The cane furniture will really look nice in your verandah. As for plants, jump online and browse for some hardy plants on the Aussie websites. They are a wealth of information and if you do have a large planter box or pot make sure you put it on wheels. That way you can take your plants in and out of the house. Also put a base under the pot/planter so it catches the water and does not ruin your nice floor. You can pick these from a garden store in your area. Good luck! :) btw hope you don't mind me your spelling error "taught" should be "taut", I really hope folks correct my spelling too! cheers.

We're building too this year and our exterior colours are light & dark grey... couldn't afford the timber cladding :( ... and we are having black alum windows, so I say go for black! :) Black windows suit most facades, from the contemporary to the more traditional... Plus what's your alternative, the alum silver? That would look even more blend against the grey exterior colours... whereas black will make the windows a stand out feature of the house... If you're concerned the facade may look a bit drab and if you're game enough, then be bold with a pop of colour in the front entry door... Internally, the black windows (against white/light walls?) will frame the outdoors looking almost like a picture... And no, you are not stuck with a monochrome look inside... you can easily introduce timber (floors, furniture, etc) to create warmth, or any colour you want as black goes with everything... Good luck :)

I must agree (by personal experience) with the warning by 'therockster' - the idea of window splashback is tantalising, with such daylight coming in and the view drawing the eye outwards - heavenly. But the day to day reality will quickly contradict your dream - activity at the kitchen sink creates constant splashes, with each little splash marking the glass. One's lovely outlook can soon become a constant chore, or we learn to turn a frustrated blind eye, regretting our designer dream. To dear Georgi02 - great attitude, diligently working to keep your household clean and shiny - you do have a good system which stands by you. However, we all have different levels of commitment, and ways and means of managing. For me, to avoid wiping over the same surface frequently, again and again, is an important part of staying sane in a full life. I want to continue to feel good about the jobs that need to be done, without unnecessary repetition and hyper-vigelence. If remaining preoocupied with constant window cleaning is not your idea of fun, then steer clear of a low window backsplash, and avoid mirrors that are elegantly low behind the bathroom basin, and even sinks in the middle of one's shiny island bench cause constant mopping up as they have no backsplash at all! These features are appealing in appearance but can create frequent unnecessary extra work. There are many ways to create an elegant inspiring light-filled work space without adding to the chores.

Hey Nik Star, I've had a PowerPoint play with oklouise's edits. This is what I meant about garage entry to the pantry and a laundry in the garage. The red arrows are to stipulate to the builder that level access is required. I added extra garage depth to allow for the garage, that would definitely impact your facade elevation. If you remove the wall between the butler's pantry and mudroom you would have a SUPER PANTRY! But a true butler's pantry in that it was supposed to be where you would land with the veg from the garden so you would kick your shoes off inside the door, so I've noted a little bench seat there, then head in and wash it before heading over to the actual cooking area. Then if you get rid of the sliders and reduce the storage to shallow shelving on the middle wall you would have plenty of space to manoeuvre with mobility devices. For the washing labour machines - washer, dryer, dishy - try getting those mounted on plinths so the load on your poor back is reduced. I have dodgy joints so I am researching all the ergonomic ways to design work spaces to help me when I get to the awesome stage you guys are at with getting to build!