Growing on an apartment balcony: what to check in your strata by-laws first, lightweight pots and potting mix, plants that cope with wind, and watering without dripping on the neighbours below.
How to make a tight courtyard or townhouse yard work harder: a change of level, built-in seating, outdoor mirrors, vertical planting, a short material list and plants that stay in scale.
Where to put an outdoor shower, where the water has to go, cold versus hot options, and which parts are a licensed plumber or electrician job.
Pavers or a deck for your new entertaining area? How slope, upkeep, heat underfoot, drainage and council rules decide it, from a build-stage point of view.
Which outdoor power and lighting jobs you can do yourself, which ones legally need a licensed electrician, and how to brief your sparky so the job goes smoothly.
Where to put a kitchen herb garden so you actually use it, what goes closest to the door, and how to keep herbs producing through the seasons.
Where to put a clothesline for sun and breeze, and how rotary, fold-down and retractable lines suit different backyards and courtyards.
Gas, electric infrared or built in: which outdoor heater suits an open deck, a covered alfresco or a patio you use every week, and where the safety lines sit.
Shed size, timber versus steel, and where it goes on the block, including the council and boundary checks worth making before you buy.
Council rules first, then the spot, then the coop. What to check before you buy backyard chooks, how to predator proof a run that actually holds, and what the daily care really takes.
