if it comes at a great price could be well worth renovating with such a great block of land and if you want to update the external appearance we've previously been able to use the high ceiling in the garage of a similar house to add a very useful loft but will wait for extra details to make specific suggestions

So where is north? I could drawer my ideas for you.....

Oops sorry, thought I’d added this one too.

Awesome Michelle. Now where is North?

Oops missed these later comments

Right: Well, Pergola out from kitchen, family room but NOT alfresco as it will block all the sun from the living rooms and defeat the passive solar advantage. The window in the sitting room makes perfect sense when you see the site plan: all that space for your one year old and you need to see her/him playing! Happy to assist further.... Cheers Margot

subject to accurate dimensions my suggestions includes a bigger kitchen, mudroom with access from the garage, extra storage, smaller lounge media and sacrifices a bedroom in favour of bigger bed 2, more generous master ens & wiw and potential for future extension and possible loft above the garage and a new deck with some roofing to suit solar access

Hi Everyone,

WOW what some amazing ideas.

I love the whole concept Louise. Such a drastic change!

But the cheaper alternative that Thommo did is also a really clever use of space!

Looks like the property has a lot of interest from the viewing today. Who knows what will happen, but hopefully the price doesn't blow up and make the rennos unviable.

Cheers Alex (Michelle's husband)

I've done a few minor changes. I think we want a big window in the family room to look into the yard. It will run a long bench seat to allow for reading by the window.

There are a couple of archways inside the house that have to go and i just cropped them out.

I'm not sold on losing the extra bedroom if we intend on selling in just a few years. Yes more space would be good i'm just not sure the best way to achieve.

I'm also wondering how to go about a loft install above the garage since there appears to be quite a bit of unused space there. but i'm not sure about access up into it.

Cheers

Alex

Would a loft work as a 4th bedroom/guest space/study?

Gosh these ideas are fab! You are all amazingly creative!

Also, the partly covered deck.. how would that look? I think it could be a great solution to that space!

I’m also keen to maximise in kitchen space - I have a lot of kitchen stuff.. double ovens etc..

Like this for the loft??

it works better if the gable runs the other way and would probably only be useful as a play or rumpus room as the ceiling height and stairs might not be comfortable for a bedroom but always depends on accurate on site measurements

and if you need to raise the height of the roller doors that would take away from the available height for the loft and, with such a generous block of land it could be more cost effective to add an extension eg a new master suite out the back and keep original master suite as a guest room but a big window on the west of the sitting room could be a problem with overheating but these changes might not be worthwhile if you don't plan to stay long enough to justify the cost

In five years time, when you flip or rent, will you get back your $200k spend? Personally I would be only changing the kitchen layout and updating bathrooms, flooring etc, if required.
And install a couple of retractable blinds for the outdoor space. This is so the northern winter sun can get into the home. But this is all just pie in the sky if you have not purchased or may not purchase the property.

How come I always look at things differently haha ?

There's some good features , but also some weird ones , but before I even got into that , I'd check and see if the driveway can be moved to the left side of the house ? That would give you a lot more options -- a long carport , or a new garage at the rear .

That would save the whole 'loft' and associated new roof and trusses and stairs and floors and strengthening , but give you all that same extra space , simply by repurposing the existing garage . It looks like 2 roller doors in front , and a rear one -- sliding doors or even windows and cladding would allow light and views and security at minimal cost , and you could add a couple of bedrooms , move the lounge , in fact do whatever suits .

That would be the very first thing I'd look at , before I even considered taking out that entry walls or a bathroom or a bathroom hall or moving plumbing or moving rooms .

We owned this house some years back and got plans drawn and quotes to add more space and storage, in the end the cost was higher than we wanted to spend so sold the house instead

Hi Jaqui, what an amazing coincidence!!!! When did you you guys sell and are you still in Orange?

Do you mind us asking what you were quoted for the extension at the time?

We sold in 2017 and yes we are still local...the quote was 380

🤯🥵 no wonder you sold!
we’re having trouble finding something suitable, with space for the fam. Alex is currently FIFO but we’d like to be together as a family.
The property market is insane out there at the moment.
Any tips or pointers?

No, we built in the end but have boys looking at property as well and the jump in prices in 4 years is insane...what is the asking price of this house now?

$750+

It’s crazy huh! It’s a great block and from what we understand a good location, but it just really needs some tweaking!

