Wow, where has the time gone? following up to our post 18 months ago, a lot has changed since then... What's New? We relocated our entire factory to 34 Haydock Street Forresdale (30km south of Perth) Installed new Auto load/unload CNC to help with supply Installed new edge bander custom built from Austria We have orders being shipped interstate every 2 - 3 days We have orders sent to N.Z & Christmas Island Launched new showroom for Perth Customers 426 Scarborough Beach Road Osborne Park Prices online have either remained the same or even decreased Online Design software soon to be available online, stay tuned. Products & Service Over 110 cabinets to customize Over 200 different door colours and finishes from only the best brands Flat Packed or Pre-Assembled Custom made laminated benchtops Order Online or In-store Delivery all over Australia We are cabinets makers who have a passion software and website development, our first online ordering platform was launched back in 2006. Our business model is 'community focused' meaning the more people who use our system helps with our buying power and our costs come down, these savings are updated online for everyone to benefit. eKitchens (08) 9456 3108 sales@ekitchens.com.au www.ekitchens.com.au Check out our video

hi Neryl and others, I love fire pits and we have a special area in the yard with stone seating around it. we love it and it is great for the kids and when they have friends over. we often burn these funny hexagonal 'logs' which are made from recycled something (I cant remember whether its paper or woodchips). we got them from Bunnings but I can't find them on bunnings website right now. they are called ecologs or something like that. they are slow burning and good. we have the chappala sun god fire pit from bunnings and it has been good. the metal parts do rust tho. the good thing about it is the screen lid which I feel is a bit safer. but the lid does get hot so you need an oven mitt or similar to lift it to roast marshmallows or add more wood or anything. downside is it has no drainage hole so fills with rainwater. good luck

Hi oklouise, thank you again so much for your suggestions to help me reflect on my choices! The great thing about this whole process is that it has really helped me clarify my must haves/dealbreakers and nice to haves. Key elements that I don't want to forego are: 1) a "master suite" with large WIR + private ensuite+ direct private garden access/views. The current northern bedrooms are elevated and do not allow these elements and better suited to small kids as no external doors and can be eyeballed from the kitchen. 2)The kitchen must be the heart of the home and connected to all living spaces so the host never feels disconnected from guests & can watch kids from almost any living space.I attended a party last weekend which had the kitchen blocking the living room from the outdoor space and the host commented they regretted it after renovating. 3)The dining room must be an end destination vs a corridor so it does not become a dumping grounds for bags, mail & everything else as the nearest flat surface to the entry point. 4) All new bedrooms must also be min 3 -3.2M wide on the narrowest side for me to justify them. 5) I reviewed all my lookbooks and tear sheets pulled to date and its a clear pattern that I want my 'adult' living and dining/entertaining spaces connected to the rear garden preferably wrapping l-shape round a deck or courtyard garden. In a sense 'broken' vs open plan but still visible through glass etc. 6) I would not be prepared sacrifice the prime N/NE aspect with utility rooms. 7) I don't wish to place a verandah at the front as it will never be used except extra maintenance and can create shading in summer via other methods. 8) capacity to rent out room with private living quarters. There are many splitter blocks in my area and I don't need it to operate as legal dual occupancy. 9) single level living -no second story bedrooms etc. 10) separation of main bedrooms when renting out section of house Phew....I think thats most of the checklist criteria I have been working to. Still think tanking the street appeal/front facade style but its probably leaning toward lux byron bay beach cottage meets modern coastal with some retro elements to hint at the history of this 1950s house!

If you are worried about invasive roots you might want to get rid of the magnolia in your front lawn. These little gem magnolia's might be dwarves for their genus but their genus is a massive tree way too large for a suburban yard at maturity. A lot of people don't realise how large they will get because they are slow growing. The tropical garden look is all about large sized leaves and vivid colour. So a mix of coloured leaf plants and greenery with over sized leaves works best. A rhapis palm is a good screening palm as well as having architectural appeal since it's globular in shape. Looks best in a feature pot and one each side of your portico would look great. For hedging I can't urge you NOT to use bamboo enough. I purchased a house where a bamboo has been hedged on 2 sides. I hate it for these reasons. The particular variety I have cannot be clipped to keep it at a specific height. The entire thing keeps growing skyward until it set seeds and then dies back. Giving me a hedge that looks okay for around 6 months of the year and looks like dead grass for the other 6 months. Clumping bamboos are NOT non invasive. They will take over your yard. They just do it by the clumps getting larger over time and spreading outwards in concentric fashion instead of sending out runners linearly. They are high maintenance if you want them to look lush. You have to get into the clump and constantly cut out the dying culms otherwise you get a yellowed and dead looking section in your hedge. They are extremely messy constantly dropping leaves. I've tried mulching the continual fall but the leaves actually clog a mulcher and can't be recycled easily. Getting rid of a clump is nigh on impossible once established. I tried digging one of mine out. The rhizomes are like concrete and cannot be easily broken up with any kind of tool. I would need to hire a bobcat and dig them out to get rid of them. They have to actually be tied up into clumps with string, otherwise they fall over and look like weeds. The rhapis palm above is very bamboo like but unlike bamboo it isn't a grass so it will grow perennially without the massive die off of bamboo for many years to come. Most people don't realise that because bamboo is a grass it's lifecycle is very short. Each culm will live only 1-2yrs then die. The clump renews itself by sending up new shoots which results in an ever increasing clump size and a lot of dead poles in the clump. Bamboo is wonderful stuff in a plantation where the culms are continually harvested and clumps thinned out. They are a massive amount of work in a garden though.