Looking at the shadows, I am wondering whether the wall with the plaques on it faces north. If so, can the height of this be reduced? If it is north facing, the room beyond the courtyard would be extremely dark in winter - miserable and cold. If this wall could be dropped so that it is 1.5 metres tall, possibly with a line of fastigiate deciduous trees on the far side to then provide DECIDUOUS height, winter would be lighter and the solid mass of the wall would be reduced. It really is a rather difficult spot. And the paved base of the courtyard only allows for pots unless you want to dig up the pavers and put in tree ferns etc. But then it looks as though the area would get the full blast of hot midday sun. I live in coastal SW Victoria where our climate is similar to yours. But we still get hot days during summer which can scorch plants that haven't acclimatised to this heat.

I actually think that there is real warmth showing in this photo. Some ideas - 1) remove the agapanthus - the star jasmine ground cover should be the only plant as a base to the tree/tall shrub 2) put a glory vine over the pergola. Only 1 needed. This will provide summer shade and winter light 3) remove the bits of concrete - bird bath etc. Use terracotta for the bird bath 4) remove the pavers in the gravel and put down new gravel like Lillydale Toppings or small grey gravel. Warmth inside and out will provide a far better resale value than minimalistic starkness. Your home has it. Don't now ruin it with minimalism. Alison

East Ryde Courtyard Pool House, Sydney Australia; Complete A beautiful, contemporary residence with central pool courtyard with living room that wraps around in C-Shape. Also a secondary private courtyard on the other side. INSIDE-the spaces are calm, serene and bright; Open-plan contemporary living. A true piece of architecture I believe. Contact us today for good architecture and design focused around natural light, natural air and calm, quiet spaces. ----------------------------------------------------- Architect Ibrahim Conlon M.Arch (UTS) B.A Arch (UTS) ADAD (CIT) AIA AICOMOS Registered Architect ARB NSW 10042 Associate Member ICOMOS 1512 Member AIA 31824 ISC DESIGN; Heritage-Contemporary Architecture Documentation, Representation, Administration Suite 1, Level 1 115 Auburn Road Auburn NSW 2144 0404459916 ibrahim@iscdesign.com.au www.iscdesign.com.au #architecture #modernarchitecture #courtyardhome #serenity

APPROVED! Our wonderful courtyard house (with tree in side courtyard) is approved! Cant wait to see and feel this building. Another tricky & procedural CDC on flood site at Wallacia for new 2-storey dwelling & detached granny flat! Thanks to BUILDCERT Certifiers. Another happy customer gets his approval! Contact ISC DESIGN ARCHITECTS, Sydney to obtain difficult approvals with CDC complying development councils and all NSW Councils. We work with many different certifiers for different types of buildings, residential & commercial Only trust and use a registered Architect. Don’t waste your money or time with unqualified, unprofessional & incompetent Building Designers, Draftspeople etc or the plethora of freelancers infesting our design & approval market. Only those registered with the NSW Architects registration Board (ARB NSW) can use the title 'Architect' or offer' Architectural Services'. (Architects Act 2003). Kind regards ----------------------------------------------------- Architect Ibrahim Conlon M.Arch (UTS) B.A Arch (UTS) ADAD (CIT) AICOMOS RAIA ISC DESIGN ARCHITECTS: Architecture, Development and Heritage Design, Documentation, Representation & Administration Registered Architect ARB NSW 10042 Associate Member ICOMOS 1512 Nominated Responsible Architect under NSW Architect Act 2003 SEPP65 Competent Designer under the Environmental Planning & Assessment Regulation 2000 Office Address; Auburn-Parramatta NSW Mobile; 0404459916 Email; ibrahim@iscdesign.com.au Website; www.iscdesign.com.au