Acerage is the dream, but my gosh - it’s hard to swallow the asking $

Unbelievable...loved the block and aspect...but that's a big price tag for the size and age of the house

the cost of regional property has boomed with so many people moving to the country and building and renovating was already very expensive in the area compared and we have to factor in the long wait for a builder to do any work.. acreage can still be found but depends on how far you want to commute .. look at bigger blocks for better prices but allow an extra $50,000 for earthworks, power, water and sewerage.. check the Blayney and Molong areas.. around 30mins drive and both have good local services and school buses but almost new passive solar home with six acres outside Blayney just sold for $850,000 with no work needed and school bus to front gate

Well after finally going to an inspection last night I think we will be passing on the house. Its in a far worse state than appears in the pictures.

Not only do the bathrooms all need a refresh but so do all the built in robes.

its a shame since it has potential, but to update and improve will just be too cost prohibitive.

It seems like everyone of the owners has had plans to do it up but then moves out after they find the cost of doing so.

The current family are struggling hard with storage, and i know we would be in the same position immediately too!

Of and the steepness of the terrible pebblecrete driveway is way more than that shown in the pictures!

Thankyou all for your awesome ideas and suggestions. The Houzz community has blown me away :)

You’re all incredible - thank you so much for your time and effort, I love this space!!

So while we are here, we have another one to throw at you, that is already much more suitable, I’d just like a kitchen re do, to create storage, and get rid of the awful corner sink.. north is the top of the Ariel view.

The latest house has a much much better orientation with North light coming into the living spaces.

100%.. Alex is inspecting it as I type! 🤞
Get rid of the corner sink and happy days!

Just looked at the listing of this home on the MB website. No renovations needed. A much better option. Even the corner sink doesn’t look too bad in the photos. And a simple change anyway.

if you need to make changes consider these ideas and long term you may prefer a bigger ensuite but that will need more precise dimensions to be specific

Hi Michelle, Tis good! but I would like to see the wall between the two master robes go. stupid having to run about the room like that!! A 3 way bathroom is always great. A larger laundry for a family home and the kitchen could easily be two straight lines of benching, appliances etc With out a corner at all. But my biggest concern is the size of the alf: it will shade the whole house so it gets NO sun at all.... North is great orientation but with that thing there it is pointless! Don't know that you can fix it as it is part of the roof line: shame. :( MK

Hi Louise,
Wowza.. LOVE THIS! I did think the garage store could be incorporated into the pantry so that’s awesome and I love the addition of the door into the living areas instead of that awkward hall way and the wall of storage (I love storage) The bathroom design is fantastic also and a much better use of that space. I’m interested to see what ideas you has for the master suite.

Hi MK,
Yes I tend to agree about the laundry, I can see it being a bit of a mess to be honest which I don’t love, I’m not sure how to make that one bigger or be creative with that space however.. I also completely agree about the WIR’s and that silly wall in the middle - any tips for maximising storage there? I’ll add some pics of the current winter sun, it doesn’t look too bad I don’t think but I’m no expert.

Hi Dreamer,
Yes I love that we can move into this place and do things as we go as opposed to wanting to basically gut and start again on the other option.

We’ve placed an offer so fingers are crossed.

Adding this because I just don’t get it.. the sink 🤣🤦‍♀️.. the only use I see for the triangular section is maybe to peel my potatoes into! 🤷‍♀️

we have a double sink with an extra little drainage sink (vintage 1980 recycled) and its excellent for emptying the water out of a saucepan or the leftover cup of tea when the sink is being used for something else...love it!! and ideas for the master suite would involve stealing space off the alfresco and major works something like this

and if you find the alfresco is making inside rooms too dark consider a skylight over the dining area but inside photo don't look too dark.. and how does Alex like the house?

Hmmm, that could be handy! I think I’d be more onboard if it was a 3rd additional little sink.
I LOVE THAT MASTER SUITE! That’s so lovely! So clever!
I think it’s light and bright enough! But will no more when we are in it all the time I guess (if our offer is successful 🤞)
Alex loved it - he’s keen for the renos but it works as it is too which is perfect. We like a project so I’m sure we’ll be doing most of the suggestions to it - they just make sense!
Any tips for the laundry?

as usual a closer inspection of the real estate plans and Google Earth roof images show that the alfresco isn't as big as first suggested but still plenty big enough to steal some space for the new master suite and there's also a very welcome front porch.. changes to the laundry include the small broom closet, underbench washer & dryer and wall cabinets.. there's wall space in the garage for coats and shoes and i've also added a coat closet in the entry, added a door between front entry and dining and moved the hall doorway for more wall space in the dining room and added a cavity slider to close doorway for better zoning of AC, there's a new family bathroom, bigger ens and wiw, stolen space off the alfresco for parents' retreat (and to make up for bigger ens and wiw) and moved the master bedroom sliding glass doors for more privacy and northern sun for parents' suite (the west window of master bedroom may need an external screen in summer), added furniture and ping pong table (or spa?) to the alfresco to illustrate available space, included an outdoor kitchen with servery window, a new kitchen with splashback window, double sinks, pantry and more storage extending into the dining area to include a kids' study nook and you could add solar skylights in the long hall and powder room, a bigger skylight in the dining area and a fireplace for the family room...it's a great house and yard and well worth these improvements that can be added as time and funds allow

Well.. they accepted our offer!! ☺️🙌

So we’ll be getting serious about these plans!

