there are way too many colours going on here. Your home is a traditional style and yes the cream and green are traditional colours with the reddish brick however why did you put grey around the windows??also you have red scollops above the grey and it doesn't do the house justice. What colour was there before you painted the grey?? considering grey is a more modern colour I think you were attempting to modernise the externals. in saying that the roof would have been better to paint charcoal the cream in white and then the grey and then the driveway would be done in a grey stain. but if you leave it the way it is and cover the red scolloping above the windows the same grey and the bricks below the windows near the ground grey as well then get the drive way restained to the reddish colour of the bricks on the house and then it would blend more and look inviting.

I wouldn't leave it to the pool renovators and their concretors to decide. If they misjudge and it cracks open in a few years then will they be around to pay for relaying new limestone? I would engage an engineer to assess the condition of the concrete under the brick coping and design the joint (possibly with rods and chemset), allowing for adequate expansion joints for the new concrete and the new limestone. Engineers tend to be more conservative than concretors when it comes to design. Engaging an engineer to design this joint will cost you more in the short term, but nothing will be left to chance. Who knows there may be a better way to connect than rods and chemset - let your engineer advise. You can then get a competitive quote from the two pool companies for the same thing. Just dont go with timber decking around a pool as it looks so dated and needs lots of maintenance. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

. Concrete is fine on pinterest, it's even fine in corporate canteens but it's not a homely feel at all. If however you are sold on the look but want a more removable option I can recommend lino. NOT vinyl but real, Lino. It's a different thing, harder wearing than vinyl and can actually look very chic and more closely match concrete look without creating an unpleasant surface to walk on in bare feet. The worst thing about hard floorings like tile and concrete is they are unpleasant on your feet in winter. I live in a house with lino however and it's much warmer and a better feel on the feet than a hard surface flooring. Easy to care for and importantly easy to remove when you get sick of it. Marmoluem is a true lino, which BTW is actually a very sustainable and organic product. Lino is made from jute, seed flours and linseed oil. It's compostable. But it's unique composition is what also gives it a warm and beeswax like feel underfoot, which is very comfortable. You can get it in a some very nice concrete like shades, patterns and even raised textures. It's a sheet flooring so there are few joins, something tiles cannot offer. Tiles, once stuck to the floor are an absolute b****h to remove without a lot of damage, noise and expense. Lino can simply be lifted like carpet.

Your concretor is never going to fix the problem he has created to your satisfaction and to an appropriate and professional standard of his own free will to remedy his laziness. I am assuming that he has been fully paid for his shoddy work. I wouldn't allow him (or his plumbing mate) anywhere near my property again. I would be paying my own plumber the $4500 to fix it, or get a few more quotes from some other plumbers - sometimes a clever plumber can work out a cost-effective workaround. Then speak to your lawyers to write some aggressive letters demanding compensation, but there is no guarantee that you will get what you are owed. Without knowing how big the slab is $2200 seems very cheap for the amount of work, bobcat hire and materials needed, and perhaps should have rung alarm bells about you get what you pay for. I would also be keeping the QBBC informed as this scam artist is giving registered tradesmen a bad name. Best of luck, and sorry for your bad experience Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visits via Zoom.