Hi painters are like any other trade, in that they quote based on how many hours of labour they are going to spend on the job and this dictates the price. We have painter's that are award winning and put a lot of prep in both before and in between coats, and everything is 3 coated. That's reflected in a higher price. We have an even more expensive one who is an absolute craftsman and the work he does is both amazing and expensive. We also have a painter that prices based on just coming in and pretty much spraying everything and minimal prep. It's a cheap and cheerful job that some people want for either budget or purpose (eg selling). As posted above, if you have a few quotes and ask questions about the prep you can make a better informed decision. cheers

@ alchemy, I can see you've put allot of effort into your beautiful yard and pool and whist I agree that you will probably regret a deciduous tree, irrespective of it losing most of its leaves in a short period, it would be allot of work clearing that debris from your pool but I agree that you need to complete your yard with greenery. I think the ficafolia suggested by bigreader could look stunning but I have one in my yard (no pool) and the gumnuts this little tree of mine drops must be seen to be believed albeit they dont blow. A palm of course is one of the best trees due to its lack of debris and the tropical look it provides is always a winner, however, getting one fairly established would be the way as they don't grow super fast but the expense of such a tree could be quite prohibitive. I would seriously listen to advice offered by people with an outdoor pool as experience is the best teacher, so you must decide just how much work you want to give yourself over and above the normal workload simply having an outdoor pool and I'd strongly consider the suggestion Mel N offered of putting up a sun shade or sail initially and see how that works for you. Best of luck. Cheers, Barbara

So many great suggestions here for you! What a fabulous house to work with. I would extend the pergola out to where the BBQ is, but scrap it. I also suggest replacing the brick paved area with large creamish pavers & use the bricks to pave the path in a bit if a curve. Utilize the curved area for seating widening the steps as suggested. A couple of large pots with citrus either side. These could be planted later as the garden progresses. Also a grape vine or wisteria planted to grow over the pergola would give summer shade & let light into the house in winter. I would screen the granny flat with either a few hardy bushes or a lattice type screen & grow a passion-fruit, kiwi fruit or climbing rose. If you don't like the climbing thing something structural like yucca's or cordylines, both low maintenance - talk to your local nursery, they are the experts. They may offer garden design too. Also have a look at http://plantselector.botanicgardens.sa.gov.au/ Just put in your postcode & you get a list of plants with pictures, descriptions etc. Enjoy your garden room. Good luck.

You will need a bath with three or four tile flanges to match the one in the first photo. It has to do with complying with the building regulations for waterproofing and protecting the timber framing that is under the tiles. If the edge of the bath where it meets the tiles is not properly protected from water seeping through then concealed wet rot could start, and eventually everything will need to be ripped out, and built again. Sometimes even the timber floor joists under the bath rot out and need to be replaced. So I would do your research and co-ordinate carefully with your builder to ensure that the details are correctly built. Some builders will not go to the trouble of getting it right as they don't care if your bath falls through a rotten floor in ten years time. Quite often your choices in the bathroom should also take into account the long term functionality of the bathroom, rather than just the aesthetics. Best of luck with your research, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits.