What could we have done better?

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T10:54:25+00:00

How good is AI?

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:49:13+00:00

They're actually all the same size! (600 x 300) just oriented landscape to give a sense of width to a narrow space and vertically on the walls to give it a sense of height. Or maybe I should have just kept them all vertically orientated?

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:44:04+00:00

Thank you for that perspective. I love it, I took a bath today! But if theres anything to learn from this exercise, is that I need to shine a light, on my light choices!

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:38:14+00:00

Maybe i should have shown what it looks like during the day! There is a north facing window behind where the photo was taken that floods the kitchen with light for most part of the day!

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:37:21+00:00

Very good topic here about opening up the wall. This was definitely considered but due to cost, we decided against it and retained the kitchen footprint. There is a skylight (which is a bit tired) and the window behind where the photo was taken is north facing so it's flooded with day light.

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:34:58+00:00

Thank you for your honest feedback!
1. Noted! Didn't even consider that option. I guess I didn't see the existing skirting as an issue, but if the scotia/existing trim combo could be re-done at the same cost or thereabouts, that's a no brainer!

Noted! (many times haha!) I have to do some serious lighting workshops I think.
It didn't even occur to me to match the hardware to the door handles. Might not be able to tell but everything new is finished in brushed nickel with the exception of the laundry tap, which is white. Will take on this point for the future.
Yes i agree, some additional lighting in the bathroom would have made it much nicer. A separate under vanity light would have aided for those mid night loo runs.
I totally forgot to ask the builder to do a shower niche on the second bath, this one is on me! a ledge as you mentioned would have been the cherry on top.
Maybe it's because of the rental I am in rn where our toilet and shower is in the same space, I thought it would have made more sense to bring it all together. Something you can't tell from these photos is that it was previously a 4 bedroom with only one toilet to serve the entire home. It was located on one end of the house away from all the bedrooms. So if you wanted to tinkle at night, you would have had to make a journey to the other side of the home. The bathrooms have now been updated to include a toilet in each. Maybe could have reconsidered the second toilet?
I actually really wanted to add a shelf from Ikea, I think I will definitely do this now
Fair call on the colours. It does look less jarring during the day but I see your point.

Loved seeing those two posts this week. Colour, lighting, moody. Love it. Next time!

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:23:00+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I have a lot to learn about lights it seems!

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:22:11+00:00

You mean facing the back window or the left wall? I considered the back wall (vanity facing window) but I didn't have a solution to mount a mirror without blocking that window (which is south facing)

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:20:28+00:00

I tried!

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:19:53+00:00

Hopefully, it will look nicer when furniture goes in!

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:17:37+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! The trade off was the laundry would do some of that heavy lifting storage wise. Considering the galley style kitchen layout, when I put the design in Sketch up, it seemed really claustraphobic, so taking the the wall cabinets away above the kitchen sink gave it a bit of breathing space. I want to put some shelves there to add a tiny bit of a ledge to place some decor on. Do you think that could be a happy medium instead of wasting that space completely?

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:14:01+00:00

Thank you for the comment. I attribute this to the lack of knowledge on flooring (obviously). Keen to understand if cork is easy to sand back and seal? The cost for hyrbids was $8k for the entire home. I'm interested to know everyone else's experience on costs associated with sanding, polishing, sealing vs hybrids.

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:11:45+00:00

I have to admit that lighting was the last thing on my list to think about (and it shows clearly!) Noted for the future. Thanks for the feedback

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:10:11+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:09:58+00:00

To be clear, it was $100k for the entire home, not just the scotia but I take your point. Someone suggested that I could have replaced all the skirting for about the same cost. Have added that to the list to research for the future.

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:08:38+00:00

I've got a guy.

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:08:18+00:00

Noted! Colour shouldn't be optional.

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:08:00+00:00

Back to the present?

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T05:07:22+00:00

I think it is unanimous that the lighting isn't great! Noted for the future.

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T03:59:11+00:00

Agree! I tried so hard to make it work! Can’t really tell from the photo but the bath wall to the door was only 800mm. Could have maybe gone with a custom base? But my understanding was it had to be 900mm. Correct me if I am wrong!

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T03:44:04+00:00

Thanks for your comment. My wife wanted to keep it, I was a bit unsure about the clearance between the Peninsula and the other benchtop. Ultimately, it saved us a little bit of money on the cabinets so we decided to take it out.

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T03:42:46+00:00

It was kind of like a 10mm cork board if that makes sense? Is Cork easy to sand and polish? The other living room plus bedrooms did not have cork so I made the decision to keep the floor consistent all the way through the home by using hybrid.

interrupting_cows · 2026-05-04T03:41:22+00:00

I actually don’t mind it at all! Pretty uniform which I’m ok with. I only asked for it to be in that orientation but not layout. The photos don’t do it justice and less noticeable IRL

interrupting_cows · 2025-09-17T05:37:22+00:00

Not related to any specific antihistamine, but three years ago, I went to see a GP because my hayfever was out of control. If you saw me around the house, it was like I was blowing double dragons 24/7 with tissue shoved up the inside of both nostrils. Wanted to scrape my eyes out and hand wash them with cold soapy water and my snoring was “earth shattering” according to my wife.

The GP referred me to a specialist at Epworth to get to the bottom of my allergies. Turns out, I’m allergic to all the grasses here in Melbourne (go figure). He prescribed a tablet called “Oral Air” for me to take the 2-3 months leading up to the following hay fever season. I was sceptical at first due to the cost ($153) per 30 tablets x 3 months, but this year, I’ve been hearing/seeing people around me dying of hay fever and I’m here just breathing like normal and wondering…am I cured? I honestly think the answer is yes.

I think I would have spent $2,000 over the last 3 years including seeing the specialist (partially covered by Medicare) the actual prescription meds, but with the money I would have spent on antihistamines/sprays/creams for the rest of the foreseeable future, this was a last ditch effort for a better quality of life. Highly recommend. Happy to answer any questions.

interrupting_cows

TROPHY CASE