I repaired our bathroom doors which seem to made of particleboard, the bottoms had got wet from the showers & were quite swollen. I got a very small 'stanley' knife with the break off blades, new, so it's sharp. I held my finger on the blade & carefully sliced off the swollen parts, work slowly, then painted it with Bondcrete - paint all the flaky parts with the bondcrete (it dries very hard). Let it dry completely, overnight, next day carefully sand with a med to fine sandpaper until smooth, don't rush. I would then either stain the damaged part with matching stain or paint with a varnish stain to match, finish with a clear coat if necessary. Give the whole back a coat of clear varnish - I would use oil based not water based varnish. I would also suggest you paint the interior with clear varnish - especially the back panel - 2 coats. For the small damaged parts on the top apply stain & varnish with a very small paint brush, like an artists brush.

I would start by removing all the concrete block walls, lattice work and pool fences to give you an idea of the space and opportunities available. You have a long driveway so replacing it will be a major cost, depending on the type of material you use, so you should probably start getting quotes to get a feel for the options out there. You need to think about how you propose to use the space, the privacy and the amount of security you need to your front garden. Do you need a childproof/dog proof fence and gate? Also consider how much time, effort and expense that you are prepared to put into maintenance of your garden as this will affect the design and choice of plantings. A more formal garden will need a lot more work than a garden with a more natural feel. Finally think about your climate, amount of rainfall, amount of frost and other environmental factors that will affect the survival of new plants. Do you need to allow for an automatic watering system, or will you be selecting plants suitable for a dry climate? Look at the type of plants that have thrived in your neighbourhood. It would be worthwhile establishing a budget and having a chat with a local landscape design professional who is experienced in your area. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

Love Kate’s and bigreader’s ideas, you could also add screens to give a beautiful ambience to the area, a mixture of crazy paving and decking would look fabulous , continue this along side for a flow through effect.

Hi all, I'm back again! We're almost there and just trying to decide between using axon sycon cladding or weathergroove for the vertical cladding. Would really appreciate your thoughts on whether the axon would look too modern for the house? We're keen on it for durability, low maintenance. We're thinking of the narrow board, smooth and painting it a colour similar to this https://www.haymespaint.com.au/index.php/explore-colours/colorbond/view/12/4941 I've reattached the external photos.. the plan is to replace all the brown cladding and leave the brick as is. Any help would be great. I'm very much a novice! Thank you 🙂