It definitely seems to be a trend in apartment living to only have a table and chairs on the balcony. I don't recall seeing it in many houses, but I think the same issues would arise. Obviously the climate would be an issue, especially in colder months. Exposure to the elements, for example, when it is raining would be another issue. Privacy, particularly from neighbours is another. The amount of bugs, insects, other pests and possibly annoying pets begging for food is another. Whether or not everyone is fastidious about cleanliness would be another issue since the table and chairs would need to be regularly cleaned. The ease of transporting food, plates, cutlery etc back and forth from the kitchen is another issue. As is the ease of grabbing missing items, drink refills, etc. Everyone lives in their home differently. Do you currently have an outdoor eating area? Could you trial using that as your sole dining area to see how it works? If your new home included a generous island bench with room for at least four stools (or one of those conjoined island bench/dining table configurations), then that may also decrease your reliance upon the outdoor table.

One thing I have always quite fancied is a servery window from the kitchen to an outdoor area. I think from a practical point of view having the alfresco area adjacent to the kitchen makes sense, taking food out and bringing dirty dishes in. As the pool will need to be fenced, it makes sense to have it beyond the alfresco area and then you can see the munchkins in the pool from your seat. My neighbours have a 12m lap pool with a swim out area, which is lovely and great for splashy games.

The structure to the viewer's left is the alfresco area with the main house attatched to the right. Hopefully this gives you a sense of the space internally. The french doors to the viewer's right lead onto the alfresco area. Ideally, I would like to convert the existing front living into a bedroom, with an enterance hallway leading to the open concept living (current kitchen/dining in photo) with large new kitchen/dining in alfresco. It would require removing the current wall with french doors etc....so engineering of this will be needed. And finally, this is the view into the space from the back yard. The timber structure to the viewer's right, is the existing main living/retreat area. Hopefully, this helps!

@kiwimills I use the lounge a lot, so really not keen on eating into that space. The laundry I really only visit to put on a load of washing or grab the mop (robot vac does the rest) so wanted to pop it into an area where it's closer to the lines and in space that is not being used. Love the ideas though. @Kate yup. I think if you have space issues a dedicated laundry room seems very wasteful for most people. And wasn't there a building regulation that says you can't put them in kitchens in Australia as well? Makes sense to put them where the rest of the plumbing is. I was actually thinking of going for full height if possible to maximise space. Do you find that sliding doors impede your access or frustrate you accessing the laundry? Obviously compromises have to be made, but just wondering whether that ends up being an issue? @oklouise Thanks a heap! The layout of the house at the moment has a hinged laundry door leading to some steep (non-railed!) steps leading to the backyard. I rarely use it for anything except to get airflow into the house, but was wondering if it would be important to keep? Obviously it's about what I need at the moment, but am also considering resale value just in case.