You have a good nice project planned here, with your kitchen now a part of large living space. Here, though, are some cautions and suggestions. Your extra-large peninisula counter and full window wall over the sink seem to be features that you like and want - but they also cause some problems with this plan. If two people are ever in the kitchen, one will be trapped there. And even for one, the peninsula forces an irritating hike around it to the table for serving and clean-up. Table and array of counter stools are uncomfortably close together, creating congestion especially when occupied. And while your back wall may well contain a fridge, wall ovens, pantry and cook-top, it would just barely do so - and leave no other space at all for counter. This, together with your nice bank of windows on the outside wall leave no space at all for upper cabinet dish storage. I agree with Laurie that an island here would be much preferable. I would put the sink and dishwasher on an island, with fewer stools, and some mid-height dish storage - letting gatherings of more than two or three enjoy the table in a conversational arrangement instead of facing away from the room in a row. I would also minimize the window array a bit, and extend the kitchen toward the dining table window a foot or so - and put the wall ovens at this end of the "L" - with no side wall at the left. This would distribute your countertop space more happily among your work stations, allow for some upper cabinet storage, and make the kitchen feel more part of the nice big room, instead of separated from it by the peninsula. Perhaps a careful in-person visit with a kitchen designer would be wise before you build this fun new addition. Good luck! Mark

Thanks for the replies! My wife suggested we talk to a local real estate agent, so i think that is a good idea... just that Im not sure how helpful they are likely to be if we arent selling yet :) As for saving for our dream house, I dont disagree, however if doing this up nicely over the next ~5 years or so while we live here nets us some extra in the eventual sale, then that of course will help us as well. Interesting thing happened today actually. I got a knock on the door and one of the older neighbours asked if he could take some lemons from the tree. I of course said yes. Anyway he was telling me he had lived in the street for 40 years. I asked him if the house had always looked like this, and he said no that ~30 years ago the old old owner did a massive renovation and pulled off the timber and put up the bricks and gutted the inside of the house. Interesting stuff!

This made me laugh: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/09/seagull-turns-orange-after-falling-into-vat-of-chicken-tikka-masala I couldn't copy the picture, but it's hilarious.

Hi , I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this , or whether it's even allowed , but a question here on Houzz today got me thinking about a house my parents built . I spent my childhood living there , so it is probably the most 'special' memory for me . The moderators can delete this if its not suitable , and anyone and everyone can add to it . . . . . . . . . . So it was 1973 in rural New Zealand , my parents were farmers and ambitious , they had bought their first farm about 5 years earlier , and had just bought the neighbouring property . They wanted to take on staff , and it was either build them a new house , or one for 'us' . I was just starting at school , and the old wooden farmhouse was nice -- the old slide up windows , wooden floors , nice verandas -- it was fun . They decided we would get the new house , and unbeknown to me then , they must have been mortgaged up to the eyeballs , but they got an architect , chose a nice slightly sloping spot ( the joys of many hectares to choose from -- or maybe the few facing the road with a view too ! ) , and a plan was put in place haha ! Being a sloping section , it was built on 3 split levels . I think that was fairly common then , but this was slightly different -- the top 3 bedrooms , one bathroom , one toilet , and office , had an 8ft ceiling height . The next 2 bedrooms and another bathroom and toilet , and the garages and storage ( which was basically a wing out the back ) had a 9ft stud . Then down 3 or 4 steps , and the lounge , kitchen , dining , washhouse , and family room had an 11 foot stud ! The lounge had a huge ( for the period ) glass window , from memory 9 ft tall and something like 14 ft wide . One piece of glass . Hopefully strenthened glass -- we never broke it in 20 odd years luckily ! With 4 opening windows down one side . Aluminium framed , like every window in the house . So we are talking 1973 , very high ceiling , large glass window . The entire house was in a weird ( but trendy at the time ) chocolate brown brick , but roughcast on the outside with these charcoal big flecks sticking out half an inch or so . And here was where it got more unusual -- the opposite side of the lounge ( opposite the huge window ) was done as a feature wall , in the same brick , inside ! So this huge 11 foot tall brick wall as a feature wall in the lounge ! Strange ? Well -- about 2ft 6" in front of that was another wall , in the same brick , about 2ft 6 tall -- yes , a planter ! The middle 3 foot or so of this planter had a 'ledge' , and our huge 25" TV ( or whatever was huge at the time ) was on this ledge , almost hiding amongst all the leafy plants , in pots , in this planter box ! I guess iconic 70's , just seems a bit naff now . And one weird thing ( knowing what I know now , it makes sense ) -- a long house on a sloping section , built on 3 split levels , but with a flat ceiling , would look weird wouldn't it ? Even with a large feature window , it'd look quite boring ? Umm , no . I didn't know it at the time , but this must be where architects come into their own . The 'rumpus room' ( it would be called a family room these days ) on the left hand end had a ranch slider , with a terrace out the front , and the ( tiled ) roof came 4 or 5 feet out from the front , to cover this terrace . And this room was maybe 20 foot deep , most of the rest of the house 30-35 feet . So this roofline was a foot or so lower , and 3 foot lower at the peak , than the rest . Then was the dining room , with the kitchen behind it . Set back 5 or 6 feet , so quite a deep terrace , with a 6foot square fixed window and the main entrance door . You could just about hold a conference of 30 people on that terrace , out of the rain haha . The kitchen was at the rear , and had windows on the side wall ( as it was quite a bit deeper than the 'rumpus room' ) and one of those glass things with angled glass on top and sides ( bay window ? ) at the rear . This 'section' , and the lounge ( with laundry and a seperate toilet and a sewing room and a hallway , all behind the brick feature wall ) , all had the same roof profile . Then the whole house 'stepped back' 3 foot , as well as 'stepping up' 2 foot , so it had a whole new roof profile . And then the 'top' part stepped up another foot , but slightly strangely , also forward 1 foot . So outside was 4 completely seperate roof profiles -- inside were 3 split levels , but the ceiling was completely flat ! From memory , it was about 2200 square foot ( which was big back then ) , and another 1000 or so garage and storage . I'm not sure if they were joking or not , but Mum and Dad used to say that the garage was put around the back , because if it had been added on the end , people would think we were rich haha ! I think the house was about 90 foot long , the garage would have added another 40 ! And for anyone wanting modern measurements , work it out yourself haha . Whats your story ?