Tiara60, Can't speak from a personal point as we are going to have concrete, but to go 80mtrs x 1.8m mtrs right around the house and of course us doing all the work like laying the rio screeding etc... is about $3,000 I think it sounds like allot but I know Merbau can be expensive, I'd certainly do some comparisons for your own peace of mind. Our daughter used Merbau, very dissapointed as the timber distorted over time, not to mention all the upkeep, that's why we've chosen to concrete our veranda's instead. Hubby and I are well over 50 and I wanted the least amount of maintenence possible, so aluminium windows and doors too, I still think it will look lovely. By the way, you mentioned ramp/walkway, try to avoid steps if you can, as a ramp only will always allow for pram or wheelchair access, we too have steps at the front of the home we are currently building and a ramp at the back of the home.

Framed corrugated iron shutters left natural would be my preference, colour might be a bit 'try hard' and natural will sit in the environment more easily. Could even make barn doors with it if you prefer that look. The actual barn door fittings are the pricey bits I believe. Our cyclone was made of corrugated iron (by pro shelter builders) and it never ever budged (loud though) so a bit of coastal? wind won't worry it. You don't have much wind going by photo's, all trees seem to be growing upright so a regular build will be fine.

If you choose to go for colour concrete, you will have to seal it every couple of years so the colour doesn't fade away and doesn't get porous. Otherwise, have you considered liquid limestone? Exposed aggregate looks great but is the most expensive option. If you can't decide yet, you can view some paths and steppers in our project gallery, so you can compare looks. You can read more on what decorative concrete you can use for your path on our website.

you can confirm the local legal requirements for pathways with your local council but we've had no difficulty moving materials and equipment down a 1m wide side passage only problem is most things have to be hand carried or wheelbarrowed and manpower X time taken = extra costs!! so we've made sure that we cleared away any obstructions, cut back or removed shrubs and helped with lifting and carrying whenever possible...our dining area is 3.2m wide x 5.3m long and has room for a buffet down one side and is open at the other side like yours and we easily seat 8-10 plus highchairs...your dining room looks fine although i would prefer the laundry door opening on the side opposite the stairs and not through the pantry and where's your cooktop and kitchen sink? btw please check the price of stacking doors with flyscreens compared to bifold glass doors with flyscreens as you may be very surprised at the price difference and bifolds take up so much extra space