Ali, I think you are overthinking this, let your back garden be more natural as a contrast to the structured effect of the tiles in the house. I don't think you need consistency, the pool changes the whole vibe of the area so design for the pool to create a welcoming oasis - think tropical island resort. Have you checked with your local Council if there are limits of hardscape you can have? Some Councils do limit this and that will include your roof, driveway, paths, patios, the pool, etc. As well if you want this much hardscape you will need to consider runoff and drainage, particularly to ensure your neighbours don't get swamped in heavy rain or you have areas that puddle and take days to dry out. Consider summer heat too, sitting outside and the radiated heat that comes off hard surfaces, white and light colours reflect heat while dark colours absorb it. As well too much hardscape does not absorb noise - your neighbours will hear all your conversations and noise from the pool will be amplified. If you want that pool area to be inviting, then it needs lush greenery around it to offset this and soften and cool. Carrara marble tiles around a pool look fabulous and would be a great contrast to your dark tiles indoors. The area outside your kitchen should be grassed and include gardens as space for your dogs, even a small tree or two for the environment and to create shade for the dogs. Artificial turf gets extremely hot and would certainly not provide a pleasant or suitable outdoor space for them. I think I would read up on the breed of dog you plan to get also and fully ascertain their needs to ensure you provide properly for them. If you are planning children down the track, they will want a nice safe, green area to play too.

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.

Need assistance with doing our back yard and outdoor area! GARDEN We have top soil down in our garden beds ready for plants but are undecided about what to put in! We love contemporary style gardens, just not sure what's possible with such a narrow garden bed (approx. 400mm). We don't want to block the view from the kitchen / dining area by having plants any higher than the fence (approx. 1.9m-2m) but would like something a little higher along the 12m stretch as this will give the neighbors behind more privacy too. Other plants we have at the front of the house include Luma Apiculata, Magnolias, English box hedges and also some small (so far!) evergreen pines. We love the pleached look with hedging underneath but aren't sure if this is suitable for our area? We live in north-west Tasmania in a pretty mild climate (around 22 degrees average in Summer, 12 degrees average in Winter) but also are on the top of a hill so get quite a lot of wind. Link to the ideabook we created for gardens here: https://www.houzz.com.au/ideabooks/145464328/list/gardens The green straight lines indicate where we have English box hedges planted already, the 7700mm and 9000mm lengths are where we don't want anything too much higher than the fence, and the 12000mm length we would like something a bit taller if the small garden bed allows. OUTDOOR AREA Current under cover area for our outdoor eating area is 6200mm x 3800mm. We have sliding doors between our dining and outdoor areas, and bifold opening doors between our dining and outdoor areas. We would like to extend the roof (somehow?!) so that it goes to where the retaining wall starts, then follows along parallel to the dining room. There are 3 large windows from the dining room looking to outside currently, which we don't want to lose all the natural light if possible so were considering a louvered roof? Or some kind of glass? Just not sure how to join it up with the existing roof sections of the house at the same time as making it flow. We wanted a fireplace with a double wood box directly opposite the sliding doors from the dining / lounge area (central to the current outdoor area), with a built in BBQ area somewhere to the right? There must be some kind of way to close this new section in if need be as it can get very cold and windy especially in winter. There are also some air-conditioning units that we don't want to move... Idea book as follows: https://www.houzz.com.au/ideabooks/142049645/list/outdoor-area Existing clothesline space will definitely be moved. Any ideas would be most welcome!!

I will move the laundry to the small bedroom location. This means I can remodelled the kitchen using the existing laundry space as a pantry or something else. I will remove the wall in the Living area to have the dining table locate there. You can rotate the dining table in parallel with the new laundry room. Will remove the wall on the right side from the front door and that will now be the entry to the Living Area. Will put in a new wall in alignment with the bedroom wall. This will allow to put in a small low display buffet table with a mirror hang on the plaster board wall facing the front door. This will make the space more open and allow for a sliding door to the decking area. To enclose the Alfresco area properly, you will probably need to pull down the existing roof and structure. The cheaper approach is to use the existing structure and use cafe roller up and zipper blinds to enclose it. You can also use timber framing and polycarbonate sheeting to give a more "habitable feel" enclosed room if you are happy to spend a bit more money without ripping the existing structure. Good luck.