First off your husband will need a pair of noise cancelling headphones :-) It depends on how handy 'you' are, the only limit is your imagination. You could trot around the Opportunity furniture shops, collect a couple of filing cabinets and use those to hang a board between. Blackboard paint on one side and glue felt, cork or fabric on the other. Then you have a noticeboard for the office and a blackboard for the children. This can be repeated in different configurations for more privacy. Alternatively check the internet sites like Gumtree or the Trading Post and see if anyone is selling at a good price folding screens or something that could be used as a screen. Most of all enjoy doing it.

we used a grey polycarbonate for a 2.4m deep covered pergola along the south and west side of our house...more to create a dry area than to have a seating/dining area but it had a nice cooling effect on hot days, we also had a 7mx 5m screened room covered with Colorbond sheeting with a single sheet wide light grey polycarbonate "skylight" which added enough light to prevent darkness inside...both these applications have since been altered but we were quite happy with the results

If you can put doors on the whole back area and deck or pave out to a functional size for entertaining - be sure to have as close to same height as inside and the whole width of the house if possible. You could do the pergola which looks gorgeous and makes a cozy feel. On top of the pergola you may be able to do a weatherproof retractable awning if you do not want a permanent covered area. That would make a whole area for indoor outdoor entertaining in all types of weather. You can still have a step down area to grass and plants at the rear. Travetine is great and easy to hose down. You do not have to concrete them down use pavers on a good road base. You would have to speak to the experts about how to get the right height - also be sure to have a slight fall away from the house.

Hi LesleyH, I'm trying to decide on a colour scheme for my house at the moment as we're getting it painted next week! Decisions, decisions. A picture of the front part of my house is attached. I am thinking of painting the walls in dulux tranquil retreat, keeping the trims crisp white, awning will be surfmist and I can't decide on whether I choose momentum or surfmist for the gutters. What do you think? Roof at the front of the house will remain the brown/orangey colour (it'll get resprayed next year when we have the money). I am thinking of making the pergola at the back of the house all white except the roof will be surfmist in colour. I really don't know...does that sound ok to you?