Strong winds and hail. Worried that with the current weather pattern storms are getting worse and that eventually I will end up with glass breaking.

Hi Catherine, the glass panes in a louvre window overlap to ensure an effective seal against wind and water. We sell thousands of louvre windows each year and sealing of blades has never been an issue. However, you should always check that the manufacturer you go with and products you select comply with industry standard AS2047:2014. Products must comply to this Australian standard for wind and water penetration and are independently tested, before they can be certified compliant. All A&L products are certified compliant with this standard.

Go with option 1. Use standard construction processes - skillion metal sheet roof over foil backed blanket. LVL rafters and timber frame walls which the carpenter will make on site. Probably go with a slab on ground and be aware of termite controls between new and existing. Excavate rear yard and build retaining walls with drainage behind them, probably also need a couple pits for surface water. Retaining walls constructed and engineered properly are expensive so be prepared. Treated pine sleepers are nowhere near a suitable solution once you're above 600mm. A builder or a carpenter would go through $20k in materials and some labour for plumbers, excavations, electrical, etc. Plans, documentation and council approvals will soak up $10k or thereabouts. Yes its a simple little job but it comes to economy of scale and some areas will cost the same or take the same amount of time as a larger project.

Bifold windows have been installed in our new kitchen servery opening to the outside pergola as shown in the first picture. The windows are from Trend Windows. The gap at bottom ranges from 4mm to 6mm. There is an obvious concern of weather and insect ingress through the gap. The renovation contractor has stated that Trend offer no sealing solution in this application and was intending to leave it unsealed. There is a channel in the frame under the window as shown in the second picture. The contractor states this is not suitable for a seal installed in the channel (such as from Dooorseals.com) because of the metal plates at the end of each window panel. That is, there would be a gap in the seal at the end of each panel. The contractor’s recommendation is to use a stick on brush type seal adhered to the outer side of the channel and also covering the end plates. Is my contractor right? Has anyone encountered this problem before and can recommend a product that would best suit the purpose. Many thanks.