The 35th Week: our new home!

We're getting to the point where we need to consider what to do about landscaping. The house takes up most of the block so we don't have that much space to work with and we want to make the best use of what we do have. This means engaging a landscape designer to help draw up some plans. We want a low maintenance and modern garden.  One of the key considerations is the selection of plants on the west side of the house that receives the harsh western sun. We like the look of bamboo along our splashback window and hopefully it will be suitable for the conditions.  Then there is the front courtyard that is accessed from the master bedroom, a private retreat if you will. We're thinking of a tranquil space where we can relax with a coffee and book and listen to the soothing sound of a trickling water feature!  Choosing a designer has been the hardest part. We've looked at countless websites and photos but we finally both agreed on a company we like. They're p

We dropped by the site on a Sunday morning, and to our surprise there was a ute in the driveway and the place was a hive of activity. It turned out the plasterers were doing their thing and hanging gyprock walls. I wasn't aware tradies worked on Sundays, but obviously they were keen to get the next stage payment - pre-sheeting. This was very exciting to see and gave a real sense of how the finished product will look. Getting high ceilings on both floors has paid dividends - the place already feels light and airy.  Next we meet with the tiler to decide all things tiles, from colours, patterns, direction and grout. Spoiler alert: there is a lot of grey.