume that one option is better than another but collect a variety of ideas and ask for quotes to compare actual prices but do you have a realistic budget? i would expect to pay at least $50,000 for a modest new kitchen and bathroom in the same locations before removing any walls or adding an extra bathroom and new laundry and the combined ens/wiw is too small and would be better to have a good sized ensuite with biw and there's not enough space for a bigger island without compromising space in the family dining area...there are so many different options but we need more info...are there any good or bad views, what is the length and width of the block, is there a garage, is there car access into the back yard, what is the distance from the house to each boundary, describe your climate, where is north on the plans, how many steps are there from the back and front doors to the ground, does the block slope and in which direction, how much headroom is under the house and in the roof space...is there any potential for an upstairs, downstairs or an extension into the backyard?

Thanks everyone, we appreciate the ideas. We've considered similar plans to the ones shown but I think the general take-away of more rotating and re-arranging of furniture in the plan is the way to go at the moment. The alcove "study nook" in the Family Room is definitely an odd space that we have been very puzzled about, but our longer term plan is definitely to close it off and extend the en-suite as some of you have suggested.

an island in the kitchen would challenge the available walk through to the family room and the precise space available in the alcove depends on wall thickness so my suggestion has a new location for fridge, wall oven and tall storage, similar location for stove, sink and dishwasher and the alcove used as pantry space with a free standing table rather than an island to test how it feels before committing to a fixed island and a new kitchen and widening the dining room door should not need a DA but always best to ask the building inspector at your local Council