Hi I would look to raise the lawn up level with the path to the front door by building a smart brick retaining wall. You could then plant a low ish hedge along the top to provide further privacy but keep it to no more than 4/5 ft to prevent it overpowering the space and blocking light. For that reason I'd avoid conifers of any sort as they are thugs and take a lot of managing. By raising the lawn from pavement level it will give you some privacy anyway. It'd be nice to loose the concrete kerb along the side of the drive too so it doesn't feel and look like the road! Perhaps continue the brick round till it feathers out to meet the path to the door? A feature tree of small to medium size would also be a nice addition to the lawn. Look for one with dual seasonal interest ie. Spring flower and Autumn colour such as Amelanchier or some of the flowering cherries. Good luck Neil

When I moved in this house the previous owners had proper bathroom tiles in the bathroom but when wet they were ridiculously slippy. So my first concern would definitely be finding out if they are slippy when wet. Re aesthetics, I really like Carolina’s pic mixing wood effect tile with the white and black. I like the high shine of the large format tiles but just looking at them makes me scared of slipping.

Hi Rachael, This may or may not be something you considered. In our area, we've had a number of bungalows put dormers in to become chalet bungalows and we've even had a few of the detached bungalows add on another floor and become a 2 & even 3 story home. Renovations - like £50K-£100K average for a loft conversion are easier on costings depending on footage, spec & if there will bathrooms. However I've never worked on a complete story addition, so would only be a guess of £75K +++, if very frugal - (may be able to get it that low with simple layout - but would think with your footprint size, would be more than £75k - would just have to get some quotes). You will have to check the head height of your loft space for a loft conversion and seek planning permission for either of the above. Either option would give you a massive extension to the property and allow you do more with your downstairs. If you are looking for a low-cost (relatively - as still updating bathrooms & getting new kitchen) practical option - knock through the current Dining Room & Reception Room to make one open-plan space housing kit - diner - lounge (lounge at front of reception, dining at back of reception, & kit in dining room). Add larger glass wall & doors, sliding doors or concertina to back of current Reception Room to open into garden. Convert current Kitchen into TV snug / 2nd reception Use one of the bedrooms as an office if you are able Add an ensuite shower to the last back bedroom (just enough room for this) Do any aesthetic updates & decorating to house & current bathrooms. OR If you don't want to keep the garage: Knock the Garage, Kit & Reception Room into one large open plan, triple aspect space or just Garage & Reception Room (keeping kit as a snug) ... have large kit - dining - lounge area with great views all around and glass access into the garden Use the Dining area as office or 2nd reception / snug Use one of bedrooms as office if you need to and are able Add ensuite shower to the last back bedroom Update bathrooms, decorating & aesthetics of home Good luck & best wishes!

I'm struggling to visualise this, so here are some random comments which aren't very coherent but may just help. My architect was clear that when you go into a bathroom, ideally you shouldn't be able to see the toilet. If you can manage it, moving the toilet to where the shower is at present would achieve that and also tuck it nicely out of the way. I don't know if it would matter that you could probably hear the flush from the bedroom. I think you would need to put the bath under the window at the back, as in Nicola's lovely photo. For the shower, if you can manage one of those without a shower tray, again as in Nicola's photo, I think that would stop the room looking too narrow. If that is a chimney breast, sometimes it's possible to create a cupboard in the middle of it, which may be a storage option depending on structural safety. And other fairly invisible storage can be achieved by floor to wall cupboards, perhaps with a mirror door. To protect against flooding damage, you could either start the cupboard a bit above the floor or mount it on marine ply. Sorry, not a plan, but some random ideas.