February 8th, 2010
Carefully planned granny flats can add real value to your home
In this day and age it has become increasingly common for extended families to live together on the one property. The savings offered to grown up siblings moving back in with their parents, or visa versa make this an attractive proposition for more and more Australians.
If you have elderly parents or in-laws who either live with you or are going to move in some time in the near future, you may like to consider the idea of a “granny flat”. Of course it could be that your grown up children are moving back in with you.
While granny flats may in fact be used for adults, guests or even teenage children, the term implies that this is living accommodation that is suitable for an elderly person, typically a parent. If this is the case, your motivation for building a granny flat may be because your elderly parents or in-laws feel unsafe living alone, or because they need assistance and don’t want to live in any type of old age home. It may also be because they don’t have the available finances to continue to live alone. Read the rest of this entry »
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February 8th, 2010
Proper planning can avoid clutter like this
As people build bigger and bigger homes on smaller blocks of land, there is less and less space for storing things we don’t want in the house, like tools, gardening equipment, and even sports equipment.
Garages are perhaps the most common storage solution. Designed for cars and other vehicles, in the absence of other storage facilities, they often become workshops and storerooms for any type of equipment ranging from lawn mowers and wheelbarrows, to golf clubs, tennis and squash racquets, even paddle skis and smaller water craft. And whilst a larger-sized garage might happily cope with your nebulous storage needs and still provide space to house a car and possible bicycles, this is far from ideal. Read the rest of this entry »
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January 22nd, 2010
Buying a home is a huge investment, and the decision to buy needs to be objective and unemotional. Of course you will be drawn to a house that appeals to you and you fall in love with, but you will soon be heartbroken if you find that there are many underlying problems that are going to cost you a small fortune to rectify.
When you sell a house, you should always make it look clean, tidy and pretty, and make sure it smells sweet. That’s easy to do, for example by removing animal bedding and displaying fresh sweet-smelling flowers or bowl of potpourri, and of course by thorough cleaning. But often people selling homes do quick renovations that simple cover up the things they don’t want their buyers to spot, like rising damp or borer rot. Read the rest of this entry »
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January 22nd, 2010
So it’s time for a change. You want to improve the overall liveability of your home, but you’re torn between whether to renovate or demolish your existing home and build a new one.
Well both options have their advantages and disadvantages, and at the end of the day, demolishing your existing home and building a new one can sometimes be more cost effective, but that does not mean that it will necessarily deliver you a better outcome. Before making any decision there are a number of factors that you should consider like: Read the rest of this entry »
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January 14th, 2010
Prevention is better than cure, which is why regular home maintenance is so important. This applies to everything from the top of your house to the bottom – from the roof that shelters you to the stumps that support the building.
If you live in an old house with timber floors, there’s a good chance that the floors are supported on timber stumps, even if the house itself is made of bricks and mortar. So if you do have timber floors, it’s a good idea to check the condition of the stumps from time to time. Certainly be sure to check the stumps of a house you intend to buy, and never start any type of renovation work without checking the condition of stumps before you do so. Can you imagine how awful it would be if your house suddenly collapsed or subsided, particularly if you had just had a new kitchen or bathroom installed, or had recently repainted, retiled or recarpeted the interior? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Architecture Advice, Home Maintenance, Renovation Advice | No Comments »
January 14th, 2010
If you are one of those people who always bases decisions on cost, you may be surprised to find out how badly this approach has impacted on the building and construction industry in Australia.
Ever since our competition authorities forced the industry to discard its compulsory fee scales in the 1980s, people and companies bidding for design work have focused on price rather than quality, value and capability. It is an accepted fact that as a direct result, project costs have risen by between 10% and 15%. Read the rest of this entry »
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January 4th, 2010
When we construct houses and other buildings, we take steps to protect them from dampness. In spite of this, buildings are often affected by water and dampness, and we end up having to take further action to stop the damaging effects this moisture has.
There are four main types of dampness, each of which has to be dealt with in a different way.
- Rising damp that moves upwards vertically,
- Falling damp that moves downwards vertically,
- Damp that spreads horizontally, and
- Dampness caused by condensation. Read the rest of this entry »
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January 4th, 2010
Having a roof over your head means more than getting shelter from the elements. Roofs also provide both thermal and sound insulation and, to a certain extent, protection from fire.
There are many different roof styles from which to choose, most of which can be configured to fit any basic building plan. In addition, the material used for the roof will affect the style you choose. For example, a corrugated metal roof will fit a traditional Victorian style, while a pitched tiled roof can give the effect of Mediterranean splendour. A flat roof, however it is finished, can look wonderfully Moorish.
So how do you choose the right material for your home? Well if you’re renovating and your roof needs replacing, there is obviously a tendency to simply use the same material that was used on your original roof. However you don’t have to, you can always choose a different roofing material. Similarly if you are building a new home your options are quite open in terms of materials and styles of roofs. Read the rest of this entry »
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December 16th, 2009
More and more people worldwide are becoming increasingly aware of the need for our homes to be more sustainable. Most importantly, people are realising the value of saving water and energy.
So what can you do to reduce your own demand for energy and water, at the same time maintaining the quality of life you are used to?
The first step is to become proactive in your own water and energy usage. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Architecture Advice, Eco_Housing | No Comments »
December 9th, 2009
The challenges confronting owner builders
More and more people worldwide are deciding, for a variety of reasons, to build their own houses. Some like the idea of the challenge while others strive for the sense of achievement they will get when they complete this challenging task. In addition, most believe that they will save money by owner building.
Since the cost-saving factor is usually paramount, various figures are produced from time to time in an attempt to establish just how much money owner builders can – and do save. Individual circumstances and abilities vary so much that it is difficult to come up with precise figures, but a common estimate ranges between 20 and 30 percent. The question though is: What defines an owner builder? Read the rest of this entry »
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