Eventually when you come to resell, a pool is an added plus. But for your own purposes, emptying the pool and adding a deck over it with a hinged door and steps placed below would be great for storage (as per option b but bearing in mind you could revert). All the best for your lovely new home.

Some kind of teak wood would be best. IPE is what this looks like. Please purchase responsibility as it is harvested by clear cutting in some areas. FSC is best.

I'm a Certified installer for Trex decking. Trex Transcend is encapsulated board, with a finish that resists staining, scratches, mold and has a high definition wood grain surface. I don't know what you did to it or whoever worked on your house did something to it, but Transcend decking does not need staining or painting and the protective shell protects decking against fading. Trex Transcend and a few other Trex decking products like Trex Enhance, and Trex Select, they cannot be painted or stained. The only thing can be painted is Trex Transcend White Railings and you should only use light color paint. If you use dark colors, it will absorb heat and it will damage the surface and you can kiss your railings good bye. Also high quality fast drying primer should be used and you have to use Oil or Water based exterior paint and most importantly surface prep is the the key. When it comes to painting specialty surfaces like Trex Railings, hire a Pro to do the work. With that said, if you installed Trex yourself, you have to go to the store and have a Trex representative come out and check your deck. They will determine if loss of color fading was due because of negligence or not. If its a material defect, they will cover the material cost. If you had a Certified contractor do the work, they will cover material and labor. Call your contractor and he will get a Trex Rep to come out within a few days. Good luck

Hi drmdilip -- While I waited for my trumpet vines to fill in sufficiently to provide summer shade, I sewed three matching striped shower curtains together, using the button holes on each end to tie it in place. I did this because as the vine was growing new, each thin runner would drop between the rafters rather than grow straight across. After a few years now, those thin runners have become a massed layer of thick vines, all of the new growth is straight up and by the end of summer I'll be able to easily remove my temporary support and have a roof of vines. It's not rainproof though -- for that, polycarb is practical, and I love the copper above!