Monthly Archive: July 2014
Paying Contractors
Sponsored by CheckVault The advice you always get about paying contractors is “Don’t pay until the works are complete.” Easy to say. . . . . but most small contractors want payments up front! Why Contractors Want Up-Front Payment I…
Read more
Builders ‘Security’ Fence
These days all the builders provide, at our cost, a 1.8m high ‘Security Fence’ around the site. When you ask them “Why is it there? “. . . They say “Its for Occupational Health and Safety and/or to prevent theft. ” If…
Read more
Do You Like Beetles?
How would you like this in your new home? It’s a armoire (a standing cupboard used for storing clothes) Here are a couple more photographs showing it partially open You can find even more photos at Dornob.com For more Unusual…
Read more
What Is A Project Home Builder?
If you are new to thinking about having a new house built you may have heard the term ‘Project Home Builder’ and wondered what it means. Project Home Builders base their business on building large numbers of houses using a limited range…
Read more
Specification
Control of costs is really important if you don’t want to run over budget on your new home. One of the key areas in controlling costs is understanding the specification of the house. One of the traps that many people…
Read more
Stealth House ?
It’s actually known as the ‘Black Desert House’, built in the desert near the Joshua Tree National Park in California. The house is built around a central courtyard, which is set to a backdrop of black walls, midnight quartz, high-gloss anthracite and…
Read more
Roof Slope
This house has one of the steepest roofs that I have seen around Melbourne. I certainly think doing any work would be a bit scary, and very expensive. So what are the considerations when thinking about Roof Slope (or Roof Pitch) Roofing…
Read more
Will a Big House Make You Happy?
Inspired by a post on www.mrmoneymustache.com Why do you, or your spouse, want a big house? What are you trying to buy? . . . . . . Well most people think they are buying happiness. Does you family really…
Read more
Home Sweet Dome
Every so often some enthusiast decides to build a dome. This one is in Kewdale West Australia. Its an interesting idea but you would get some odd shaped rooms, and how to you install wall cupboards? If you really fancy this type…
Read more
New House Guarantees and Warranties
I’m always a bit suspicious of guarantees and warranties! In my opinion most Guarantees are really just a piece of paper that explains how the Guarantor will fulfill their legal liabilities. (In some cases they explain a process which is less than fulfilling…
Read more