Hi Linda, Sorry to hear you are at your witts end. So dissapointing when you have such a negative experience of what should be a wounderful and positive experience building or renovating. Don't let it get you down too much, it shouldn't be too hard to get the rail changed if you explain to your builder that you are very dissatisfied with the rail and that you want it changed to a shape that's more appealing. Don't get yourself flustered but be firm, male builders at times think that woman are dumb and anything will do and that is sooo wrong on sooo many levels!!! My builder is hubby and althought he doesn't consider me dumb, he wouldn't want to ha-ha....but he does have that "it will be fine mentality" that I have to constantly keep in check but we work together real well and laught about pretty much everything and how he's not having anything to do with building my kitchen that he jokingly says he can do with a chainsaw just to stir me up ha-ha. Keep in touch. Cheers, Barbara

Biggest Thank you to everyone who has commented and given me such good practical advice for updating my little front patio/porch area. Before I depart again and forget to update? This is how it looks, I am probably at a later stage going to work out how to add a wider sill as suggested, however it does look so much better than before. Such timely advice has given me the motivation to get it done. I have left the roller shades on one side just to allow a bit of privacy from the neighbours and wind/sun. And one day will swap the large couch for something more suited.

The first two photos are of the french doors going into the bedroom from the loungeroom. I have stripped them back but not stained or varnished yet. The doors on the opposite side of the bedroom are the same but I can't get the blind to roll up. The third picture is of the other side of the second lot of french doors. They go onto my bedroom. Third is a quick, rough house plan. The entry to the house is off the verandah into the loungeroom. The house faces north.

A practical advantage of the long-side only design is that it removes the pesky corners/shelf produced by the bottom rail that collects dust. Big bonus with a white kitchen