It is way too time consuming, even worse than this website. I'm lucky my dd being in the States brings me out fabulous stuff at a fraction of the price here. I am actually expected to keep up and I send her photos of what I have done - the ones she really likes she copies to save her heaps of time. Try to keep the written memories and milestones, they are the things you forget the fastest, just a notebook does and when you get time down the track you can put it all together. DD made me laugh, she was so confident once the eldest started school she would have sooooooo much time and there would be far less activities to photo......... ha!! she is busier than ever she helps out at school, there is some family activity every week and Miss 6 has become involved in so many after school activities - piano, art, Girl Scouts, soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming plus play dates and parties, DD's feet hardly touch the ground. As well there are always family and friends travelling and visiting.

Thanks for asking.. I am so happy.. the house was so decayed so we decided to rebuild the same look of a 100 year old cottage but move all the living to the front for the river view.. so happy we did it and went for light grey and white and yellow.. so pleased and we have people in the park comment.. we could not go any bigger because of council and flood zone but it makes it special as it is. Some pictures I just took.. I took a picture of the outlook so you can see why it feels just right.. still work to do as in the gardens and just finding the right plants to put in as it is full sun. Will ask for help on that one too to make it feel cottagey but not block the view. Thanks again for asking. Karen

We have raked ceilings in our new split level extension that follows the fall of the land (and in the rooms that were part of the skillion sections of the old cottage) and I love the sense of space they give and also the fact that the inside reflects what is happening on the outside of the house. We have used ceiling boards (painted white – I didn't want to feel like I was living in a cigar box) both in the old cottage and in the new section and they certainly add an enormous amount of visual interest to the rooms as well. However, I endorse the comments about the added trickiness of light fittings. Pendants with rods are out and pay particular attention to the little rose/canopy thingies that connect pendants to the ceiling – make sure that they sit flush with the ceiling and don't have weird unsightly bits that you can suddenly see because of the angled ceiling. We have successfully used LED downlights with a recessed diffuser and dimmer switches to make sure there is no glare but if the raked angle isn't too extreme they are a definite possibility.

What's on the other side of the gate? Adding a step will require resurfacing for a distance back from the gate. Will this heavy gate self close? It may actually be easier and more effective to have a fixed panel and a smaller gate. Also consider that you will be able to have a gap of up to 100mm below the gate. This will allow it to swing up the slope. If you decide on the step, consider that the horizontal on your current gate may still render it illegal if it's less than 900mm off the ground and the gaps between the vertical timbers are greater than 10mm. If it's more than 900 off the ground it will be OK.