I was thinking similar bigreader. Maybe something could be rigged up using a winch motor? Though you can purely rely on gravity to get groceries to the house, it would be nice to have some control! Think of the eggs. Could something be installed in line with the handrail but not so close that it could cause injury? Are you able to post a photo of the steps? The kid in me wants to say "build a big slide"! :P

Jacey, nice to see you are still here, many aren't after this length of time. I'm having a little chuckle here as when I originally read your post, my first thought was "move house", but I didn't want to sound so rude as to say so. It reminded me of my first house which was at the flat end of the street but the other end was very much "mountain goat territory" and the driveways reminded me of yours. After living in the homes for years, some spent mega amounts removing rock and excavating to create a garage more at road level and from there the stairs started zig-zagging to the front entry, new front entries were even created at a lower level, but the stairs still continued inside the house, there was just no escaping the climb. I wondered how you even got your wheelie bins up and down the drive. Hope you are enjoying your new home, long term I think you made a very wise decision.

Hi All, thank you very much for your comments and feedback regarding this blog. We have had the privilege of seeing the inside of a large number of homes when providing owners with a property styling quote. It has been interesting to see how many people actually seem to live with their curtains/blinds shut most of the time. Therefore what may seem obvious to some that opening up curtains or blinds makes your home feel more warm and inviting, may not be that obvious to others. Olldroo, your question is definitely valid, where does all the mess go?? A few decluttering tips we provide our clients when getting their homes ready for sale: - This is the perfect time to throw out the old, broken, unused items and start getting ready for when you move to your new place. Make use of your fee council clean-ups in your area and make sure you book these in early! - My rule of thumb, if it hasn't been used or worn in the last two years, throw it out or give it away. Most suburbs have charity bins or a Salvation army and your good quality much loved items will be of better use in another home instead of being shoved in a cupboard or corner. - Use your garage. Most buyers understand that the garage is used for cars or storage. Therefore use this space to temporarily store much needed every day living items such as children's toys, prams, baby cots during the open home. Once the open home is over, you can then bring these back into the home until your next open home. Just be sure not to over stock the garage. A buyer should still be able to get a sense of how large the space is so that they can determine if it will meet their own storage needs. - The value of your property can instantly be increased merely by decluttering. It may well be worth renting a temporary self storage unit in your area to store away unneeded furniture and items during the marketing campaign. Most of these are not too expensive and for a couple of hundred dollars investment, you are sure to get much more than double that back when selling your home. - Invest in plastic containers or storage boxes that can easily be stored and hidden under your bed. This is perfect for those extra toys and clothes that needs to go somewhere! - Finally, I love the practical article on IKEA's website with some fantastic storage solutions -> http://www.ikea.com/au/en/ideas/201812_idli02a/ Happy decluttering :-)

Just a few more ideas, you could do a decking then plant up the rest, as Louise said it could be wise to get a professional to give advice on support of retaining walls, a sharper look in landscaping would look much nicer than sandstone blocks and compliment your house beautifully