Hi Patricia, that sounds like one of those 'rules of thumb' that can't necessarily be relied upon. There are a lot of factors to consider when burying or partially burying a water tank including the hydrostatic pressure (if you have a high water table there is a change the tank could float right out of the hole when empty), soil pressure which could distort your tank etc. I guess the first question I would ask you is 'why a 30,000L tank?'. Are you diverting all of your downpipes? How much roof area to you have? There may be other space saving solutions that don't rely on you partially burying a tank. Happy to help if you want to send me an email or just reply here.

Great job on the kitchen and I agree with some of the former comments - a glass splash back would look good and the silver seems a good choice. If you decide to go with tiles I would suggest a White Tile with a smattering of Black and Grey markings with the colors prominent not subdued. I wouldn't think Brown but why not experiment with a few different colors and see how they look and in conjunction with other colors until you come up with a match. Only a small area but nice to get it just right first go. Good luck

I love Irene's photos and the suggestion to build a wall inside the boundary to square off the front angle, with plantings in front of it. This would be a brave move (I would probably get a landscape designer in for this if you go this way). Otherwise (I haven't read the previous comments, apologies in case I repeat or contradict), I would plant a fuller medium sized tree in the front right side (the deepest part), though centred, not in the point itself! Something like a full Manchurian Pear (though be committed to pruning it to keep it from growing too large, they don't grow too fast, it should be manageable - otherwise try a pretty Snow Pear (my favourite!) or a Bradford for a more compact but pretty shape - you can even pleach (ie take off the lower branches to keep the first metre of trunk nice and bare for a more sculptural look), or if you want something that will keep more compact without too much trouble, a beautiful crepe myrtle (Ilove the white Natchez variety) makes a lovely sculptural feature tree. You can underplant this with a square garden bed with star jasmine (just keep it trimmed to shape) and they look amazing with some under lighting at night (easy DIY kits available these days). Then along the right fence line I would add plantings to keep it private and looking lovely, again I would go Chanticleer ornamental pear (or Capital are even more narrow but I don't love them, though they're very popular). Again you can underplant with hardy, quick growing and low maintenance star jasmine. Then along the driveway on the right side, plant something lower and along the left side (if you have soil here), plant Sweet Viburnum (I love this, we've planted the Dense Fence variety), again, quick growing, beautiful foliage and low maintenance.

You can see the bush from your back door or you’ve heard from ‘Bill’ down the road, who thinks that the street might be classed as being within a bushfire zone – so what now? The bushfire zone & processing can all be a little confusing at first, especially if you haven’t tackled it before; but relax, there IS a way through it. Building even in the highest level bushfire zone doesn’t stop you from building, it just impacts & limits what your material options are. Have a look at this outdoor living, deck & patio cover we created at West Pymble. This construction actually ticked pretty much every box. Development Application through Ku-ring gai Council There is an easement running right under the deck The property is classed as BAL FZ – to put it simply that means we couldn’t use any timber within the construction So can you tell? Does the finished result look so far different to what you had in your mind? Being classed as a BAL Flame Zone (FZ) doesn’t mean the end of your outdoor living dream. To learn more about this particular deck/patio cover outdoor living area in West Pymble, click through here to go through to the case study. Essentially there are 3 first steps that you need to take to find out IF you are in a BAL zone & if you are, what zone you actually are. Step One – Confirm if you are in bushfire prone land This can be done quickly & for free a number of ways. If you have recently bought the home, dig out all of your paperwork/contract of sale etc & look for a council document titled ‘149 (2)(5) Certificate’. This will have a section which advises if you are located in bushfire prone land. Alternatively, check online via the NSW Rural Fire Service website. Just plug in your street address & it will come up a yeah or a neah. Easy; however & remember that this is only step one. Step Two – Confirm your BAL Zone Huh?? What’s a BAL Zone I hear you ask? This is the biggest piece in the puzzle & without this we really don’t know where we are heading. For instance, it might be obvious that you are in a BAL Zone, but there might be a house between you & the bush, so the level could be either BAL 29 or BAL 40. In terms of construction this could be the difference of timber vs no timber for your deck or being able to use light panels or not within your patio cover. So this changes the aesthetics, feel, materials & cost of your project. BAL = Bushfire Attack Level & it is a calculation based upon the amount of radiant heat which may affect your property. The higher the level of radiant heat, the more protection you will need when you construct. So what are the BAL zones? Have a look at the table in thelink to get the full picture. BAL LOW is the lowest bushfire risk & BAL FZ the highest. Your BAL Zone is determined by a number of factors where you live including, the vegetation surrounding you, the distance of this vegetation from your home & the slope of the land. Whether you are planning the construct via a Development Application through your local council or via CDC (Complying Development Certificate) through a PCA you will require a written BAL report. Some Local Councils can provide this service or even local private bushfire consultants are available as well. If you are putting it into the too hard basket, we are here to obtain this report for you, so don’t stress. Step Three – Material & Design Selection You have now found out your BAL zone, so you can understand what material options are available to you & get the best design for your outdoor living area. This blog will help you understand your design options. Essentially, the higher the BAL level, the greater the risk, thus the more limitations there are on the materials you can select for your patio cover or deck outdoor living area. We’ve created the tables in the link to try & keep it simple & clear to understand – however, keep in mind that this is very generalised & you will need to seek further advice prior to proceeding with any construction.