Hi, Barbara! Hello, my friends in the Houzz! I got caught in the whirlwind of construction works and a wedding and family homecoming that went with it! Now, I am happy to be back supervising the works. I made additions to the house, mainly at the back, making outdoor living and relaxation as a feature with the grill and outdoor seating and mobile Kitchen all added around the small bath area. Security here in this country is a big consideration, which leaves me with not much choice but to build high and strong fences and gates. My challenge is how to allow for a view of those cornfields and meadows just behind the house, providing a natural awesome backdrop to the 450sqm small property. It may not disappoint you too much to know that I went for the cut stone cladding for the four tall gate posts in front, a copy from the cladding on the posts of the front veranda, only, they are 2.2meters high. There will be two wide gates that will allow entry and exit of suv's on a half roundabout. The whole stretch of the front fence and gates shall be 2.2m vertical iron rods all lined up in a picket. This should allow the least obstructed view of the property from the narrow road. I shall send you more photos of our finished product :). In the meantime, this is how I have fared... Blessings to you, all!!

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

I'd leave it black but consider painting the fence black (sorry, bit of a job). You'll be very pleased with the results. The fence will 'disappear', blending in with the fence your eyes won't rest on it at all. Your pool and pot plants will be the star. If you decide on a different colour I'd still suggest you paint the fence to match.

Hi siriuskey. Not sure how to place the furniture yet. Still trying to work it out.. I am selling my dining table and chairs. My new chairs just arrived today. I bought some hooks to put my mirror up.I am going to order those prints shortly. Also trying to find a round dining table I like. Getting there slowly : Thanks for asking. Thank you Julie. Very kind of you. :) Thank you legendaryflame :)