b'words: Allyson Madsen pictures: Simon DevittIt was a fairly typical backyardslightly sloping lawn, foliage around the edges,a few failing fruit trees and neighbourson all sides. The transformation was total.And the final result is a private, luxurious outdoor living area with a stunning view.When it came to re-vamping their garden, the owners of this home had several objectives. First, they wanted to create their own outdoor view; second, they wanted a flush-deck pool that was easily available to the house, and had good space around it for entertaining family and friends; and finally, they wanted privacy without blocking the sun.They are planning a full renovation of their home, starting at the back and working their way forward, and brought in architect Malcolm Taylor of XSite Architects to give shape to their ideas. They had commissioned Malcolm before for an apartment garden and knew they liked his work.Malcolm was particularly good at drawing, in a three-dimensional sense, what he thought the area would look like, say the owners. That was really useful, because it can be really hard to picture it from a plan. Were very happy that he felt he could experiment with us as he did, because we are delighted with the results.Bi-fold doors open wide to the new outdoor vista. The immediate impression is of a continuous, even flow from the home to the deck, the pool and the garden beyond, all emphasised by the flush surface of the water. Colour and alternative ideas for thistexture attract the eye to the other elements of the landscape, but the pool is exterior on pages 60-62 the centrepiece of the design.| 57'