Thanks Orangecamera. It's still a work in progress and mud everywhere Sorry we did look at having the steps' off set' but it didn't seem to go with only three steps and a small area. And about the zen well the cats are doing that for us much to our disappointment (it's still like a litter box to them). We went to the garden supply place still not knowing what kind of stones we were getting. We stood in front of all the bins (there where many). We even looked at mixing some. The grey stones had a bin more the size we wanted but we ended up getting the golden fleck. It was a little smaller, which was a shame, the bigger ones were so mixed in their grading it looked too messy. So this is what we finished up with. It was seagardens that got me thinking away from grey and nwduck mentioning the drainage. So this has really helped. Also everyone seem to think the wooden steps needed to go a lot lower. Next it's figuring out where the large river stones should go

There are many options for changing the look of your house. I would replace the windows with larger windows. You can put in tall windows and keep the same width. This doesn't require any structural changes. If you widen the windows you will need a structual analysis. However, if you want to really change the look, you could widen the openings and put in french doors on each side with a new balcony for each, or a balcony across the front. The balcony can be very shallow 6" or deep enough for a chair. It can be cantelevered. I would go for a contemporary look. I found some images to share for inspiration. If you decide to make the changes, I suggest that you hire a local Architect to help you acheive something really nice..........Your house has a lot of potential.

For external doors most definitely yes! Copper has unique characteristics and is beautiful, like anything it depends on where you apply it.

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