Hi Tina, thanks for posting, it is all looking great. Shame about the panelling, but sometimes these things happen for a reason. It is great the armoire matches the doors so well when they are all on one wall, but I don't think you need to have the bed and side tables matching, especially when they are on another wall. My issue with painting furniture, while I love it, is the maintenance. It does chip over time and becomes one more thing to paint. I don't know what the timber is in your furniture but another possible option, especially to give you the coastal vibe is to lime it. To do this successfully, you will need to sand all the existing stain off it and go back to the raw timber. The darker the original timber, the less limed look you will get so bear that in mind too. I did an old bunk bed up that had seen better days, for my grands bedroom. It was a dark red wood, but with 4 coats of stain I got the look I was after which was that driftwood/coastal look. The whole thing looks totally new again. Sorry I can't post a photo as this function no longer works for me. Have a look at the Feast Watson range of liming stains, they have some gorgeous soft colours as well, but they let the timber show through rather than having the solid painted look. It is a very easy product to use, it dries quickly - I did the 4 coats over 2 days effortlessly. The hard work is in the sanding.

georgi02 "follow some simple guidelines, the ones that people frequently aren't told when buying wall gardens and you end up finding out the hard way" Plant walls are fashionable and seem ideal for small spaces but it would be good if the stores that sell the bits and pieces told people it's not just a trendy decor item, it needs some gardening expertise. mutcherson, is there any space between that deck and the fence? IMO the most successful low-maintenance gardening is the right choice of plant growing in the ground. As soon as you start messing around with unusual plants, unusual containers, unusual locations, you start having additional challenges. But I reckon if you want it's worth having another try with a wall using georgi02 's instructions. Succulents are easy to grow from cuttings and forgiving of lack of water. When you take cuttings of succulents you are supposed to put them aside for a while before potting them and I have found pieces I forgot I cut weeks earlier and managed to grow them. I have had some problems with succulents but that was because of frost so you you won't have that challenge.

Hi Fiona. Those boards were replaced after initial build (after installing new wider slider), so that’s why they were lighter. It was weathered and needing a clean and recoil there. I took cutek’s (expensive)advice and started with quik clean (loosens dirt which was evidently incorporated into my layers of oil), then followed with pro clean (timber brightener). I scrubbed my butt off and was still not happy with the result. It just didn’t evenly clean it up, and I used fairly concentrated doses, and got down on my knees to scrub, not just a brush on a long stick. I oiled with cutek extreme (instead of cd50). Some more pics, after scrubbing then after oiling (still dark). I did redo my handrail in johnstones deck oil, and it appears to be lasting well, no peeling... but I’m still a bit cautious about risking my deck with this finish (water based over oil). I think I’d prefer dirty weather deck than a peeling finish. Next house I’m only having timber deck if it’s entirely undercover!! Do you have a similar dilemma?

Hi Sarah, If you refer back to my initial 'Help' post, you will see the ideas were already there and our dilemma was actually more in relation to which paint colours might work with our bricks. Also, I'm not sure where the idea of us not wanting to add a garden has come from as my post clearly states that the improvements 'will also include a simple low maintenance garden'. I can only assume that the confusion has come about due to so many expressing that we should just do the garden and not worry about anything else, but that would simply put us back to where we were before the previous garden was removed. With all due respect, I can appreciate that many have posted in an effort to save us from what they consider to be unnecessary work and expense, and for that I am truly grateful, because it would be really lovely to simply not worry about doing anything, and as you said, go and enjoy a holiday instead! :) That said, people also need to acknowledge that we are not all of the same opinion when it comes to buying or selling a home. Aside from focusing on our revamp, we've also been actively searching for our 'retirement' home. Suffice to say, the first thing we notice while driving around is kerb appeal, or should I say, a lack of when it comes to some properties, including ours at the moment! :( While the photo's may look good, in reality, the exterior is tired and dated, with the gravel driveway being close to bare earth. Compared to the interior of our home, costs outside have been relatively minimal, therefore I can honestly say that we are quite excited about this project, but, it's goes without saying that we don't want spend a bomb either. Might just be the only little revamp this exterior's ever going to get! :D Anyway Sarah, full credit to you for giving me my first aha moment, which came through reading the final paragraph of your post. You've made me realise, that up until now, some of the decor and colour preferences I've presented are those both myself, and my husband would like if we were the prospective buyers, as opposed to what might work in favour of a broader market. Therefore, after some discussions tonight, we have concluded that... Columns, will definitely be plain square, as round will appear too similar to the existing ones. Front Door and handle will be simple classic Porch tiles - both against the idea of painting, so will definitely replace Paint - haven't ruled out neutral creams. Colour is simply something we're going to have to experiment with Existing gates will stay and get a repaint Our home is a spacious 3 bedroom/ 2 bathroom/ 2 car space with granny flat out the back, therefore we see it appealing more to couples with a young/growing family. I can't thank everyone enough for their time and effort in providing an endless stream of invaluable advice and photos... it's been nothing short of enlightening and I only wish I could print the visual that's in my mind now, compared to the muddle that was present when I first reached out for help. As with any revamp, the journey will be a mix of both highs and lows. That said, it's the end result we're working toward, and we expect to achieve nothing less than a positive outcome. Cheers again to all, Sandi :)