Oh no! That's a disaster story, Shirley. I am so sorry to hear of your problems with the pergola. I have a friend looking for a roof sheeting material right now for an outdoors area. I will make sure they do not choose what you have chosen. Can you get it replaced? Would it be expensive to replace just the sheeting? I googled your colour and found this photo. Is this what it looks like? Did they tell you that it would stop the heat? I know that blocking UV rays does not stop the heat of the Australian sun. Wishing you better success in you next project!

Hi Rita..... A true flyover stays separate from the main roof......the rain can either free fall from the lowest point of the flyover on to the existing roof below and collect with the water from the main roof and down the drain pipes, or it can have it's own guttering and down pipes (how to make that aesthetically appealing depends on shape of your roof/house and height of the flyover). Hubby is a builder and HATES box gutters, but a properly done flyover is no issue at all. Good luck :)

If you can put doors on the whole back area and deck or pave out to a functional size for entertaining - be sure to have as close to same height as inside and the whole width of the house if possible. You could do the pergola which looks gorgeous and makes a cozy feel. On top of the pergola you may be able to do a weatherproof retractable awning if you do not want a permanent covered area. That would make a whole area for indoor outdoor entertaining in all types of weather. You can still have a step down area to grass and plants at the rear. Travetine is great and easy to hose down. You do not have to concrete them down use pavers on a good road base. You would have to speak to the experts about how to get the right height - also be sure to have a slight fall away from the house.

A very interesting brief indeed! The back of your house has quite a symmetrical look to it, so I think formal lines and symmetry would definitely work in the garden as an extension. I'm thinking rows of Citrus trees and even some Olives to create a Mediterranean theme. This will also tie in to having raised planters. Using recylced apple crates for the vegetable planters is a great idea and they can sit easily within a crushed granite. A focal urn can sit directly opposite the decking area and you could incorporate an area of large format square pavers around it. These can be either laid together as a pavement or be separate steppers with the crushed granite between them. Here's an example of steppers in crushed gravel with some feature urns. Other good plants to consider are: Lavender, Rosemary, Box hedge, Portuguese Laurel and Echiums. Here are a couple of examples (from google): It sounds like a great project. Best of luck!