I would suggest you take out the cabinet that is to the right of the stove and use it elsewhere in the house -- perhaps in the bathroom or dining room with a hutch above it. Then, I would suggest you have someone install a lazy susan cabinet in the corner between the sink counter and the stove, meaning you would move the stove down a bit and have a small cabinet/counter top to the right of the stove. I would suggest you have the cabinets refinished in white and then paint the walls a pastel you like. If you would prefer white walls, then add white-painted crown molding and paint the ceiling a light neutral blue, such as Sherwin Williams Niagara Falls Blue. Then, I would suggest you choose a favorite accent color and use this sparingly in accessories like towels, pot holders, small vases or floral arrangements, and a valence above the triple windows. For a genuine 1940s look, you might have white ceramic square tiles with a rectangular red border installed as a back splash behind and above the stove. If you are replacing counter tops, I would suggest a light color such as white with a beige or light grey vein or striation for some sort of pattern. You might be able to find the same color and design in floor tile OR opt for a wood floor as another poster suggested.

Normally a hot tub comes with a means of heating the water, and maintaining it without having to empty the water. This is where water filtration and disinfection methods are worth it and less wasteful. It really doesn't matter whether it is stainless steel or not: you are heating up water to levels that naturally promote bacteria and algae. Hence the NEED for some type of disinfection - which can range from tossing in a chlorine table to add ozone or other types. I suggest you purchase a book entitled "What colour is Your Swimming Pool" 2003 edition. It will give you a practical guide to what you are looking for to maintain your spa tub and why you need to do it.

We asked a similar question when we bought our piece of bare land. We were advised that building a simple shape would reduce costs... so we've built a t shape. Single story is almost always cheaper. We have a builder who is happy to let us do a lot of work with him. We also choose to live on site, which saves us a lot in fuel. The kids and I clean up the building site most days. We've been able to separate the rubbish out between actual rubbish and recyclable material. As for cladding, we were going to do a mix of corrugated iron with plywood board and batten. But given some of the additional hassles, I don't think there's much in it cost wise. However, in saying all that, we chose to invest in long term benefits, so our house is exactly what we want and should be cheap to run. We were hoping to build for $1800 /sq m but we're still coming out at about the $2000 mark.

I can't see why you MUST connect a building to an electrical supply . Obviously some garden sheds , garages , farm barns and the like aren't 'powered' . Things like rental properties must be 'suitable for occupancy' , so you can't rent an unpowered house as a house , and in some cases you must even supply heating , heat pump , as well as working stove and shower ( I'm paraphrasing obviously ) . It is possible to provide most of that with gas or even a generator , but if it really came down to it , you'd need to disclose this before renting it out . To to revert back to a 'legal' distinction , these are rental requirements , not building code requirements . Having said all of that , you would need some sort of 'energy' supply , whether it be electricity , gas , generator , solar , your own dam or windmill , etc , and generally electricty is cheap to install and use , so it makes sense to have it installed or at the very least planned at construction . Slightly off subject but similar , a friend of mine bought an older caravan and it is way up the back of his farm -- he uses it maybe 1 night a month . He bought 2 large batteries , a 2000 watt invertor , some solar panels , but as a backup he bought a small generator that runs on LPG ( propane ) and as he cant get a vehicle close to the caravan , he carries in a 9kg bottle ( he has 2 so when 1 is empty he carries it out and gets it refilled for the next visit ) . He thinks that is better/easier than petrol or diesel .