Browse Forums Renovation + Home Improvement Re: A layman requesting guidance 2Mar 28, 2022 9:05 am Sorry, TLDR, but have you read any or all of the Government funded Your Home guide? https://www.yourhome.gov.au Re: A layman requesting guidance 3Mar 28, 2022 9:12 am agree on the TLDR. i got about half way through. what you want to consider as "optimal" is any remedial works that will reduce the risk of further damage. otherwise youre going to be chasing your tail. I know its not sexy stuff, but if your planning on staying, make sure it lasts. Dark matter scientist, can breathe underwater, mind reader and can freeze matter just by willing it. Trust me, its in my sig. Re: A layman requesting guidance 4Apr 03, 2022 10:47 am tkf144 Hello, I bought my first home, a 1960s 3br here in the Hunter region, NSW, back in 2018. It's not flash, but it's very livable and the location is ideal for me. I have no plans to sell. I'd like to make some improvements to the place over time, but I get a little stuck with analysis paralysis and am not sure where to start. I invite you to speculate and share your insights/advice on the least-bad ways to approach it I know these aren't specific questions that necessarily have easy answers. I am very much a layman so I'm just hoping to hear opinions, advice and questions to help guide me in a reasonable direction. I hope that I don't give the impression I'm under the assumption that any of this is trivial/cheap, but I cannot say that I fully understand the scope or cost of any of it. A year or two ago, a hefty storm left me with some damage. The roof on the 'lean-to' (i.e. laundry, toilet, and shower) ended up in a driveway across the street, allowing the ceiling to become soaked and eventually collapse, and the double garage was destroyed (all that remains is a slab which is in bad condition and is unsuitable for re-use). So given the above background, here are the warts:
Things I'd like to achieve:
The tricky part for me is figuring out what's the 'optimal' (loaded word, I know) way to approach this. It will likely need to be staged for cost reasons and I guess I'll incur some inefficiency because of that. That said, I'm still not sure of where to start and in what order to tackle it. Here is what I have been thinking so far:
Thanks for reading Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The 'front entry room' (right) on the slab Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Current floorplan Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Sewer main/line Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Sun trajectory 1st of Jan Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Sun trajectory 30th of Jun Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Old floorplan ideas knocked up in Sketchup. After witnessing the results of the wind applied to my house in that storm, I'm less keen on the big windows at the rear.. and having the rooms all along the side that gets sun during Summer is also something I learned to consider since having the ideas. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ your sketch shows new front bedrooms but where is the entry? and there are steps down to the laundry but is the new master still at the higher level or does the master have to walk upstairs to the bath? and do you mean to lift up the whole house and build underneath with a downstairs garage plus the tractor building in the backyard?? despite all the information it's not clear ...how big is your site and what size tractor do you need to store and how will it be used and what is the height of the slope? please add a simple site plan showing length and width of the block, existing driveway, direction of north and the view and showing the distance from house to all four boundaries ...short term ideas to consider that are much cheaper and easier to achieve than clerestory windows (that would need a whole new roof shape) is to check out skylights and roof windows including Solar skylights (that are cheap and easy DIY installation for smaller rooms where you don't need ventilation) and we don't need big windows to appreciate the views, sometimes a smaller picture windows rather than a giant single panes can frame views better and a deck and open pergola and/or see through screen walls can also help modify harsh weather and also allow for wall space for furniture and art but i would definitely reconsider any new structure that would require a long driveway down a steep slope as you will find the cost of escavation retaining walls and road works will far exceed your expectations ...and how many bedrooms, living areas and bathrooms do you need and always better to plan the whole house and then do the work in stages as funds allow |