Hello, I am hoping this may be of relevance to your build. If you are looking at any retaining walls and water tanks then Landscape Tanks may be the option for you. See some images below; Retaining walls and front fences that store rain water - seems impossible doesn't it? All these lovely pictures above are actually retaining walls that store rain water, which may seem hard to believe - well its not and lots of people are using them already with stunning results. Many people stare at these pictures and can't see the tanks without realising the lovely structures are the tanks themselves. Many people also like the appearance of the tanks so much they don't even fill them with water. These great Landscape Tanks are designed for use as structural retaining walls and front fences that store rain water and they can also be used for many other structures around the home. You can even have your front fence as your on site detention system if you like. They are made from high grade concrete (50mpa) and provide a fantastic alternative to traditional retaining walls or front fences and are very cost effective. The Landscape Tanks do not require any footings, are very easy to install and may be placed straight on a firm level base for great savings. They are are pre-engineered (empty) for use as retaining walls, which means they are also ideal for other structures around your home, such as front fences, on site detention systems, pool or pergola surrounds, water tanks, fire fighting water tanks, and raised garden beds. The planter top also has many other uses (apart from growing plants) including water features, outdoor kitchens, decking and even spectacular light shows all at the same time while still being used for your retaining wall or front fence. The Landscape Tanks are all quality and designed to last over 100+ years (or even 150 years) and they add that WOW factor to your home. So whether you are looking for retaining walls in Sydney or retaining walls in Melbourne or just browsing for retaining wall ideas, block retaining walls or concrete sleeper retaining walls, look no further than the fantastic multi purpose quality Landscape Tanks. You may be very surprises at just how cost effective they can be. Product sizing and capacities also available at http://www.landscapetanks.com.au/technical-info/specifications/ Our Landscape Tanks may be used for any of the following individually or concurrently in the same project and they deliver great savings and results. Retaining Walls Simply place into position for instant results - no footings required. On site detentions systems Save money - you may avoid using a detention system altogether. Front Fences Stunning front fences that store rain water and even double as retaining walls. Rain Water Tanks Turning rain water tanks into a feature for your property. Pool landscaping Stores rain water for the pool and keeps plants out of chlorine level. Raised Garden Beds Ideal working height for growing vegetables and herbs. Water Features and Light Show Using the planter tops for other uses can deliver amazing results. Features Pre-engineered - we provide you with your own set of engineering drawings. No footings required - easy to install - no excavation required. They will look the same in 100+ years as the day they are installed. They turn water tanks into a feature of your property. Made from 50mpa high quality concrete for exceptional long life. Enhance to appearance of your property - attractive landscape architecture. Let us design your OSD system and chances are you wont need an OSD system at all. Add value and that WOW factor to your quality home. Very cost effective

Hi Aravind, Personally I'm a fan of minimising impervious surfaces, and would try to attain different levels of landscaping with native vegetation, lawn & permeable paving. This doesn't sound like what you are looking to do, but if you do go ahead with concreting a large portion of your backyard, keep in mind that water which would have gone into the ground will be redirected to somewhere new. Definitely make sure that the concrete slopes away from your house to avoid damaging your footings/house (instead of the potential termites doing it). Regarding the kitchen, it can often be worth chatting to an architect/building designer if you are likely to do more renovations down the track. They will be able to help you come up with (and draw up) an overall concept so that you know that your kitchen will work with any future renovations and don't end up knocking down or redoing anything, which can save you down the track. An example would be if your kitchen was not in the best location to make use of your living spaces or faced the wrong way. If you were gutting the whole thing, you could be better off moving it now to increase the livability/value later. A joiner or cabinet-maker will be able to go into detail with you and get it built.

We've just installed roller blinds. We're on acreage so privacy is not an issue. However, we did put block-out blinds in the bedrooms (for sleep purposes) and sunscreen mesh fabric blinds in all other rooms. Re the latter, you can see through them whilst still retaining privacy. They stop 85% of the sun's heat and up to 99% UV. We moved to the northern rivers area of NSW earlier this year so we'll see how we fare in the summer. I suspect the see-through blinds will be down most of the time but because they're almost transparent they don't block the light.

What a beautiful home, very modern so the garden should reflect that, stark , contemporary, definitely go succulents as oklouise suggests, think outside the box, white large planters, structural plants, could look fabulous