Small deck, no view, except of the fence and the neighbour's garage. We have had a few BBQs there, and hope to get into a pattern of having breakfast and lunch there in better weather. I've got some herbs planted (but not really enough sunlight) and am working on other plants. Dog loves it: he sprawls on his bed or rolls on the 1.5 m of grass, and is content. Birds also love it: they come in at regular intervals to eat the dog's food. Me, I'm just deciding how to best enjoy the fairly new house, and I think the deck will be a big part of it as we go along.

Hi Cath The 3 quotes you have are from a builder and 2 renovating companies? As we said previously, the main thing to focus on is that now you know some of the requirements, you are really faced with deciding between a cosmetic renovation and a rework of the entire layout. Each has its (layout) advantages and (cost) disadvantages. The real issue here is which option do you actually want (and fits within the budget) for your project? Once you decide that you can explore all your options and then you can move forward. Regarding your comments about the quotes, the 2nd and 3rd quotes appear to be cosmetic because they are not moving plumbing. That's always going to be cheaper. Just because they are not quoting on relocating things though doesn't make them cheaper... Apple vs apples.... Regarding conflicting comments about 'weakening the slab', it depends on what type of slab you have. If it is eg a Melbourne waffle/raft slab then it needs a review of the original drawings and an engineer detail/ certification that cutting it is ok.... neither of which is a very big undertaking. If it is a simple 100mm slab then it is no big deal to sort. The reality for you in this is that at the moment you are on a learning curve, getting a little bit of info from each of the people you have spoken to. Without knowing what state you are in and what type of home you have then they could conceivably all be telling you the truth. Yes, if you need to alter the plumbing then you obviously need to deal with the slab. Yes if you want to have a walk in shower you need to lower the plumbing as we said earlier and it means you need to deal with the slab to do so. Yes if you have a waffle slab you need to allow for it to be cut and reinforced properly. You may well need to reinforce the slab, and any modifications to it may cost, hence your builders quote taking that into account. Whether you can fit that in the budget will determine whether you can change the layout or not, and whether you do the plumbing. If not then a cosmetic reno will be limited to tiling at the same heights by either replacing the base with screed to create fall as one has suggested or tiling over another base ( I wouldn't do this). Ultimately if reworking the layout blows the budget then many people here will be able to suggest amazing cosmetic changes to create the wow factor your job deserves. Your next step is to make the decision on which way you want to go so that the Houzzers here can give you lots more ideas... Cheers

try a deck and ramp built out of modwood or similar composite decking that should be able to sit on top of the tiles and provide a textured no slip surface ...a good handyman or carpenter would be able to build this for you and it would look much neater than the usual add on

Hi Jade and Lachlan - I recognise your beautiful home from my Dr Retro House Call to it. Love the new exterior paint colour for the fascia. So often this style of terrace didn't have properly engineered footings to the brickwork or thickness to the slab. Sometimes the cavity under the slab was even filled with building rubble before the slab was poured as it was easier to hide it the dispose of it! If there has ben movement in the past twelve months it may point to a change in moisture conditions in the soil, such as having a leaky water main out the front fixed, or having a large tree removed. A patch job is not going to fix it, especially if the movement continues. A local structural engineer may suggest some form of underpinning which will be expensive, and not rectify your balustrade height issue. Whether it is demolish and replace, or underpinning there is no cheap, quick easy fix. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls