Floor Plans
Underground Garage

Basement, or underground garages are becoming more popular. Its one way of getting a bigger house on a smaller inner suburban block. Before you make a decision to go for this solution its worth thinking about the cost, and the…
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Children’s Bedrooms
Some people want children’s bedrooms to be big! I’m not so sure! Reasons for Big Bedrooms Room to play, study, have sleepovers and for all their stuff. Room for adult children. Better for resale value. (Big for me is 9…
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The Best House Shape

When you are looking at builders web sites the main things you can look at besides Facades are Floor Plans………But what is the best shape for the overall house? Making good use of Winter Sun If you have a Well…
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Tips for Setting up a Home Office
Sponsored Post When you are drawing up plans for a new house, you may want to think about including a home office. The number of telecommuters and home business owners is on the rise, with the advances in technology that…
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Can You Build On The Boundary?
I have previously talked about Setbacks but with certain limitations it is possible to build on the boundary.Generally rules about building on a boundary apply to all buildings constructed on or within 150mm of a side boundary. Typical Rules Walls…
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Setbacks
When you are buying a block one of the issues that controls what you can put on a block is the Setbacks of the main structure. Setbacks vary from council to council and can also vary between neighbourhoods in a…
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Planning the Laundry

In England the washing machine and dryer are generally in the kitchen. As a consequence the laundry in our first house we built was tiny. It was just big enough to fit the washing machine, dryer, laundry trough, and a…
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Roof Space – Access

One of the things that frequently gets forgotten is the hatch that gives access to the roof space. Location The usual location is in the corridor to the secondary bedrooms. It doesn’t seem that important but when you need the…
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Door Opening

One of the small things that can really make a difference to your house is how doors open……..but its one thing that is frequently forgotten. This sketch shows a typical bedroom and ensuite layout. (I know it doesn’t show the…
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Buffer Zones

Thinking about buffer zones when you are planning a house layout, or considering builders standard layouts, will save you on heating and cooling costs. So what are buffer zones?…………………………………..Basically they are rooms and spaces that may be heated to a…
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