Hi Angela, the whole job took a month but there was much digging needed and a concrete slab to be poured. We are so happy with the results. The travertine stuck to the pebble crete just fine and it really is a non - slippery surface when wet. We got bluestone steppers to the pool and they are noticeably more slippery.

Ali, I think you are overthinking this, let your back garden be more natural as a contrast to the structured effect of the tiles in the house. I don't think you need consistency, the pool changes the whole vibe of the area so design for the pool to create a welcoming oasis - think tropical island resort. Have you checked with your local Council if there are limits of hardscape you can have? Some Councils do limit this and that will include your roof, driveway, paths, patios, the pool, etc. As well if you want this much hardscape you will need to consider runoff and drainage, particularly to ensure your neighbours don't get swamped in heavy rain or you have areas that puddle and take days to dry out. Consider summer heat too, sitting outside and the radiated heat that comes off hard surfaces, white and light colours reflect heat while dark colours absorb it. As well too much hardscape does not absorb noise - your neighbours will hear all your conversations and noise from the pool will be amplified. If you want that pool area to be inviting, then it needs lush greenery around it to offset this and soften and cool. Carrara marble tiles around a pool look fabulous and would be a great contrast to your dark tiles indoors. The area outside your kitchen should be grassed and include gardens as space for your dogs, even a small tree or two for the environment and to create shade for the dogs. Artificial turf gets extremely hot and would certainly not provide a pleasant or suitable outdoor space for them. I think I would read up on the breed of dog you plan to get also and fully ascertain their needs to ensure you provide properly for them. If you are planning children down the track, they will want a nice safe, green area to play too.

How exciting El Bee. I live in a similar rural climate. Everyone with bottled gas for heating (and anything else) constantly remarks how expensive it is. It’s really expensive to run. The most efficient heating type is reverse cycle air conditioning. The Daikin US7 has a COP (coefficient of performance) of up to 7. What that means (in lay person’s terms) is that one unit of energy produces 7 units of heat. Most other brands have a COP of up to 5. COP is also affected by the size of the unit and the temperature where the compressor is located (usually outdoors) Other forms of electric heating have a COP of 1 at best. An alternative could be wood fired or heat pump hydronic heating and water heating. It gives a much nicer heat than ducted and may be cheaper to run if you can source your own wood. If you buy firewood then the economics may not work for you. Whether a heat pump system will work for you in winter, which is when you need heating, depends upon how many sunny days you get in winter. It still needs to be powered by some electricity but is efficient. The best solution is to build a house that requires very little heating or cooling (or even none) using solar passive design principles. Good places to start are the yourhome.gov.au website, the alternative technology association website (although it can get bogged down in debates about technology) and renew and sanctuary magazines. If your house is oriented correctly, right amount of shading, cross ventilation, insulation, right materials etc then you may need very little heating or cooling at all. Good orientation and cross ventilation costs nothing but will reap huge benefits in terms of comfort and liveability, and reduced reduction on energy to heat and cool the house. For me, I would prefer the master separate to the kids rooms unless there is a solid reason for grouping the bedrooms together. It’s good to be close to kids when they’re little and need you during the night, once they are older you might want more privacy for adult activities. Teens typically go to bed later than their parents and there are likely things you don’t want them to hear. If possible it’d be great to get the loo out of the bathroom. Especially for morning rush time. Even though there’s another loo in the laundry. Think about wood storage too. Accessible to the house and easy access for the delivery truck. You don’t want to be pushing wheelbarrows of wood up a steep slope. Some wood storage inside is also a good idea so you don’t need to dash out in the cold to stock up on wood all the time. And finally, possibly more pantry space. If you are not close to a major town or decent food shopping then you may have longer between shopping trips and need more storage for food. It doesn’t need to be fancy. Just bigger. Think about using a building designer or architect with an understanding of sustainable design and solar passive principles in your climate. Or if designing yourself then going with a builder who understands these principles and has worked on similar projects in the past. They’ll have great insights about what works in your climate. Is there a sustainability or permaculture group in the area? They’ll probably be a great source of information and contacts. Good luck with the build.

Hi everyone, thank you for your feedback. So we took some measurements and it appears that they really have only just left enough space to fit in the original design with no margin for error. Without being millimetre perfect, which I know is impossible to achieve, if I ask them to rip out the current stairs, I suspect I'll be left with a worse situation and a stair in the hallway. Really very upset with this, I expected a custom designed house to be as designed, otherwise we probably should have just gone with a project home which would have cost a lot less! I was very clear with them about the stairs, absolutely no winders, a flat platform and no where in any plans was there a step in the landing! This whole house was designed around the stairs, which is why I'm so annoyed that it's not correct! With respect to the weird wall in the middle, that will be plastered up and capped to rake up with the stairs. The photo's don't show the large window in the stairwell, and once painted white, it should still be very light and bright. I considered glass, very briefly, I'm not keen on cleaning that and thought I would end up with toy's being posted through a balustrade. The tread will remain oak and the riser will be painted white. Going for a modern Australian coastal, hamptons look, classic but not too traditional. I am going to ask them to address the stair frame and step it down in parallel with the step, as opposed to the angle that is currently there on the mid landing, it just looks really bad when looking up the stairs and the handrail as the kids will need something to hold on to now there is a step in the mid landing. I'll also be asking that the stair frame sit's flush with the nib wall as it rounds the corner in the junction of the two flights. It sticks out a bit too far for my liking at the moment. I really hope they don't get too many other things wrong!