Lessons Learned - what we could have done better on!

Here's our list of stuff we did or didn't do that we think would make a difference!

OK the things we could have done better on!

• Small sink in WC
• FC panels above doors/windows ->brick
• Rooms which have another external wall consider changing windows to french doors and adding a window (you want the window so you can have that open and yet have the door closed for air purposes)
• Hidden track for pelmets - e.g. ezypelmet type stuff
• An appropriately increase in height for the garage door if you increase the ceiling height
• larger rainwater tank (I've been assured by my DH we did ask for this but decided against it as it was too expensive and that we would add a tank later instead)
• Feng Shui considerations when looking at views and air flow
• Under eave lights (we caught this in time) but it's hard to do once your CB roof is on
• Floor heights to be same for bathroom <-> rest of house (this again was an expensive upgrade and we decided we could live with stubbed toes)
• Aligning the ends of the kitchen bench when it's a galley type kitchen
• lowering the first row or raising the second row for the Home Theatre (or at least thinking about this)
• getting thicker/wider architraves
• Asking for the tiles to go under the vanity units
• Incorporating a self contained granny flat given we have the space and we probably could have done it with the Guest room area

The "yay us"/"high five" list probably really needs to be done after we move in but this is what we anticipate to be the case:

• Insisting on a single floor with no steps and getting the house built on bearers and joists
• swapping the configuration of the WC, bathroom and laundry so it flows better
• Moving the roof access to the middle of the house so that it is easy to use once up in the roof space
• Increased garage size
• Colonial Bar windows/doors in black
• To the ceiling kitchen cabinets
• Shower niche, underfloor heating via tile company and moving the tap controls to the entry of the shower (rather than under the shower rose) - oh and having a handheld shower rose rather than a fixed overhead one
• increased ceiling height - we're not that tall so we only upgraded to 2590 (rather than 2700... although 2700 should have allowed for taller windows and doors which we liked the idea of)
• insulating the home theatre for sound
• insulating the garage for heat
• getting professional help for the garden design even when we already had the concepts for the most part
• Additional external taps as they were only $40 a pop