horizontal anything is a no, the gap would have to be so small it might as well be solid. yes the vertical cable might pass but you are not allowed to be able to squeeze them together as then the gap distance is non complying, The safest one is the solid section PCA pool fence, or glass, or solid, to 1200 mm in Queensland, no greater than 100 mm off ground, and gaps not able to be manipulated, and to stop that you have to have horizontal section in the cable type, which then do not comply, cut metal screens if complying is OK. I would question the void, and if you know the reason for the void, than solutions will be able to be worked out, now we are asking why? Pools in adjoining yards are acceptable with pool fencing complying on both sides, no void is required. so the void sound a bit iffy, unless it is something to do with storm water, or a building requirement, so ask the question why. Pool fencing can be awesome.

Great space, Marcie. Certainly, dark colours will help to create a more intimate space. Cool colours work beautifully with white plantation shutters creating a restful space. Looking at the room now, I suggest you need to incorporate some texture. Seagrass wallpaper is a great start. A textured rug between the bed and the large picture window will help make the space more intimate. Add a couple of tub chairs by the window at the edge of the rug, and add cushions and throws that co-ordinate with your final colour choices. You may even wish to add a couple of big leafed indoor plants. Decide on your theme - coastal, tropical, shabby chic, southern belle, contemporary - these all work with plantation shutters - and then add colours, textures, and lighting to suit. Cheers, Penelope

Some comments, I hope they are helpful. Create a gravelled area for your fire pit. Laying a some sand, levelling off, a weed barrier and raking gravel is within the skill set of most handy people. Use treated timber for an edging to keep it neat. Buy a nice ready made steel fire pit. Buy some seating. Your planting lacks a scheme. Without a scheme your yard will not look put together the way professional landscaping does. Every plant has to be chosen for a purpose (texture, height, colour, privacy etc). You also have all your garden beds in a perimeter against the fence. That's fine for a starting point. But to make the place look inviting you need some garden beds in the yard too. Please avoid the common habit of putting shrubs in the middle of the lawn. It doesn't work well and also makes maintaining your lawn difficult. If you want to make say the entertaining area private from the kids play area a full garden bed is usually a better bet than just a shrub or two. By putting multiple shrubs of varying heights and a creeper in a larger section you create outdoor zones and properly define the area. What you really need to do is measure your yard, draw in your house and all paths and then start drawing in the entertaining area, the kids play area, the veggie patch etc. You will probably have to play around with the layout for a while to come up with something you like and works. Trust me, doing this first will save you a lot off $$ on plantings that don't work and you want to remove later. When you create garden beds do it with three heights. So something under 6" tall, something under 2ft tall and then something over 3ft. Not a definite rule but a good rule of thumb. By having multiple levels in your garden beds you create a more impactful and interesting garden. When gardens are meh, its usually because all the plantings are the same height and it looks flat. Take a look at these gardens to see what I mean.... Alright this fire pit is obviously professionally done, but what you need to look at is how the fire pit is clearly separated from the rest of the yard. The seating creates an outdoor room feel. But also if you look behind the seating there is also a large garden bed behind it. Although the scheme isn't finished my bet is that some tall screening plants are likely to be planted there to create a more intimate mood and shade from summer sun. Having garden beds define a feature really works. This is what I mean about having layers in your garden beds. If this yard was just a row of trees along the fence and then say a low hedge in this front bed it would look okay but not great. They have used different colours, textures and heights all in the same bed here to create something much more interesting. The planters in that corner also create height with the strappy plants. This is why you need to plan our your whole garden so you know that all the plants across the yard work together coherently.

first try to save the plants and then decide where they should live....try buying bigger plastic pots (temporary till you see if they live and where you want to keep them) some good quality potting mix (enough to fill the bigger pots) some seawood concentrate dissolved in plenty of water and transfer the plants into the new pots, stand them in a shady place, water very well and and don't let the pots dry out...(detailed instructions for repotting plants is easily available online) if they're meant to survive you may not know for months but if you're likely to be away for weeks at a time they may be better given away or planted in the ground and save money and the heartache of sick plants by investing in artificial decorative plants