Thank you everyone for your comments. We live outside Christchurch, and the house was badly damaged in the quakes here. The post-quake rebuild process could safely be described as slightly chaotic, and the house company I am using are located some distance away (like on the North Island), which is why discussion with the architect has been - em - less than optimal. The architect threw something at me to get me out of my comfort zone I think and this is what's freaking me out! I think the windows on the east side are to come (no reason for them not being there), and probably a skylight in the kitchen roof. The section of land is narrow and steep, (this is a historic port town and with access from the south (where the view is); there is no parking other than on the street (south). Patricia - the laundry doesn't sit right with me either! Looks a bit like it's been glued on the side of the hosue. And it is too small as it is to store coats, shoes etc. This is the access to the back garden - thus the door (also means muddy boots can be dumped when we come in!). Entering a house through a living room is very common over here, especially where space is at a premium (small section, small house footprint).

I have your setup #1 and it works well, we do drip a bit of water on the floor between sink and dishwasher, but you learn not to!! Also it gives a full clear bench on the peninsular for eating, setting out, or working or whatever. Your kitchen is slightly narrower, from memory ours is 1.6M not 1.3 as you have yours, Our peninsular has a circular end which has actually proved very beneficial for sitting round, and seats up to 5, meaning you are not sitting in a long line, but facing each other round the end, - I love it, it is a real gathering point. The outer side of the peninsular curves in to the centre, then flows out to make the circular ending, so its not protruding into the kitchen but into the other side, sorry I don't think I can add a sketch to this.

Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Earlier in 2019, we retired into town and purchased a property for the location, not the house. The house is an old Lockwood with a questionable floor plan and poor traffic flow throughout. We will embark on kitchen, en-suite and master bedroom improvements in 2020. I also intend to completely paint over the wood using Resene Triple Merino. The single living space has a long barn-like appearance. It's a good sized space but the traffic flow makes it a difficult space to set up furniture etc. In the meantime the old obsolete styled, gas space-heater decided to 'spit the dummy' and we are having to replace that ahead of schedule. This has presented a dilemma. Where to locate it in the lounge so that it will work with the improvements scheduled for next year. The new fire is much larger in the room than the old one. I would really appreciate some thoughts on how to make my new gas fire more aesthetically pleasing. Originally, [pic 1] it was thought it should be placed straight on to the room but that looks wrong as is evident from the photo. Also, fire regulations have squashed that idea, because the curtains and wooden beams are too close. In Pic 2, the fireplace has been angled slightly, to overcome the regulations but the wooden posts prevented a nice 45 degree angle being achieved. The new angle now means that I have to reconsider how to rearrange the seating in the lounge for the traffic flow to work but more importantly, I'm left wondering, how do I add finish the fire? Do I build a false chimney and how do I work in all the new angles. I'm usually able to come up with good ideas to overcome problems, but this one has left me a little stumped. Pic 3 shows how I thought I might angle the couch.

I have been going round in circles trying to plan a renovation so would greatly appreciate some advice... Current floor plan: Current layout (contents are sketched and not to scale sorry) Desired outcomes: A more defined 'entrance' area (some people have commented they like it as it is, with the front door opening right into the house, but I would prefer a specific entrance space - be interested in peoples opinions on this) A more spacious main bathroom, with separate shower and bath A space for a home office (ideally with room for two, but that's not essential) An en-suite for third bedroom (ideally toilet, basin and shower; but might not be able to fit shower) EDIT: we really want a nice master bedroom and a nice guest room, hence the desire to add an en-suite to bedroom 3. Even though it is smaller, we have toyed with making Bedroom 3 the master as it's away from the street so is quieter and more private, plus it's not an ideal location for guests being near the laundry and kitchen. And then bedroom 1 would be the guest room. This is where I got to before I decided I needed advice! EDIT: I have updated this floor plan and included some annotations Few other notes: What are the thoughts on Bedroom 1's en-suite being off the wardrobe? Personally, I'm not a fan of it so originally planned to move the en-suite door to be off the bedroom. But this does mean there's three doors on the one wall (middle one into WIR wouldn't need a door - could just leave as an opening like it is now) The door into bedroom 1 used to open into the little passage way, but we have moved this to open into the room - see images below of bedroom 1: Bedroom 1s original layout New door into bedroom 1 (original door used to open in the passage which reduced access width by about 100mm) Potential en-suite door location Front of bedroom, for context (excuse the sander - was the only picture I could find!)