EXAMPLE #1: L-shape, Table & Chairs, Remove Bench for Fridge and More Counter * Your Back Door: where they have large ceiling to floor window. * 1st Counter Along Window Wall: counter top with sink under window, and upper cabinets over counter on either side of the window. * Turn to Right Side and Create 2nd counter: put your full stove where this picture has a cook top. * Removed closed wall so your kitchen is open to the hall. * With this expanded "wider" space that combines with the hall, you can put a round table with four chairs. (Almost where they have their "counter island". * In your diagram, to the left of the door is your bench. If you have a table & chairs in the "wider" space, could you remove the bench? * On the wall where the bench was: a. put a fridge, b. build a counter with cupboards overhead. ********************************************************************************************************************* Example #2: U-shaped Kitchen In this photograph, beginning from the left-side corner: * Back door. * Fridge (theirs is built-in / too expensive for me / just put a fridge with freezer). * 1st Counter: Your sink under window. * Right turn: 2nd Counter: Stove (they have stove-top and built-in own below). * Since a full fridge & freezer is beside the door, you can use a longer counter to the right of the stove. * (Ignore their sink in this picture.) * 3rd Counter with cupboards below and above. * Remove bench. Along the "removed bench" wall: a. buy an "island" on wheels with chairs; b. when you are alone you can use this table-top for large cooking projects; c. use the island and chairs for eating; d. use a chair to change your shoes coming/going into the backyard. ******************************************************************************************************************** EXAMPLE 3: L - SHAPE * Remove lift-top freezer. * Keep sink under window. Have counter on both sides of the sink. * Counter on the right. * On this second counter, put stove (they have a stove-top and built-in oven). * Remove the wall so the kitchen and hallway are combined. * Move the fridge against the Bedroom #1 wall (on the kitchen side). * On the bench wall. Make the bench smaller so it will fit under a kitchen table. Use the table top for food preparation. When you have company, pull the table away from the bench so you can sit on the bench and use the table. With a small bench, you can put a table on this wall. Build the bench in a U-shape. Put baskets or wood boxes underneath to keep your boots and shoes. This table costs $99 at Ikea. When it is folded in, it can be used as a counter-top. So you don't obstruct the back door from opening, you can push this table over the bench. When you have company, you can pull-out the table's sides to make a larger table top. www.ikea.com Table Name: BJURSTA Table Description: Extendable table, birch veneer Size: 19 5/8" wide x 27 1/2" deep (when table is folded) x 35 3/8" height x 35 3/8 " (when table is unfolded). ******************************************************************************************************************** EXAMPLE #4 If you remove: * the lift-top freezer, and * the wall between the kitchen and hallway. * Will you have room to build a counter from where the freezer was into the space that was the hallway? * Move the fridge to the wall against the 1st Bedroom * In this photograph, there are many "fancy extra" to ignore (i.e. built-in ovens). I think your stove would be on the counter where this picture shows just a built-in range top. Hope something from these suggestions is a help to you! - K

Thank you ,Anne. Our average rainfall over 12 months is 6 - 700 mls. Usually we get it in Autumn and Spring. The last 12 months we have had 400 mls, and a lot of that has fallen as showers, so it doesn't soak into the soil. It is simply heartbreaking. And it makes me grind my teeth when the Sydney newspeople talk about lovely sunny weather! Even if it rains now, it is too cold for much to grow. This area is prime agricultural land - and our local member, Mr Joyce, blathers on about supporting the coal industry.

Just thinking about this more....because it is better than doing my overdue tax or taking palm trunks to the dump... :o) ......All of the designs have such great features to them and in some respects I need to just get a builder to look over them to let me know which would be cheapest for what I need and would like. Once the technical things are sorted (cladding, electrical, plumbing, insulation), the things that I like in a home mostly are inside/outside living (seeing views) and a bright, light filled space (natural light). I find it depressing ...literally.....to be in a living space that is dark. I wanted the living area to be maximised in this space due to the work that I want to do in future with girls with autism; a small open plan kitchen with this and this area that we use have the higher ceiling to make it feel bigger.... then I need an office space, which could even be largely shut away within a cupboard if necessary. I will lose the view and a bit of light from the back sliding door because of me putting a privacy screen with gate between this building and the pool area. I have a slight view and good light from the big sliding window at the back (I would have to close blinds though, if people were using the pool area). I definitely need more light coming in from the East where the leaking colour glass window is, but I would like for them to be high so that I cannot see the neighbour's house. I think the windows on the western side are sufficient because it gets very hot on that side of this building from about 4pm (earlier in summer). Then the sliding doors at the front bring in light, but at the moment it is not totally private becasue it looks onto the road from a long driveaway. My main bedroom can be small as long as it has room for queen bed, good storage, and room for a dog bed for a golden retriever sized dog. I like the idea of having the dogs going on the deck...however, they do bark at possums at night.(They have a lot of yard to use too during the day). I do need a room where a mother and new born pups can be isolated from the other dogs). I like the idea of having a toilet and basin of some sort, separate to the main bedroom, if there is only one toilet, because it provides separation from my personal things to the main living area. I guess the second space for the dog and pups could be a laundry or a "bedroom" or "office" or "storeroom". The area for the dogs has to be on ground level and I think I would prefer my bedroom to be on ground level too as I am not getting any younger (and want to think about future needs) and ideally I would to be here til my early 70's if all works out well. It doesn't worry me whether the main bedroom ceiling is high or not, because I spend so little time in there. However, it would be good if the other spaces (except bathroom/laundry) had the higher sections of ceiling to make them feel bigger. I am only saying all this, because when I look at all the plans, I think the best one may end up being mainly from one, with elements taken from another. Thanks so much for your help. I still have the option (one day) to maximise the use of the big attic space in the main house as with the non-compliant stairs to it and only two tiny windows in it, and it being so hot up there, it is not really useable at the moment, but the pool house is highest priority because until it is liveable, then I can't recoup any expenses by renting out the bigger space (the main house). (It does look like a demo site though in many rooms,)

This next two months we have so much on here in NZ that we've pushed our Aus business launch to 1 May , but the intention is we will be based at this apartment for about 3 weeks in May , then we'll see . So far we have already done a lot of touristy things , done the ferries several times , the trains , etc . We've bought a car too -- no idea what will happen to that if my cousin/aunty start pushing to sell the unit , but at this stage I've paid all these bills , except the kitchen ( my cousin had already paid that ) and I've also transferred them 'a loan' , so it seems likely we'll all have this unit for at least 18 months , and then we'll review things , as a family , if that makes sense . So basically we'll be honorary Orstralians soon cobber . . . . . . . .