On your paint problem I can't be much help. This usually happens because of damp -- please get a damp expert to make sure that there isn't any damp lurking in your walls. I had this once when I had pipes leaking inside the walls. I didn't know that. The other alternative is something like painting before the plaster is dry or some kind of chemical mismatch. I do know you will have to scrape all the mucky powdery stuff away and start again, at least on those areas. Don't try to seal and prime and repaint until you know exactly what the problem is and how to fix it.

I am so happy to see you here! I will have to go back and see if i can retrieve my posts... thought I would make them into a little book for my daughter, with photos. Quick run-down on the bathroom (not travels, no time) - The kitchen has a rather elegant sliding door with beveled glass panels. Painted white, since this was the original colour. GD's new bathroom has the doors I had picked earlier; i thought of polishing them but decided sprayed automobile paint (on a resin primer) would wear better. Especially since it is such a small bathroom, and she is so splashy. I have this finish in my kitchen and it has lasted 15 years now. A tad chipped here and there, but only needs a wipe down once a week. Same finish for the balcony doors, also split like the bathroom. We have a new wardrobe, a study table with built-in shelves, and a small chest of drawers for her odds and ends. I want to re-tile the tiny balcony, more as a little statement. Currently we are looking at Portuguese tiles, though I did think a mosaic with a funky cat might be nice. Let me see the costing. The room will be painted a neutral adobe, with bright white woodwork and an off-white ceiling. This means she can go wild with cushions and covers. Other changes in the flat; We have changed the glass in the master bedroom and living room from small cramped panes to a single pane for each section with a 1" bevel all round. Doubles the cost of the glass, but looks so elegant! The air-conditioning is being re-located. The compressors were all mounted in the bedroom and living room balconies, which looked terrible and meant the balconies (very narrow, only 30" deep) couldn't be used for anything. Not even plants. So they are being moved so that the compressors can be mounted at the rear of the building. two down, one to go. Now we can put in some nice plants, fishtail palms etc. The kitchen counter on one side came out intact and will be reused elsewhere. I am planning overhead storage, cupboards, and a draining cupboard for plates and glasses. Right now there is no dish washer, though a place is earmarked, but for now I will put in a cupboard with steel racks for cups, glasses and plates, all hidden behind pressed glass doors. This is all in the planning stage.... Pictures in a little while, they are mostly on my ipad and don't transfer well to the mac. They come without numbers... so I have to rename the or something. Somebody tell me how to do this!

Referring to the sketch above as option 1 you can have two option, option 1, as obvious cutout at the middle of the u shape staircase, in addition to this you can also have a double height entrance foyer with a chandelier in between hanging from the top. on first floor you can shift the balcony door side ways as mentioned with a circle. referring to the image above option 2 option 2 would be a complete change of staircase orientation , bringing the staircase in front foyer, extending the upper cutout as marked in dotted line, the new found area can help you extend your both bathrooms areas or can help you put some ground floor furniture or a informal study area.(see if your FSI permits to all these changes). and on the top your new area can accommodate your big gym equipment's like treadmill , and some additional gym storage. here you can also get to know from top who has arrived to your front door peeking downwards. further the walls of this area can be decorated while doing interiors and make the foyer look grand & luxurious. option three, If you are thinking of giving a cutout in center of the hall, please avoid, your areas above wont be usable in an appropriate way. cheers

Dear Khurshid, Ask your builder if the double height terrace can be used for staircase. That way you can shift your dining table to the present staircase area which is just adjacent to your kitchen and still can keep it double height which will also serve as entrance area. Doing so you get more additional space for your living area and can have a more comfortable seating arrangement. Also by shifting your staircase to double height area makes more sense as you can still use it as terrace seating. You don't even need to have rcc staircase. Go with metal staircase with wooden treads. Which is space saving and looks super cool. Its a penthouse so do something out of the box. You cant do much with the structure but you have infinite possibilities in interior work to make it special. I hope that makes some sense to you.:) Regards, Ar. Ravi Prakash