Kerrie, I live in Victoria and my pool in completely internal, that is to say it is part of the house and not an addition to the house. I planned to have an external door with the required regulation lock height and seld closing mechanism. Hubby was dead against this door and so I agreed to have a window instead, not long after, we found out that the laws had changed and you are no longer permitted to access to an indoor pool from the outside, so it was just sheer luck that we changed the door to a window. Further, when we purchased the awning windows (2) with regulation restricted 10cm windouts, our building inspector tried to tell us that the windows weren't allowed and that they would have to remain shut and we were also going to have to concrete "bars" into the brickwork on the outside. I argued that regulation pool fences had the same 10cm restriction and after contacting the Victorian Building Commission, I have confirmation in writing, that the windows are deemed to be adequately safe and the inspector has accepted the finding. My access to our pool now, is only from the inside of the home obviously and if that becomes illegal, then we'll just have to sit and look at the pool longingly through the window, as there won't be any access at all ha-ha I'm not advocating that people argue with regulations but if I hadn't investigated my options further, who knows where I would be, having spent $1,500 on these two windows with laminated glass and how beautiful would my brickwork have looked with prisson bars attached. Cheers, Barbara

Something like silver birch trees don't take up too much room but will provide some height and interest. Personally I pick out natives, after asking local garden centres for those which are natural to my area. I've used black mondo grass across the front of my walls with purple fountain grass behind it. The fountain grass really takes the summer heat, doesn't need much water and self-seeds. It's grown slightly taller than me after a few years. I have, what I call a 'survival of the fittest' garden. Over the years, I've experimented with all sorts of plants. Eventually, only those that survive with little help, and almost no extraneous watering, get to stay. One of the key things I did when planting out my garden was to dig down into the soil and lay a mat of used, natural-blend carpet underlay (not the more synthetic types used these days). Just ask someone getting rid of their old carpet- it's easy to come across. Above the carpet underlay I added water crystals, then put the soil back on top. After the gardens have been established, I haven't need to get the hose out since. I do have lots of succulents around the place, some native plants and ornamental grasses. I hope this helps.

Hi Brenny, This is absolutely the work for an interior designer/decorator. Some designers do larger scale work, however like myself, we happily engage in all scales of work. I would definitely recommend either meeting face to face if they are local or speaking on the phone if they are remote as to get a feel for the designer before committing to them. Normally, after a discussion regarding the scope of works, they will provide you with a quote if they (and more importantly you) are happy to proceed. Even more importantly, professionals know what they are doing, and (should) have a large array of suppliers to work with and good product knowledge. Some (like us at JFI Studios) also provide you with trade discounts from suppliers who offer it, so not only do they help you with what you need to find, but also can sometimes offer it at a cheaper rate which can go a long way. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need any advice or would like to chat about your home, as I would be delighted to be able to help you. Good luck and happy shopping! Jordan Manning-Ferguson from JFI Studios.

The issue is not so much the cladding material, but rather the articulation of the extended building form. This could be a simultaneously exciting, interesting and sympathetic extension utilising shingle cladding that wouldn't necessarily reference Hampton's. If there's anything too Hamptons going on here it's the small proportioned windows with the external shutters that give it a bit of a "dollhouse"popped on the top look. You've got a stunning beautiful home frontage, but the extension form is kind of sticking out/up the back and the fenestration looks out of balance by being perfectly symmetrical. Federation architecture is not symmetrical like the Victorian era predecessors, rather it is an asymmetric compositional balance that in your case should be recognised and countered appropriately with the design of the extension. When selecting appropriate extended cladding material it should be working towards texturally balancing the building and being complimentary overall. Professional recommendation you revisit the articulation of the upper extension, at the very least loosening up the fenestration with more glazing and potentially a more complex roof form with a smaller projecting gable (offset) as a reference to the frontage. The cladding choice becomes less critical, and shingle texture that ties in the roofing texture could work well. Weatherboard is bringing something new in, and if you go flush panel without a more contemporary design and articulation it will look wrong Good luck PD :) www.pauldistefanodesign.com