My favourite thing about backyard retreats is that you can take a break from the constant barrage of digital noise we are surrounded by everyday - a TV outside would detract from this. I think TV's definitely belong indoors!

Thanks for all the suggestions - it's certainly given me some good ideas. julia herbert - I love the screen pergola - it's perfect! And maybe a water feature in the top left corner of pic might work and give a nice view from the bedroom and the garden. oklouise - there are three bedrooms with windows from the left (the master is on the far left overlooking the long strip of garden) and on the right is a living/dining area with glass sliding door. scottevie - I don't need to have a washing line in this area. As far as garden, the lemon tree and roses are my only must haves. That pathway in the photo looks great, however the pathway area is only 1.5m from house to fence so I'm not sure it's wide enough to become functional. Thanks for the searching suggestion - I'll look for some more inspiration in the narrow gardens! Would love any other suggestions anyone might have.

Hi Evan, it is certainly doable. My back yard is probably 5 times as big as yours. I had a deck put on out the back, built all the garden beds myself, edged different sections of the garden myself, and topsoiled and laid the turf around the new deck and along the side of the house myself. I even made my outdoor furniture. I also filled all the garden beds with soil and planted them out. I got truck loads of top soil and mushroom compost delivered and wheelbarrowed it from the front to the back yard. If you are able to do stuff yourself, it isn’t that hard (I was in my forties when I did all this). You do need a concept plan of how you want your back yard to look. Check out pinterest for ideas. Some small trees (crepe myrtle for shade in summer and flowers would look nice). Think how you want to use the back yard. Hiding the fence would be good. Painting it a dark colour like someone suggested wouldn’t hurt and would add a lovely contrast to greenery. I made some decorative hangings to cover my colourbond fence while the vegetation grew. A water feature would look nice too. You could create an oasis there with a bit of hard work if you can’t afford to pay someone to do the work.

Start by spending a portion of your budget on the various dream feature items that are relocatable and can be used in your final design anyway. e.g. Buy the firepit you really want - it can become the focal point of your future garden. Test it outside in your backyard for a few months. Are heaps of mozzies annoying you while you're sitting outside around the firepit? If so, then you'll know that you're going to need a gazebo with flyscreens as well as privacy curtains so you can really enjoy lying outside in your hammock year round. The hammock is another relocatable part of your design. First, lie outside in your backyard on a swag or a rug for a few hours. Is it too windy? Is there road noise? Keep experimenting until you've found the perfect location for the hammock. Then buy an inexpensive hammock and suspend it from a couple of sturdy RL4 poles. If it's working, then this is the place where you should build your future patio, that's going to shelter your hammock. Keep testing inexpensive versions of your other ideas out. Trial tea candles or a string of inexpensive white Christmas lights as garden lighting. Do they create the feel you want or do lights just attract moths or unwanted insects? What about relocatable solar garden lights? Or a portable floodlight from Bunnings? Where's the ideal place for your garden table and chairs? Test it out with inexpensive camping chairs - or chairs you already own for a few months to be sure. Then invest in the perfect outdoor table and chairs. Same with the water feature. Start with a wine barrel with a waterlily or a second hand pond off Gumtree. Can you hear the trickling water in the garden or do other noises crowd it out? Keep in mind big goldfish need deep water and space to swim. To help you in your choice of plants,look around your immediate neighbourhood. What purple, blue and scented plants are thriving in your immediate area? Who has the best garden in your street in your opinion - and why do you think that? Do you always see a particular neighbour passionately working outside in their garden? That's the person you should strike up a conversation with to get advise about suitable plants for your immediate area. Chances are they will not only give you heaps of free advise but they will probably give you plants and cuttings as well. Markets are another source of perennial plants that grow well in the local area. Plant these smaller plants into large plastic pots and garden bags and allow them to grow for a year or so. Consider herbs as filler plants - many are highly scented, can be used in cooking and often have interesting foliage e.g. choc mint, fennel, rosemary etc. After you've been using your backyard for at least a year and you've experienced all of the seasons, then invest in your big ticket items like your gazebo. Buy or build a structure that's truly practical for your local microclimate - incorporate glass, windbreak fencing, shadecloth, mozzie mesh or whatever you need to make your hammock shelter ultra comfortable. Build this structure where you've tested it and know it will work - not where a stranger who designs gardens thinks it should go. Spend the remaining money on the things you know you need and want - the stones, plants, irrigation, a birdbath, etc