I really dislike the way paling fences look just a few years after being built. Solution: paint them with fence stain. I can't understand why more people don't do it. They look amazing and also weather better, so you don't need to replace your fence too often. robandlyn it's time you house-break your sons and make them clean their own bathroom... If they're old enough to shave, they're old enough to clean up IMHO.

Hi there, re the fence my choice would be the same colour as house with either same colour slats or your window surfmist both would look classic, definately NO timber here. Because you are on a corner block I'd be planting a hedge inside the fence with something like Murraya asap, Jim Henson could advise. I would consider Pleaching them up to where the slats start so that you could under plant with something pretty, I'd also consider adding garden lights as per attached photo. plus I would also consider putting "Eye lid" down lights on the exterior posts of the fence, this could add great street appeal for your wonderful very large house (is your whole family moving in. The garage, either same as wall colour or Monument is my choice. cheers,

your roof appears to have various angles and shapes with eaves for some parts and not others and the flat roof at the rear could be a wasted opportunity for an upstairs deck and this may be intentional but i suggest that the best roof would be determined by orientation and climate..a copy of the floor plan showing direction of north would help understand the roof better

Hi and thanks for your feedback. The rear building might now move further around to the north of the !7 acre rural block (2+ hours from Melbourne), where there is a flatter patch. We are now hoping to make it 2 story, with the storage shed below and living above. That way the huge views to the south and east can be seen over the top of the house. The idea is to build the shed (with studio accom) hopefully at the end of 2020, as a place to stay while the house building starts towards the end of 2021, when we will have the funds, fingers crossed. The width of the building area is only about 30 metres before it dips away a bit steeply to the east and west. We hope to avoid too much excavating for a slab (for thermal mass) but may need to consider stumps if the slab is far more costly. Looking at Carbonlite floor system as a reluctant alternative... A local architect has done the initial design to maximise the views and northern sun. We think the slight kink in the middle will add complexity to the roof so the kink can go. It is a big 'entry' which might need to go to cut costs but we do want an 'air lock' entry... The hallway along the bedrooms is intended to warm up in winter, ideally trombe wall style. We hope to keep the house to about 150 sq meters- we don't need bigger. The council has indicated where the dispersal field for the septic tank needs to go... We love the reverse brick veneer principle. The architect has been fairly open to our ideas but says the budget will be tight at approx $3,500 per sq meter. How does an internal masonry spine work? We figured a continuous skillion roof would be simpler and cheaper- going for a rural shed look...