We got the IKEA shelves that are pictured in the butlers pantry photo I posted when we were on holiday in Melbourne, Australia. We don't have IKEA here in New Zealand! Hubby is going back over in May/June so will get him to get more of that sort of thing when there. We would pay about 4x the price for that sort of thing here in NZ. I need to work out what I will do now where the fridge was and there is the angle change (does that make sense?).

It sounds like you've been through quite the rollercoaster with your building project! That's really frustrating to hear, especially when you had a vision that you were attached to. Construction dilemmas can be a lot to handle, and I can only imagine how the stress might have piled up over time. If you're feeling stressed (and who wouldn't be in a situation like this?), you might want to consider working off some of that tension. Since you're into home design and creating beautiful spaces, you might appreciate the aesthetic and functionality at Hitsona's fitness studio. Sometimes a little self-care and a change of scenery can inspire new ideas for other areas in life, including home design.

In my opinion I perfer option 2 from the perspective of enjoying the sun in the evening and having the option of entertaining more so in the evening given the sun and house orientation. See you have a couple bi-fold doors in the living room so assume this leads out to a deck or some outdoor area for entertaining. Also the 3 main bedrooms will get the morning sun so will warm up till midday/early afternoon. Some something to note that Bedroom 4 in both options would likely be the coldest room in the house so probably some heating options would be required for this room. Some initial thoughts based on your plans - hope that helps

I generally wouldn't do wooden foundations , but I've never built a place from new . I'd be inclined to think its a bit like -- pick up telephone , and ring a building company , transfer through deposit money , get updates , pay progress payments , move in .