I agree that terracing is the way to go. Try and look at some picture online of Italian gardens. They use a lot of terracing in places like cinque terre and the tuscan regions. It might help to get a pro for the privacy landscaping or try to find varieties of flowering trees with will grow tall instead of full. Stone or possibly even tinted concrete (if on a tight budget) are easy are and should last a while. You can use potted plants and even potted fruits and vegetables. The best thing about potted plants is you can move them around and get a different look when you want a quick change, also fewer weeds and if you need to do anything to them like re-pot you can place them on a table to do it which is easier on the lower back than a traditional garden.

Id have Raised planter boxes put in around the outside of our yard so my mother in-law doesn't have to spend hours on the ground with a bad back to do the gardening!..

We have several problems that we need help on. 1. Sub floor. The house is raised (above a double brick garage and concrete stilts). The sub floor is floating pine, no underfloor insulation. The pine is not completely sealed around the edges. How do we approach this situation, just lay underfloor insulation, or air tight then insulate? If we air tight what do we use, acrylic caulk? 2. Thermal mass. The sub floor is double brick, half of it is acting as a retaining wall for the soil as its built on a slope. There is a stairwell in the middle of the house that goes downstairs into the garage, half of it is exposed double brick. It's literally freezing, often feels colder than outside. There is no space in the stairwell to insulate it. There is no cavity between the double brick. Could we use a reverse brick technique where we wrap insulation around the outside of the brickwork and use it as a thermal storage? Is there any point as it always feels cold because it's below soil level, so not sure if insulating will do anything. Also, in order to promote thermal storage, wouldn't it need to gain the heat form somewhere for a period of time.

Hey Paul, check out a place called ecooutdoors.com.au for inspiration. I'm not sure if they're up your way but I'm sure you could get materials shipped. They have such a beautiful store with brilliant ideas. I'd be considering a stone that is cool under foot on hot Brisbane days and at least 30mm thick. You have an oval-ish shaped pool so you might consider a small coping stone to replace the brick then move on to a larger stone instead of the dated pebble, maybe a 'cush' limestone or go a bit glam and do a herringbone pattern with the right stone. Good Luck.