i love bamboo, giant bird of paradise etc but do NOT put next to your pool. In our last build we used Zanadu. Big leaves that do not drop and bullet proof. Perhaps find another way to cover the fence other than plants that almost always drop their leave and have invasive roots.

I like the look of theTravertine paver colour 'Tuscany' as it will compliment both the house and the gambion wall. For plants, as suggested by Neryl Hollingsworth, camillias are evergreen and the flowers will add beautiful colour to the garden.

I would say it is probably something you need to request or DIY. My hubby did the tiling for our kitchen splashback and used a spray on sealer (light grey grout but it seems to be keeping it from staining behind the stove). For our ensuite he tried a paint on sealer (it had a rolling wheel applicator) to reduce fumes (still fairly smelly). We have white grout there and so far it has cleaned up well. I think reapplication is required especially if harsh cleaners used. Both products were from hardware store.

i also think the outside stairs work better for coming home with the groceries in good weather and, having lived in a similar upstairs bedroom overheating can be a problem: use the best insulation in the ceiling, roof and walls including between the ceiling of the living areas and the floor of the top level (our top level bathroom used to get a hot floor from the heat in the roof space). Shade cloth roller blinds or shutters on the north facing window. (do you like the French balcony?) will improve comfort levels and check out "stack effect" ...having a window open downstairs and a window open on the opposite side of the house upstairs will flush out the house as hot air rises..install closing doors on stairs and hallways to reduce draughts and contain heat in cold weather and add ceiling fans to increase air circulation