I really dislike the way paling fences look just a few years after being built. Solution: paint them with fence stain. I can't understand why more people don't do it. They look amazing and also weather better, so you don't need to replace your fence too often. robandlyn it's time you house-break your sons and make them clean their own bathroom... If they're old enough to shave, they're old enough to clean up IMHO.

lucky you! your water tank is below ground. I have to look at my 20,000 litre tank outside my kitchen window. It sits on a concrete plinth so I can't even plant around it. I'm too terrified to grow creeping fig on it incase it affects the integrity of the tank. At the moment it has wisteria draping over it, looks lovely in spring but deciduous and it's now becoming too invasive so need to get rid of it.. I also have star jasmine approaching from an arch beside - can't wait for it to take over the tank.. I love all the decorative features suggested but I reckon something like star jasmine might work with some other landscaping features to the side: bench, rock, more plants. The beauty of star jasmine is that it doesn't root, will drape over and can be pulled aside. Every couple of years I put the blower over the top of my water tank it to make sure the leaves don't mulch to create soil on top.

Hi RePete, another app for drafting is Home Sweet Home which is free. My experience has been that some of the really good architects are happy to share their ideas when they visit as they enjoy the creative process so much. Eg Williams Burton met with us years ago (we are still figuring out what to do!) - and I was very impressed. We didn't use them as they are very fastidious so their builds take a long time and we can't cope with that but they do some amazing work on character homes in particular and although people think of them as only doing very expensive jobs, I am aware that they have also done some cheaper jobs where the project has got their interest. You could try talking to them and a few others from that "tier". I can't remember if we paid for the initial meeting, but if we did it was only a very small amount. I would seek as many views as possible (including here), keep trawling the net and pinterest as well as Houzz, look at lots of magazines etc, go to every open home that is vaguely like your style and ask the real estate agent who designed/built it... (hmmmm this is why we haven't started building yet after 8 years...) As Ok says, probably the only person that can determine what accommodation is required is you, so make that thought process a parallel one to looking at pictures. Good luck.

I would recommend that you have a discussion with a professional with knowledge of natural swimming pools as there may be a chance that you can convert your existing pool. It seems that the shelf lends itself to planting ( with a bit of adjustment). You could potentially add some deeper level water plants in areas outside the perimeter of the pool if this is required to provide the full filtration environment for a natural pool. Access can be via a timber platform to traverse the shelf area. The waterfall area would be much less of an eye sore once integrated with plants and some clever placement of rocks. I think you have a very exciting opportunity here to create something special.