I won't bother with lattice, barrels are partially obscured from the street by fencing and if I put it up I would have to work around the lattice in order to turn the valves for water. If I can just make better use of collected water I'll be happy. We are at the end of our growing season so I should be cleaning up the garden and putting it to bed for the winter, just can't seem to get motivated. We had our first frost last week. Usually, our average early frost date is 1 November. I got almost no produce from garden this year, but there is always next year. Chookchook2 I've seen some of those decorative metal panels and they are gorgeous, sure hope your budget will allow you to get some before too long. Most of our state has been on fire for a good part of the summer. The closest is across the river from us and they have been battling it for almost a month. Some friends have had to evacuate repeatedly. We've only been concerned once, a small grass fire on our side of the river on a day we had wind gusts up to 65mph. Fortunately, it was put out quickly. Australia and New Zealand have both sent firefighters to help with the blazes. I can't begin to tell you how appreciative we are. The closest fire was fought for almost a week by local volunteers only as there were no other resources available. They were all on other fires. The Army National Guard (reserve troops) were called out to help with support duties and for the first time ever the federal Department of Natural Resources (DNR) asked for civilian volunteers to help with non firefighting tasks, cutting fire breaks, moving supplies etc.

Thanks for the replies! My wife suggested we talk to a local real estate agent, so i think that is a good idea... just that Im not sure how helpful they are likely to be if we arent selling yet :) As for saving for our dream house, I dont disagree, however if doing this up nicely over the next ~5 years or so while we live here nets us some extra in the eventual sale, then that of course will help us as well. Interesting thing happened today actually. I got a knock on the door and one of the older neighbours asked if he could take some lemons from the tree. I of course said yes. Anyway he was telling me he had lived in the street for 40 years. I asked him if the house had always looked like this, and he said no that ~30 years ago the old old owner did a massive renovation and pulled off the timber and put up the bricks and gutted the inside of the house. Interesting stuff!

This project required a small renovation, where my clients wanted to create something simple and light, without costing a fortune. In the guest bathroom we were able to leave the plumbing as is and worked on replacing the WC, Shower and Vanity. In the laundry the area in the room behind the counter, storage area was pushed back allowing for a larger space within the narrow room. A new door was put in and a new window. Before: After: This extension of space allowed for the guest bathroom to be extended out as well to allow for a larger vanity and all round larger and more accommodating space. The counter top in the laundry is bamboo, the simple black tiles above and perhaps later down the clients will put up cupboards and shelving as suggested. Before: After: The light grey ceramic tiles on the floor replaced the dark ones that made the space feel small and cramped. The white on the walls and new lighting give a totally different feel to the room and makes it a far more welcoming space to work in. Check entire project here!

This two stage renovation included opening up the back of the villa for a large new living areas, and renovating the front of the house for a garage and more formal landscaping to the street. The villa needed some TLC, so bedrooms and other existing villa spaces were refurbished using traditional villa details. A pavilion style extension was added to the rear of the villa, to house a new kitchen, dining and living area, media room and study. A large deck flows out from the living areas and connects the house with a generous, private outdoor play area. A separate laundry/scullery and new bathroom were inserted into the villa where it meets the addition, and an ensuite/walk-in wardrobe was added to the master bedroom. BEFORE AFTER!