Crystal..I would look around the house note down all the electricals to be done ie extra powerpoints ..fans etc and get someone in to do it all in the one go..hard to find someone to just come for a small job..

My shiny black granite benchtop is easier to clean than others in the past. I use a clean dishcloth, and wash it under the tap regularly while cleaning. The real secret is to follow the wet cleaning with wiping off with a clean tea towel. The granite benchtop and splash back around the stove gets a gentle multi-purpose cleaner first, allowing a minute or two to soften the grime, despite my installer's advice to use 'just water.'

For an ideal Bathroom to work for many years Buy only recognised brands.........In wall toilet cistern are reliable ( Gebret cistern).....Toilet to suit .......Tapware, Hansa Grohe. or Hansa ( Reece ) to us these brands have many advantages over other brands on the Australian market...Mixer diverter in shower ( hand held/overhead), combination not easy to clean,ages quickly) ....Steel bath min 15 yr warranty ( check depth of bath, cheap steel baths are usually shallow)..... wall hung all drawer vanity......Linear shower grate....Frameless shower screen....... Tiles from reputable supplier 10 mm ceramic on walls 600 x 300, there are a lot of cheap thin porcelain tiles available at present ( 10+ porcelain superior colours, abt twice price of ceramic ) Porcelain floor tiles, min 300 x 300,now generally 600 x 300.....smart tile floor waste ( never in shower )

Hi Nicole you dont have to spend a lot of money to have a good, thriving garden. The whole landscape industry in Australia, needs regulation. It is out of control in my opinion with ridiculous unsustainable designs that are grossly overpriced. The sustainable way to ameliorate the slope to the house - hard to tell the degree of slope in the photo, is with a bobcat with laser. You may need two flat areas - a top and bottom. The area in-between could be addressed with a curved wall of rocks that would act as the retaining wall. (Much better than a concrete rendered wall that is totally unsustainable). These rocks will then dictate the type of garden, namely a native garden on 2 levels. I would have thought that the drop would only be about 30cm. Is this so as it's hard to tell? I feel that natives would complement your home, including a few trees in the mix. The choice will depend on where north is, and the type of soil that you have. Also where the house is I.e. Qld or Vic. But I would steer clear of any hard landscaping. As a sustainable expert, I also do not use decking other than a verandah attached to the home. We need to learn to do without and manage more efficiently. This way we end up with real gardens full of plants that then attract birds and wildlife. Children in particular love sustainable, proper gardens. Alison