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.

What are your goals for your new home? The answers (on various levels) to this question will determine the appropriate direction/solution for you. It will be about balancing these goals against a specified budget within your particular context. You have great potential to maximise the natural (steep) topography and there are always creative ways to connect with this and make the most of it. What kind of living experience to you seek? If you cannot answer that question you need either invest time researching this or invest in advice from a professional that can get you thinking about the important things. As I always explain, I'll never tell people how they should live or what they should spend, but I will help them work out the best balance between the two, and whether reno or new build, high or low budget there are ALWAYS compromises involved, and that's where good design comes into play.......my advice is whatever you do, (and this actually applies to anyone entertaining the notion of a project) understand that your best investment in the project above and beyond anything else will be in (a) establishing/rationalising/clarifying and prioritising the project goals - ie YOUR specific decisions/requirements (not your friends/family/neighbours/random ideas - and this is easier said than done!) and (b) engaging professional assistance/advice/services as early as possible to assist resolving a solution/design that expertly manages, addresses and achieves a viable and balanced solution for your home in context, particularly on a site like this.........yes there will be off the shelf options that could work but more often than not the cost you think you may save will be tipped back in dealing with with (a) potential "hidden" site costs such as retaining etc and (b) arguably less value achieved than potentially if the solution is "standardised" or forced inappropriately in context........My instinct is that you have great potential for a split level design that works to the site topography/captures views etc but maximises the unique experience of living on this particular property....... bets of luck with it :) PD

As a parent, this story touched my heart. What a beautiful way to remember his soul and to start healing. Gardens breathe life into the home. I wish that the family finds their peace.

I only have 2.5 acres but have drawn an entire garden plan using the basic paint program on your pc. Start by drawing all the boundaries to scale then add the house and any existing trees or structures driveways etc. Then add a perimeter garden all around the fence lines if that is what you wish. These do not have to follow a straight line but can curve in and out to accommodate larger trees. For the rest of the space I drew a combination of large circles and amoeba like shapes. These represent the lawn areas. Connect all these lawn areas together with pathways at leas 2 metres wide. All the odd shapes left in between the lawn areas then become the gardens. Using the paint program you can then fill up these spaces with a variety of different diameter circles to represent the final size shrubs trees and perennials that you will grow. You now have a complete plan to follow when you begin planting. When you buy a plant, look at its size and height and see where it would fit on your plan taking into consideration whether is will get sun or shade where you position it. This method makes for easy mowing as all your grass areas follow easy curves. It also gives you a garden with many garden 'rooms'. You can adopt different themes for each room eg a white garden, a cottage garden, a tropical look garden etc. Also it is some thing that you can develop over time and easily keep track of on your pc. It also helps to keep a spreadsheet of all your plant purchases that shows their height, width, sun requirement bloom time etc. If this sounds like a lot of work then maybe it is not for you but I love planning my garden this way.