Thanks for asking.. I am so happy.. the house was so decayed so we decided to rebuild the same look of a 100 year old cottage but move all the living to the front for the river view.. so happy we did it and went for light grey and white and yellow.. so pleased and we have people in the park comment.. we could not go any bigger because of council and flood zone but it makes it special as it is. Some pictures I just took.. I took a picture of the outlook so you can see why it feels just right.. still work to do as in the gardens and just finding the right plants to put in as it is full sun. Will ask for help on that one too to make it feel cottagey but not block the view. Thanks again for asking. Karen

I, too, like the idea of the fence being painted in Monument, or something similar. You look like you live in either in the tropics or subtropics, judging by the photos. Apart from looking attractive, you also want to the plants to have low leaf drop, be fairly hardy, not have an invasive root system, be reasonably low maintenance and sun tolerant (the pool area looks very hot and sunny, and you didn't mention if the palms next door provide any shade during the day). Anyway, here is my 5 cents worth: native pigface "Aussie Rambler"; blue fescue; bromeliad Neoregelia sheba; philodendron Xandadu; sun-tolerant cordyline species; dwarf ixora; dwarf frangipani. Bambino bougs also look lovely near a pool. You'll be picking up the old bracts as they drop but they look so gorgeous its worth it. Touch of Class have recently introduced some beautiful new varieties of dwarf oleanders (we have "Isabella"). Oleanders have been given a really bad rap about their toxicity, and yes, they are poisonous, however, they have never caused a human fatality in Australia and are no more toxic than many other plants we put in our home gardens. Apparently, they are a more of a threat to livestock who seem to eat them despite their bitter taste. Having said that, I wouldn't use them if you have young children or pets that like to chew everything. You'll have noticed that most of the plants I have suggested are of the "dwarf" variety. This is so the plants don't become too big for the pool area, and to help keep maintenance down. A self-cleaning palm like the golden cane, foxtail or Alexander could provide some overhead shade, but only if they were planted at least 1.5m away from the pool (preferably more). I would also be mulching with stones to minimise it ending up in the pool on windy or rainy days. Although I love natives, I have not suggested them, other than the pigface, to keep maintenance and leaf drop to a minimum.

We built a pool exactly the same, however we didnt use laminated glass but a monolithic piece of 80mm thick Plexiglass 3mx2m from Germany. This reduced the overall cost of the pool considerably. Pool was fantastic and doubled as a water feature when not in use. Incorporating LED lighting allowed the pool to take on the mood of the night. The only downside we found with the pool was that after heaving swimming and sunscreen the waterline of the Plexiglass would need a clean. Other than that it gained lots of comments and was even used for photo shoots and promo work.

does this house have some starting points for a river home? (placed above the highest flood line but closer to the rear of the block) with expanded enclosed courtyard for the pool, a grassed driveway down one side for occasional access to the rear, drying yard and kids' play area. Single storey (more relaxed than your last posted floorplan) garaging closer to the front boundary with wide driveway, reversing bay, guest parking and screening trees and shrubs all along the nosy neighbours' side (sized to suit the climate and not exclude eastern sunshine in cold weather) kid's bedrooms, family bath, laundry, and guest room near the front entry with direct access through mudroom laundry for wet kids from the pool) Open plan living, dining, kitchen with pantry, master suite and home office overlooking the river