One of the nicest parts of our new House is the Patio. It's a lovely L-shaped terrazzo outdoor space which forms the front of the house and flows to the side where the living room is located. It presides over a nice green leafy outlook of the suburb.

The patio as it is now. We plan to have some of the cracked terrazzo repaired.

The patio faces south west; the wide eaves and crisscross sun screening protects it from the elements. It will be a great spot when we entertain but at the moment we've been using it for a few quiet afternoon drinks on the weekend.

A photo of the patio during our second inspection of the house. Son #2 and #3 were having a good explore.

At some point the patio was enclosed with security grilles, which we felt detracted from the look and feel of the home. We decided these grilles were overkill given all the doors and windows have locks and there is nearly always someone at home.

After we obtained the keys to the house we changed all the locks to open with the one key. While the locksmiths were out we also had them remove the patio security grilles.

Madly modern Susan sharing our mid-mod joy during the inspection.

'Uncaging' the patio has made a huge difference to the look and feel of the new house. It is much more welcoming and has given us more usable space.