Archive for the ‘Architectural Advice’ Category

Granny flats

Monday, February 8th, 2010
Carefully planned granny flats can add real value to your home

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. (more…)

Outdoor storage solutions that don’t involve your garage

Monday, February 8th, 2010
Proper planning can avoid clutter like this

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. (more…)

Influence of low fees on the construction and building industry

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Boring house designsIf 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%. (more…)