Yes - there are these amazing options to have an 'electric pool cover' with a slat arrangement that allows you to virtually walk on it. Do a google search...'pool covers electric'... I've no idea on how much they cost... Here's some pics. Not sure if irregular shapes make this too challenging... Our pool experience... We are needing to change a few things with our pool already - wish we had paid more attention to the pipes and filtration... (Having to potentially move them as they are too shallow and in 'awkward spot'... Extra $ and I'm so worried it may cause issues for us... Even the location of the concrete slab for the pump... Wish we had thought about overall picture... If I was buying a car for $70k, I would have done more research, but somehow we got carried away with idea that we could have a pool for summer, and yet reality is that it's ready for the 'next summer'... Budget plan (original) was around $30-40k, but I guess it's like building a house... Plus it's all a big learning experience...

Bigreader, good morning. I do not know where you are or if you are the one who does all the washing in the household but here in Melb the only way we get it dry is to spread it about the family room, drape it across any heat source put it under some kind of cover outside and wait a week!! I know the alf is social but after a day in the garden, a trip to the beach (which yes we can do in Melb on the one or two days of summer!!) any general grubby activity entry not into the living room but thru the laundry is preferable to shed the dirty shoes, gloves, hats, towels etc and if it is raining there is additional incentive to not get wet! How many homes do you see with an extra roof over the laundry door? If you sneek a peek down the sideway you will see add on, rustic, jerry built covers over the door. It make very practical sense to me to share the wonderful properly structure of the alfresco with the laundry external door too. Better that than another leantoo to protect an area that will be in use 100 times a week? As to using the trough for bbq: yes laundry is the common place for drinks station and a good one it is too! Therefore excellent to be handy to the social area...... I rest my case!? I would like to know who agrees with me: comes down to how we use the rooms and areas of our homes!! From a practical, ever funtional housewife who hates the 'chinese laundry' spread about the whole house just to enjoy clean dry clothes and linen!!! Cheers Margot

I hope you don't feel offended or that you wasted precious time and energy, siriuskey? I really do wish we'd reached the point of seeing your concept earlier. But I am happy with the design we settled on. Perfection isn't achievable. There will be things that we wish we'd done differently for sure, but overall I think we will end up with a home we can enjoy living in and be very happy with. This will be the 28th house we've lived in, and definitely the last (Said that four time before, but we really are getting too old to be moving! And this move is only happening because of a family crisis. We had renovated this house to be forever.). You do get a feel for the things that work best for your lifestyle after living in that many different homes. Things like the sewing nook in the laundry, for example, I wouldn't have considered years ago, but having had to run from one end of the house to the other to press a seam open, it's a biggy! And laundries today are not like they once were. They are clean, streamlined and pleasant to be in. My sewing bench will be under a north-facing window with a pleasant outlook and the washing area will be at the other end of the room. The kitchen will be very close so I can keep an eye on any cooking in progress while sewing or ironing. I have also decided that for me, the cooktop should be on the same bench as the sink - not opposite as is usual. So we have settled on an L-shaped island with the sink tucked behind a raised section so it's largely out of sight (as was suggested here), and the cooktop in the leg of the L. Hubby cooks a lot so the kitchen design ended up being important to him and he hated the main sink being far away from the cooktop. For some reason, the small sink on the island didn't work for him. Little things - but little things can be really annoying sometimes. I loved the idea of the sink near the servery window but it didn't appeal to him at all. In the end, we compromised on having the pantry sink under a servery window to the terrace, since the outdoor room won't be used a lot for dining and when it is, there will be a team to carry things out from the kitchen, whereas we will dine on the terrace frequently, especially when we have just one or two guests, and the servery there will be useful. So, final draft this weekend and on to working drawings, shed plans and council applications.

Almost there ! The previous owners at my new place have moved out ( well 98% ) as of last weekend , and I have the keys . At some stage I'll get the locks changed -- you just never know ! I've taken one large covered trailer load there , enough stuff for basic camping there haha . Right now , most of that stuff is in the garage . There's a self contained furnished flat above the garage too , so I could live there . As I have 6 weeks to move , I very cleverly thought I would clean everything ( I have a Bissell carpet cleaner and 2 5 litre containers of the fluid , as well as a steam mop , and all the usual brushes , brooms , mops , buckets , rolls of cloth , etc , etc . ) . Great idea ! I've started in the living area and master bedroom -- I was initially going to touch up the skirting boards and door frames etc , but even with a small artists brush and a 25mm paint brush , and white paint and masking tape and lots of paper , the white colours look a bit different . Enough to annoy me haha . So I've been down on my knees most of Sunday , filling any knicks in the wood with a wood filler . Next will be sanding , then painting . Dining , kitchen , family , lounge , foyer and master bedroom first . And that won't even be 1/3rd of the place done ! I think I'll need the 6 weeks haha -- its a busy time in several of my entertainment and sound businesses , plus lots of motorsport , including one trip to Christchurch which is 24 hours each way plus 3 or 4 days there , try and get a few days at the beach at some stage too , paint a commercial building , and the small added issue of a relatively new girlfriend too haha . A few late nights and/or 3am starts me thinks !