Barbara pretty spot on. Sand on base is best for temporary situation and you can leave it when the pool gets put away for winter. Another way to level is setup up a string line in a square ie. 4 stakes to hold it up and level the string line. Use the string line as a visual guide and you can also measure down from it as you go. As you dig the higher ground, you effectively move it the lower end. Saves having to get rid of dirt and you can restore it to its former natural slope when you returf. Compact the fresh pile at the lower end and use the rubble to help hold it together. Your other problem of turf not growing in that area has little to do with the rubble in my opinion. Does it get plenty of winter sun? Do you feed it/water it regularly? I grew over 20 sq. metres of turf on a cement slab in my yard with only 100mm (10cm) of dirt which also had concrete rubble mixed in. It had no direct sun in winter but still stayed green throughout, beautifully in summer. Good luck.

I'm very sorry, everyone, I am still not getting notifications of comments on this thread. Vy, that sounds like a fantastic idea! You should have a marvelous trip without children, and spend some time re-connecting with each other, having fun. I find that that is actually one of the important things to do in a marriage, is to find ways of laughing at life . It's also important to get on and do some of the things you have always wanted to do, because we never know how long we have on this earth - We see far too many patients who have been waiting for kids to grow up, the mortgage to be paid off, etc etc, and then they get a horrible diagnosis just before they are due to jet off on their once-in-a-lifetime trip. Even if you can't do the big things, try for some of the little things. Weed, get out some of those things you have been saving - rotate them around so you get to see them and take pleasure in them. Sorry, getting a bit carried away with the imperative voice there - we have seen some very sad situations lately that are really hitting us hard.

Too cute. Hey, she's preggo. I love them.

Hi there, I personally don't like the look of that rock wall with your home. It does nothing for it. I would get rid of it, you may even be able to sell the rock for a bit of cash. I would besser block a retaining wall in its place with posts and render this, then use your timber horizontally slated between the posts. Select a paint colour that works nice with your timber colour and carry the colour through to your house. This will also work in with your side timber fence. Also remove all the plants in the front, just because they are lovely doesn't mean they are in the right place or serve a purpose, you may be able to transplant them somewhere else in the yard. Plants: mop tops are a great feature tree and give lots of shade in summer. A hedge along the inside of the fence would look great, Lilly pilly's are good and Japanese box is tough as boots and requires little water once up a bit. Westringia, birds of paradise, hibiscus, viburnum, Murraya all take heat, depends on what look your after. My average temps in summer are 47 degrees and winter -3 & these plants survive. Yes I also agree with a path from the front to the door. Front door to house could have some timber posts added with an awning/patio to make it stand out. The timber would carry through from the front fence. Painting the brick can also give it a lift if you don't want to go modern with render. You could also paint the concrete driveway, there are some snazzy options available for this, plain or stencil. Best of luck! I'm sure it will come up a treat.