hi there thanks for the update. The one flaw in this beautiful bathroom? There's always one thing! Thank you for letting me know about this detail, because I was seriously thinking of doing it this way myself. In terms of your bathroom, I wonder if a very neat bead of silicone on the top only - of the join between the glass and the vanity - could help? This way the underneath is still fee to breathe and not gather gunk. But I guess then you don't get that lovely clean glass feeling from inside the shower.....

The timber railings on the verandah we are replacing didnt stand the tests of time, so I was hoping for aluminium or as mentioned PVC. However this seems really hard to find, unless I settle for a contemporary chrome type number. Can anyone suggest a supplier of PVC or aluminium railings please?

Small bathroom and a small budget - go with a framed screen. Fixed glass, frameless panels look great, but are high end products that are expensive to make and to install. Go and do some comparison shopping and you will be surprised at the difference. You can then decide if it is worth your while spending all that extra money for that look. You will also need to carefully consider your splash distance with your open shower. Think about how much water will splash outside the shower area, and how much you like mopping the floor after every shower. So many people have been caught trying to achieve the same modern and open look in a small bathroom and now wish they had a shower door whenever they have a shower. Make sure that you have an additional floor waste outside the shower area for any overflow before the run-off reaches your door threshold. So many things to consider when renovating a small bathroom, and oversights can be expensive. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls.

There are indeed building code safety requirements that govern the design of balustrades, including the gaps around panels. Sometimes compliant gaps at the maximum opening look a bit off. I find that smaller gaps, 20 - 50 mm often look more pleasing. You say your patio is not covered. In that case there is little potential for any balustrade to trap heat. An uncovered north facing tiled patio will be a heat sink, and a glass (or substantially open) balustrade will allow more sunlight onto the tiles which will increase heat gain. A solid balustrade may reduce that heat gain due to it's shading potential, but I am guessing you want glass for the view, so if heat is a problem, consider adding a roof covering to shade the patio.