Thanks for everyone’s advice and input!

I’m sure we’ll have a million more questions as we go, if anyone has any further inspiration, send it our way!!

congratulations it should be a great family home

Congrats!!

Congratulations! Good one and yes OKL the alf is not as deep as it first looked the pic was taken mid winter so that is all the sun you will get into the living room: are you happy with that? Laundry? ..depends of a few other things too: is storage needed in garage? would you like a walk in pantry? do you need the extra loo? Is that enough store down the hall for you or do you need more by the laundry? You need to knock out all the walls, go with straight lines, no dead corners, store and tinkering space where you need it. I do find it dumb with lots of plans that there is a great big alf but the laundry doesn't open to it??&^%$L??? Silly! Robe store: I would close off the far door when you've taken interim wall out! More room for the bedhead. I would put window at the end next to where the door was>??! Part long, part half hanging and shelving depending on your requirements.Some folks need no space for skirts or dresses but need more shirt space. pants either over a hanger with a crease across the thighs or skirt hanger: more long hanging but look much better on!! Too many questions...but that is how I work out what will suit you! Hope that helps you and it is a lovely blank canvas garden too! Deciduous trees to the north..... veg patch!! AHH fun fun: good on you: Cheers Margot

Margot, why would you want the laundry to open onto the Alfresco? It’s a living area. I guess it might be handy to use the trough for bbq or to hold ice.

water for the alfresco is easily available when you alter the kitchen sink and add an outdoor kitchen in the alfresco and surprisingly the garage is bigger than average so should be space for walls of storage and there's a walk in pantry in my revised plans but always good to have lots of suggestions and hopefully after living in the house for a while you will find what suits you best

Bigreader, good morning. I do not know where you are or if you are the one who does all the washing in the household but here in Melb the only way we get it dry is to spread it about the family room, drape it across any heat source put it under some kind of cover outside and wait a week!! I know the alf is social but after a day in the garden, a trip to the beach (which yes we can do in Melb on the one or two days of summer!!) any general grubby activity entry not into the living room but thru the laundry is preferable to shed the dirty shoes, gloves, hats, towels etc and if it is raining there is additional incentive to not get wet! How many homes do you see with an extra roof over the laundry door? If you sneek a peek down the sideway you will see add on, rustic, jerry built covers over the door. It make very practical sense to me to share the wonderful properly structure of the alfresco with the laundry external door too. Better that than another leantoo to protect an area that will be in use 100 times a week? As to using the trough for bbq: yes laundry is the common place for drinks station and a good one it is too! Therefore excellent to be handy to the social area...... I rest my case!? I would like to know who agrees with me: comes down to how we use the rooms and areas of our homes!! From a practical, ever funtional housewife who hates the 'chinese laundry' spread about the whole house just to enjoy clean dry clothes and linen!!! Cheers Margot

Margot, I’m three hrs down the road from you on SW Vic coast so I’m well versed in the weather challenges and also have surfing kids. Still wouldn’t make it a design aim to put my laundry door into the alfresco. I would design a different solution. We all live differently.

Agree with you Margot. We spend so much time in the laundry, yet the laundry is an afterthought in so many homes. Not enough room?...just stick the laundry in a corner of the garage.

i also like laundries with a porch and direct access to the garden but imo Michelle and Alex's new laundry is much better than most and adds a mudroom entry that is more useful in their local climate than direct access to the alfresco when there is already easy access to the alfresco through the house or a new laundry could added by taking space off the alfresco with a door near the master bedroom and then the original laundry could be a bigger walk in pantry and my little wip could be the new mudroom but building and renovating will always be cost over compromise

My suggestion is to close off the garage to laundry access , open up the store room through from garage to kitchen and use the adjacent cupboard space opened up to the former store as mud room for shoes , bags etc . This gives a bit more laundry space by reducing 4 doorways to three and the bench can be continued right to the end of the wall and have overhead cupboards . The opposite wall can have hooks or narrow racks to hang brooms etc .

You're looking to add more space, double fridge space, and storage to your kitchen.?

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