Most regions have their own prevailing construction methods and materials that are common and customary to that region. It may be driven by the available raw materials, local labor and their experience with a certain type of construction, and the cost of labor to build. Other factors that drive the different type of construction can be pressures from the environment and climate conditions. One can create recesses in masonry or stone walls but there may be structural weaknesses that become a factor or just more complicated construction that becomes involved. Building recesses in heavy masonry walls verses light stick framed walls can be equally possible. Reducing the thickness of a wall can also affect the insulation capabilities of that wall as well as the structure.

Tsilanko, I would always recommend professional installation where needed. But what I am doing here is suggesting that WHEN you are planning to build or renovate, to consider how your plans will affect you in 20 or 30 years time. Split levels are very hep when you are young. A kitchen 3 steps down at 30 is rarely a problem, but might be a hazard at 60, or, as Marjie1059 suggested, if you break a leg. ... All my parents' homes were terrible for old people. They were forced to move to a bungalow in extreme old sge because the location and design of their home was more suitable for an active young couple with a large family than for an elderly couple with stroke disabilities. I would not want to move again, so my present home has features built in that make ageing in place simpler. Mostly small changes, like grab rails, and lever handles on doors and faucets. A major disability suddenly suffered requires major changes if permanent. I did look at this because it came up in the discussion, but if you look at the heading, Planning for Disability, it means just that. Plan ahead so you don't have to make expensive changes later on. But thank you for your advice, yes, major changes are not in the DIY domain.

coming to the dining area..yes id say you remove the seating entirely and concentrate on a foyer area since you already have space for a drawing room on the floor.. id suggest erecting a glass and marble wall in line with the wall that runs between the pooja room and the bedroom..say a bit of marble-glass-marble-glass-marble.in this case you have a small foyer area demarcated by this wall feature.you can deck it up by placing a nice console table in front of the central marble wall with a nice mirror to reflect the space and make it look larger or a sculpture with beautiful bracket lights on either side to accentuate the same.and on the backside of this wall you could have a crockery unit with a huge painting or a cluster of family snaps above it. if you could brief me a little on the look you're adapting for your house i could suggest some more treatments for the walls.if you want to avoid using too much marble you could also opt for a marble wood and glass look where you could take out some concealed storage for shoes etc. regarding the drawing room - what about a huge 4 seater in the center instead of 2 - two seaters with a table in the middle as in the plan..if you remove the central coffee table maybe you could replace the single seater with a chaise for 2 and also replace the 2 center tables with a nice long table in the center with an area rug running below it..if you could help me with the room dimensions maybe we could add 2 pouffes in front of the 4 seater so it creates more seating and doesnt obstruct the view if you plan to put a TV on the wall. what look do you have in mind for your terrace garden ? something zen or a little rustic toeing on the lines of the contemporary ? sorry for the late reply as i was travelling.. hope this helps! :)

I suggest you follow the step-by-step guide for creating storage cabinets under the bathroom sink. Take proper measurements - Measure the available available space in height, width and height. Cut Plywood to size - With a circular saw and framing square, cut all the required pieces out. You can use a sliding compound saw as an alternative. Attach the base and sides - Start assembling the sink cabinets by placing the bottom piece of plywood sheet on a flat surface. Attach the back and top boards - Place the plywood sheet for the top part of the cabinet and attach wood screws to connect it to both the sides. Turn the back faces of the cabinet upwards. Keep the back piece over the structure and fix it into place with wood screws. Attach shelves - Place the cabinet in an upright position to install the shelves. Slide a shelf into the structure so it is flush against the back. Attach door - Keep both hinges of the door on the same side of the plywood sheet. Drill them using wood screws into place. Now keep the door over the cabinet structure, extend the hinges to one of the side panels and fix them to make them secure. Fix a hasp closure on the other side of the door, placing it in the center of the hinges.