Hi there, re the fence my choice would be the same colour as house with either same colour slats or your window surfmist both would look classic, definately NO timber here. Because you are on a corner block I'd be planting a hedge inside the fence with something like Murraya asap, Jim Henson could advise. I would consider Pleaching them up to where the slats start so that you could under plant with something pretty, I'd also consider adding garden lights as per attached photo. plus I would also consider putting "Eye lid" down lights on the exterior posts of the fence, this could add great street appeal for your wonderful very large house (is your whole family moving in. The garage, either same as wall colour or Monument is my choice. cheers,

The house we are building now is totally designed for low maintenance on the coast. The windows are and powder coated. This was chosen by our designer, also we had our current house renovated 22 years ago with white powder coated windows and they are still pretty perfect. Like you we have taps to wash the salt of regularly. One thing I did change on the new design is I removed all the fly screens and plan to add them where needed later. We ended up removing most of them because they make cleaning windows harder, block the view and tend to deteriorate over time and you tend to pay for heaps more than necessary. Once we have settled into our new house I will be getting the window man back and installing them where I want them. Not on the garage etc. Hope this helps with your choices, as I said I've lived on the coast for years now and I get your concerns and it is very important to make the right choices on materials.

Mebeth - I had someone do it as I didn’t have the time or patience for the prep. I also wanted a professional finish - something I didn’t think I would achieve as I’m impatient and tend to rush things. It didn’t take long. I didn’t get the inside done so no paint gets scraped off.

Looks fabulous.