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.

Well balancing out material and costs labour costs is one thing but 2 story is quite a bit cheaper to build ; far less foundation and roofing area. It also simplifies the plumbing and of course is far more energy effective as downstairs heating will also contribute to upstairs heating. PROs can develop on this. And as Curt points out, modular is a very fast and cost effective solution which can allow you to put your pennies into better quality. Be very careful to select a known and competent professional if you go this way though, i don't know about NZ but europe abounds with cowboys ; low costers are to be strictly avoided.

Hi, I would like to convert our existing garage and carport space to a second dwelling (2 bedroom+ toilet+kitchen). I am not sure if it can be called a granny flat. We use our garage only for storage and believe if we convert it to rental space, it will benefit us in many ways. And ofcourse, I want to do it with proper consents, but we have a small budget for it. I have checked with Auckland council and our house is situated in a mixed Housing Suburban Zone, so there are no restrictions for building this. I need to get a bank loan to do this conversion. We bought the property this year, so the CV hasn't changed much. All banks wants me to draw a plan for this conversion and have it evaluated it by them. If their evaluated value supports the loan+20% equity, then I will get the loan to proceed. The cost of drawing the plan seems to be around 10K (based on my initial research) and this is a huge amount to take a risk. I am really new to this world of construction/renovation. And any kind of guidance, advice or recommendations will help me heaps. Thanks

For the Australians , Trade Me is NZ's biggest auction website -- our equivalent of Gumtree / EBay haha . As an aside , 30 years ago I worked with this guy we called Frank -- he looked and acted much like Frank Spencer from Some Mothers Do Have Them . He literally went to a garage sale , and bought the garage ! I would say there is no correct answer , as there are lots of variables . The main ones would be your skills , the distance , the materials used , labour at each end , and so on . Something 500kms away , which needs dismantling , and which you need to hire say a truck and HiAb and driver , get a concrete pad laid , permits , and pay to get it put up , then to find the colour isn't right or one window is in the wrong place or similar compromises would be expensive . Galv Steel ones can get creases in the corners , even if moved across town using a trailer , but maybe that is worth taking a risk . I don't want to sound too snobby , but I doubt I'd do a secondhand garage for myself ( I once did move a double carport 30kms , but that was a roof and 6 steel poles , and I have mates with trucks ! ) , my preference is to spend more and end up with something designed to suit the house in as many respects as I can ( i.e. brick if a brick house , tiles if tiled , etc ) . With a rental property , as long as it suits the style of the house , and is better than not having a garage , I would consider it and paint to suit , but even then things like brick would sway my choice .