Depending on aspect, raised garden bed along the block wall, which will help protect the crop from footballs, bikes and skateboards. Make the edge suitable for sitting on, great for perching on when entertaining. Maybe transition the raised beds into a bench for drinks and food, then the barbeque. You could put vertical garden above the raised bed in places to maximise space and break up the wall. You could have dwarf citrus in pots against the fence or passionfriut with a trellis. Then the centre can be for a table or play.

Bit of a circle thing, the engineer will have trouble commenting on what you plan to do without drawings of the existing and proposed. Never met an engineer who could not work their magic on any structure, but there will be simple and cheaper methods and then there can be some super expensive ones. Builders and engineers should be communicating as well. If i were you, i would have identified a builder, get a good architect to work with you, your budget, the builder and engineer, and town planner if this requires DA approval. Overshadowing is the shadow your structure casts on the neighbors property. Overlooking is when they can see into your property, some councils have means to prevent this and the last to build normally has to screen their windows to prevent overlooking, some require only high windows, not all councils and not all property sizes will be affected. If the architect draws in a 3D package it is a simple matter to show you where the shadows land at any time and day of the year, based on you address. If allowed to build that top story, they can show you if you shade your pool. This is a big investment from you, most likely you would be living with the results for years, i would imagine that you would want the best outcome for your family, and to engage professionals would be the way to achieve those outcomes. Thoughts and ideas from forums like this are great, but sometimes they are not aware of the outcomes of comments which might affect your whole project, and councils around the country all have different requirements. Check and check again. What is allowed in Brisbane with height and upper floor window sizes on smaller blocks, will not be allowed in Melbourne, or Sydney councils. Shadowing while really not an issue in Brisbane, will be a huge issue in Melbourne, so get a local team. Ros

Thanks OKLOUISE, I think we will go down the suggested route. IKEA was not much cheaper for the desk once installed anyway. The IKEA handlefree wardrobes will come in much cheaper than the alternative but look pretty good for what we want and will leave a space of about 5 cm at either end of the room after allowing for the skirting boards, which is just enough to clean occasionally. I just need to check that IKEA's shade of white is not too dissimilar to the deck colour I want and then I should be good to go. I am hoping the floor is not too uneven as that could cause them to have gaps between? (Any ideas if that is a problem?) My only other worry is that IKEA white laminates used to turn yellow quickly, but I am hoping they have improved on that front in recent years. Thanks again, your advice is always good!

Looks fabulous, well done. I love the changes you made :)