Thanks Tilly, yes I think it'll be a really good exercise to think about how we live every day and what will support that. For example we had a BBQ on the weekend and the weather was quite cool, so my husband said how about a covered entertaining area to the rear of the house (north facing), but I'd rather have it open so the sun comes into the house every other day of the year! So we're investigating these fabric folding awnings... I might get us both to sit down and virtually go through our day to work out our ideal items. Thanks! Holly, thanks for sharing, some great ideas there. Yes I don't want a huge footprint, and survived for 10 years in a small Victorian terrace with a 'Euro' laundry behind fold-back cupboards in the bathroom and it never bothered me, so you've reminded me that I'd much rather that space devoted to more enjoyable areas! And keen on the versatility of a multi-purpose room, sounds like such a great approach, I work part-time from home plus my family is interstate so doubling as a guest bedroom would be perfect for us. Love the window bench with storage idea and yes I want an island bench that's clear of sinks etc. Wow those loft beds are amazing! Might pencil that in as an idea. Wonderful, thanks!

As the concrete buildings are expanding day by day, more and more people are realizing the importance of greenery around. As most of the urban homes are shrinking in size, the room for the gardens is becoming scarce. However, the true garden lovers can find a way around to see slight greenery in their home through vertical gardening. The vertical gardens are the best alternatives for those who are not having lots of horizontal space in their home or they want to do something different than the traditional gardening. This gardening option is also an eco-friendly way to turn the boring wall inside your living room othe r balcony into something that is really praiseworthy. Apart from this, you can also turn the vertical wall into an edible garden where you can grow fruits and vegetables. What Is A Vertical Gardening? It is a highly productive and innovative system that growly vertically. This type of garden grows vertically rather than growing horizontally. In the traditional way of gardening, most of the gardeners use the climbing plants like the squashes and the beans. But in the case of the vertical gardens, the concept goes a little further where the gardeners use the horizontal plans in a vertical way. The vertical gardens take less space and they are easy to harvest. They are also easy to maintain as well. Some of the factors that you need for the vertical green walls are- You require enough sunlight If they are placed too high, they are difficult to maintain. Do not make them taller so that you cannot reach. Keep them at a height where you can reach. The support system should be strong enough to hold the structure and everything for longer time. The supporting system should be made in such a way that it holds the moisture in between the garden and the vertical wall of the room. Thus, it can be stated that vertical gardens are one of the most productive gardening systems. Homeowners, who are having less space for gardening, can utilize their vertical walls for growing the plants. There Are Certain Benefits Of Using The Vertical Gardens, They Are As Follows- Plants are easy to reach. Thus, it makes the fertilizing, pruning, watering and harvesting much more easily and also saves the money. Using the plants up and above the ground helps in improving the air circulation. The plants get less susceptible to diseases. It also helps in reducing the damage caused by the pets and the animals. Research also proved that the vertical gardening also helps in improving the air quality inside the room. These are some of the top advantages of using the vertical green walls at home. If you love gardening and but have less horizontal space in your home, you can definitely choose this type of gardening method.

My B'room is too small to take photos. lol Keep the toilet, shower and basin in the same places but put in a preggy 750 wide basin. By doing this you can put in an 1100 corner shower instead of the rectangular one. cm for cm they are the same size shower. They are made of glass with the door on the angle opening into the centre of the room. You can then put a different shower nozzel on each wall. I have a fixed one and a sliding one. By cutting the corner off the shower you then end up with a bigger area to get dry in. You can wave your arms over the basin and toilet but not through the corner of the shower that you had. By cutting the corner off it makes the room much bigger while still having a really nice good sized shower. Having 2 nozzels means 2 can fit in the shower and keep warm too. All the best.

When you are running through your thoughts, options, colours, designs, etc for your new outdoor living area, deck or patio cover; we will guide you through three areas of consideration. These are: Design, Materials & Accessories. By considering these three areas whilst you are investigating the options to enhance your home, it should mean that you will ultimately achieve an outdoor living area, deck or patio cover that is function (by functional I mean an area that I can use all year round), meets your budget & lastly looks great. Today, we are going to focus on the first area – ‘Getting the Best Design for your Patio Cover Outdoor Living Area’. So, what are your design options? Flat Sillion Traditional Gable Hipped Roof Dutch Gable Curved How do you choose the best design for your home? Consider the size of the area you want to cover Why? If the area is too small a gable might look out of place for the size of the area. How will it be connected back into your home? Do you have a high eave line or do you have to fix the patio cover above your existing roof line? As an example, you might not want to then install a gabled roof line if the connection point will already be high as then the patio cover will be too high, could look funny & won’t offer much protection. What’s your budget? A gable might not fit. As a very general rule of thumb, a gable can be double the cost of a flat roofed structure, as you have more material required & it takes longer to install. As an alternative you could still get height within your outdoor living area by using a skillion design. Gables: ‘Gables’ can come in a variety of forms – Hipped Roof, Dutch Gable, but the most common is the Traditional gable. One feature that you can include within your gable is to add down lights within the ridge line. This not only cleans up a often dirty or forgotten area but can also make the area more functional so you can use the area in the evening. Think about your accessories early when designing your outdoor living area or patio cover. TIP: If you are considering any form of gable, get the balance right. Sometimes a gable can look squashed if the area is too small or too flat if you don’t get the roof pitch right. Refer back to the existing roof pitch of your home & try to match it; this way your outdoor living area or patio cover will look more integrated rather than a ‘slap on’. Flat: Its flat – pretty simple. Sometimes, people try to make it all to fancy or complicated. Remember the KISS method (Keep it Simple Stupid), as sometimes simple can sometimes be better in your design. Ensure you have enough height to play with if you are leaning towards a flat roofed pergola. If its too low the area could feel claustrophobic & might not get enough air flow. Skillion: I think that a skillion design is sometimes forgotten but can often be the most effective. A skillion is where it is higher at one end & lower at the opposite & it can work really well on a double storey brick wall or even fixed above an existing roof line. A skillion can also give similar benefits of a gable – such as good height & thus air flow, without the cost or complexity of design that sometimes follows with a gable. Curved: Curved patio covers can be used with either a Colorbond or polycarbonate roofing material. We don’t offer a curved design option within our range simply as the amount of homes we just don’t see homes which already have a curved area. To install a curved roof we feel would make it look out of place. I hope this helps you get a better outdoor living area for your home. Remember that all of our material options (detailed below) can be used in any of these design styles. 'Premium Series' Colorbond Insulated Lined Ceilings Louvers Would you like to find out more? Can you entertain our relax outside all year round? Is your BBQ & outdoor furniture always covered? Contact Usto have a discussion about the options available for your home. We highly recommend that you share a coffee with us in our office so you can have a closer look at the products available in our display. We find that this helps our clients a lot as they can get a ‘hands on’ feel for each material option. Our display is by appointment only, so use the link below to book in a suitable time for us to meet one on one to casually discuss your outdoor lifestyle. Book a private consulation in our display - click here