Thanks :) Yeah decided to go with tile. So sand cement is ok over existing tiles if I prep them first? Only problem is, the new pad can only be about 30mm at it's thickest (leaving up to 15mm for tiles) otherwise it'll end up being higher than the hallway floor. So I either need to make the fall shallower or not bother with the waste and make it all level. If I made it level, could I use levelling compound at that thickness or would deck mud/sand cement be the best option? Also, should I be putting in mesh for strength? (I know I should (and will) ask the local hardware what they suggest, but it's great to have suggestions from the Houzz community also)

after watching my daughter and her husband agonize over the way their expensive timber floor has not held up well after 3 years, I would recommend tiles/wood look tiles with under heating. Their beautiful warm expensive floor looks like it always needs a clean and polish, not from neglect, they have cared for it well. One of the boards now has a slight and painful moan when it's stepped on :-( I grew up in a completely wood floor home and although it looked wonderful, my Mother hated it. ....and the mats ! Wood is a lot harder to maintain than tiles ,(no matter what the die hards say) the modern wood finishes are much better than they used to be.... But a piece of wood is rather arty no matter what it's used for and it does demand to be loved and cared for.....and if something goes wrong it's a lot more expensive to fix than sand and cement. Ultimately you have to be happy. BTW underheating tiles is warmer than timber :-)

my suggestions has the central entry and a small study off the living room...(twin desks provides more counter and wall storage and avoids sitting face to the wall) there's a generous laundry mudroom with direct external access, a bathroom with separate powder room, more space in the master suite with the window offsett for furniture and more privacy from views across the courtyard and reversing the wiw and ens allows for morning sun in the shower and the wiw creates a sound barrier against the guest room.. adding furniture helps suggest room sizes and there's various setdown spaces and extra storage throughout the house ...luckily there's plenty of room for more than minimum offsets to create a garden, alfresco, courtyard, screened spa room, entry, kitchen and laundry porches, garden sheds and drying areas and careful choice of building sizes allows for a neat gable roof with the extended eaves and a hip roof over bed 3 keeps the whole roof simple and economical to build

Purchasing this 2400 sq foot home near the beach. Love the open floor plan but want to update it. We are definitely planning to redo kitchen and floors and paint but am stumped with how it all should be laid out. The main floor consists of kitchen, LR, and sitting room which currently houses the dining room table. I am considering having the wood fireplace removed altogether as it doesn't get much use in low-country SC but am not sure how to lay out the room without it, e.g., where should LR go and on which wall should TV go? Also considering converting the f/p to electric so that it is not a hazard and can be the focal point of room and place to mount TV. The home will also be used for short-term rentals so having a TV and dining room table are essential. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.