Hope you all are enjoying life in your Palisade.
I was thinking about your comment about wishing you'd made the alfresco area a bit wider. I bet you could get a landscaper or builder to lay some extra concrete and as you have those lovely exterior tiles, when you cover it over and join them to your existing no one would ever know that the concrete was laid in 2 seperate bits. It wouldn't matter that the concrete and exterior tiling extended beyond the alfesco roof, in fact could be quite nice to give you both sunny and shading seating.
I desperately wanted to include the al fresco in our build but got talked out of it by every Simonds staff member so in the end I cried and gave up, but I'l do something after hand over. I asked them if they could lay concrete in the same area at build but got told that it would be lots cheaper to do it afterwards as if they did it at build it would have to be at house strength, but if done after would only need to be decking/paving strength.
How did you set up the kids rumpus area?
Really, They talked you out of the alfresco? It's strange that different areas have different ideas and styles. Like we're building the prague in qld and I noticed the plan is different to the vic plan. The qld has the alfresco the Vic one doesn't. Also the walls are placed a little different. If you want something just don't budge. They will do as you want. They're pretty flexible, try and even get a discount.