I think it is charming the way it is and if you put some big birch branches or something sculptural in there and some contemporary natural wood pieces or primitive art in the living room, it would all blend together. Please don't take out the windows--that will affect the whole face of the building. Rustic and modern is mixed all the time and can look terrific and give the place a little character. I think the Europeans do it particularly well. You could tone down the mortar with a stain. Unless it is in bad shape, repointing is messy and expensive and tough to do well.

Hi Minnie, thank you so much for your ideas! I really appreciate you took the time to share them us. You've really given us plenty to think about. Toys and kids clutter seems to be a permanent fixture in the house at the moment, so your point on the mess exposed in open plan setting is something we'll certainly need to give more thought to. Converting the whole of the garage we haven't really thought of, to be honest. It would definitely give us more room to comfortably fit in the playroom. One possible drawback though could be lack of light. The only suitable location for the window would really be the current garage door, and that side doesn't really get good light during the day. However, there's nothing above the garage so perhaps a skylight could be a way? Also, I'm sort of in two minds about how separate I want the kids space to be. Sometimes closing the door and letting them do their own thing is really convenient and helps keep us sane ;) but ideally, I think, I'd like their wee corner to be a part of the family space so that we easily keep an eye. I'll need to mull that over a bit more to be honest, and try to look further into the future. I love the way you've designed kitchen/dining space at the back. It makes sense the two are linked. The cost consideration is a strong argument for sure, but the installations are poor as it is, pipes exposed in the cupboards, so will need to be rehauled one way or another. The reason we thought of putting kitchen units along the left wall was the light. We sort of had an idea of side skylights/roof lights at the side return part, and a bifold door on back wall opening into the garden. Something along the lines of the photo below. Does that make sense? I've no renovation experience nor architectural know how, so not even sure if that would work!? I would love to hear what you think if you have some more time to spare. Thanks again for your help

it all depends on how much degree (eg: 15 22 32 45 etc )the roof is and the loads its going hold , my advise is contact your building control office to inspect your loft conversion again, that is there job, im sure that is why you are paying for there advises?

I’ve heard good things about wool insulation. Worth a look?