That is hard to say. It is one reason to look at recent examples of someone's work before hiring them. What looks normal to one, may look poor to another. Sometimes the wood is still a bit wet, making it a bad idea to try and sand when it is installed. As it dries a lot of it may come off from walking on it. But it may be too stringy and pliable to do much with right now.

Hey Camira1999, your pool area has huge potential. We love the wooden element you've added to your outdoor area. You could also add in some more foliage to the area, like we did in the projects below. Lacquering the back fence will also make a difference to the feel of the pool area. We also are manufacturers of DIY glass pool fences, balustrades, mirrors and splashbacks - you can pick up fences in a range of styles (ie: semi frameless, frameless with or without mini posts,etc) from your local Bunnings. Hope that helps, and good luck!

Although we have very deep eaves and lovely large decks, we don't actually have proper shade at our new house so that we can enjoy the outdoor living. Trying to resolve this. Thinking about a big shade sail further away from house where we have a big table and chairs, and perhaps decorative metal panels attached to either the roof or wall cladding on the west deck. The sun is harshest during afternoons to sunset and so far we cannot use this deck for '5 o'clock somewhere' drinks.

What about installing some wires/trellis to train potted star jasmine? The benefit there is fast coverage, looks attractive from both sides year round and smells good when in flower. You could put in some simple rectangular pots for the jasmine, along with a few feature pots with other plants Eg. Patio-suitable citrus. Do you have information on climate/personal tastes etc. (A few things to consider... Height from ground/access to trim a creeper such as the jasmine, weight of pots/soil, water run off from watering)