Author Archive: Brian Ashworth
What Does The Energy Rating Mean?
The ratings are calculated by a NatHERS (Nationwide Housing Energy Rating Scheme) computer simulation of an individual house design to estimate the thermal comfort. The calculations are based on 69 different ‘Climate Zones” and allows comparison of different properties in the…
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Tumbledown Barn
At first glance this really does look like a Tumbledown Barn. In reality it is actually a modern house by Alchemy Architecture an American practice that are very involved in designs that utilise recycled materals. Follows the following link to…
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The Joys of Moving Houses (No Sarcasm Intended)
Guest post by Hubert Dwight If someone were to say that there are joys in moving houses, many people would consider the person speaking to be a bit bonkers. It is a natural reaction because we humans tend to focus on the…
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Solar Panel Alignment (Revised 2015)
The suns position in the sky varies throughout the year and over each day. The ideal situation is when the sun is hitting the panels closest to a perfectly perpendicular angle (90°). So in Australia, what angle and orientation are…
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Regulations Failing Public
Over the last couple of months there have been a couple of separate News Items, which are really connected. Excavation Collapse Puts House On Edge! The photo shows a house hanging over the edge of an excavation in a Melbourne suburb….
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Mexican Whale
I’m not sure whether this looks like a Whale to me . . . . but that is what the architect says this house is! Here is a view of the inside which looks quite cosy. I wonder if the owner…
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Large or ‘Character’
Lots of people say they like character . . . . but build houses with these huge open plan living rooms. Modern Living Room by Perth Design & Construction Firms Cambuild Some of the display houses I see do look light…
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Fence Disputes
The Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria (DSCV) has revealed the consistent No 1 dispute has been fencing. In fact fencing counts for around one third of all of their top ten disputes. In 2013-4 there were fence 6,489 disputes, slightly above the long term…
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My Little Pony House
No I am not a ‘Brony’ (male who enjoys ‘My Little Pony’ ) but I had to watch plenty of those cartoons with my daughter. . . . And soon to watch again with my grandaughter. This photo did remind me…
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PCI Guide – New 4th Edition
I have just completed the 4th edition of this best selling E Book. This Revision includes: Extra Check Lists Even more advice on what to look for New Section on removals with Checklists OVER 1,800 HAPPY CUSTOMERS! Previous Purchasers…
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