I would paint the wall too! Nice ad bright!!

Hey there suneerevo! Some great ideas in this thread. You could potentially turn the side area into a small cricket pitch/play area - include a small sand pit/outline a hopscotch zone. I'm not sure how old your children are, but I agree the area may be too small for basketball (unless it is just shooting practice) or bike riding. You could introduce astro turf (pic below is of the fresh cut turf which you can purchase from Bunnings) and shade sails above, and some fun outdoor furniture to encourage play and also relaxation. Example of some fun furniture perhaps :) The shade sails (examples below) will prevent the synthetic turf from getting too hot, and block out UV rays so your children can play or your guests can relax. You can also purchase these from Bunnings and install them yourself :) Hope this helps! Let us know what you end up deciding on.

Nice paving, add some fresh plantings with colour and texture, and some garden furniture, it will invite people out to it.

I would decide what you actually need in a backyard as a starting point, such as a clothes drying area, vegetable garden, sandpit, kids play area, BBQ, outdoor entertaining deck etc. Look at how the sunny spots and shady spots change during the day. Think about the balance between hard surfaces (like decking and paving) to soft surfaces, such as lawns and garden beds. Consider the relationship of the rooms at the rear of the house to the backyard with potential views, and vistas. Consider what is currently over the fence, and what you can do to disguise what you don't want to see (such as your neighbours ugly garage). Also consider if there is redevelopment potential next door that may overshadow or overlook your back garden in the future. Think of the functions of your back garden as a series of outdoor "rooms" and the relationship to each other, and to your house. Your drying area may be in a sunny spot, that isn't overlooked from your dining room, but not too far from the laundry door. If you have young kids you may want to be able to see their play area/sandpit from the kitchen. Locate your BBQ area, outdoor entertaining area which gets the afternoon sun and not too far from the kitchen. Or engage a landscape designer to help you get your thoughts and budget organised. You have lots of scope and opportunities with such a blank canvas. Photos courtesy of Davidson Design Studio http://www.davidsondesignstudio.com.au/ Best of luck, Dr Retro