I have miles of decking at two houses. All timber when put in the Australian sun will suffer. When building our beach house we decided to go for Spotted Gum and let it grey. Why fight it? We applied Cutek, and will on a regular basis. At our main house we have lots of Merabu or Quilla. Will not grey the same, and leaches lots of red stain. Cheap, but would not use again. What ever you use, use a good quality oil that seeps deep into the wood not a traditional stain/or top finishing product.

Hi, our fridge sits out about 20mm (the depth of the doors) just enough for the doors to open fully. You'll need them to do this if you want to get your shelves out to clean. I don't mind it. It's not an eyesore. Also, from looking at your fridge it's got an icemaker or filtered tap. Make sure the cut off tap for your plumbing is accessible from the cupboard next to it, preferably next to the powerpoint. The last thing you want to have to do is pull the fridge out to turn the tap or power off. Mine is accessible from the cupboard above the fridge. Hope this is helpful.

I really like the pic that LesleyH posted. The wooden rail will be 'warmer' to the touch too, show less dirt and tie is with the stairs beautifully.....I thin it will 'ground' the whole look because, if I remember rightly, the stairs and front door are the only wooden features and the rest is a lot of very modern light grey/white/shiny features. I think another touch of warmth in the wood will be beautiful.

i don't understand all the concern..(obviously won't be cheap or easy and probably needs an engineer to design the frame) but the firebox probably weighs no more than 200kg (less than a bathtub full of water and a bather) and the flue is suspended from the ceiling or a power flue can be directed through the wall or floor ..the challenge will be finding the most suitable brand and model (preferably zero clearance) and keen tradesman to organise the steel frame as the timber shelves are only decorative not structural ...we have a 250kg corten steel courtyard gate that is only suspended from steel hinges and they not only hold the weight above the ground the door also has to move...consult the manufacturers who should be able to give more specific advice