Design
Large or Small
While new houses are getting bigger apartments are getting smaller . . . so how much room to we really need? Reasons We Need Less Space Flat screen televisions can now be mounted flat on the wall. Saving your music…
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Insulation Basics – Double Glazing
Large single glazed windows are one of the biggest reasons for heat loss in a modern house. It is also a major source of heat coming into the house in summer. So what can you do?……………here is a comparison between…
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Electrical Planning – Kitchen
I was walking around a ‘Good Guys’ electrical store last week looking at the kitchen equipment. In addition to the items we have got there must have been 20 or 30 items we haven’t got. For example appliances for making:…
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How Much Longer For Artificial Stone?
Over the last 20 years artificial stone benchtops have become more and more popular. . . . but there is a dark side to this material. There has been a massive rise in cases of Silicosis (260 in the last…
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What’s On The Roof?
A METAL ROOF This covers zincalume, galvanised steel and colorbond. Following are a few thoughts: In general a metal roof is noisier as you can hear the rain (which I like) They are fairly light so they don’t put as…
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Upstairs and Downstairs
In my first 35 years living in England I always lived in 2 storey homes. I was never that keen on stairs for the following reasons: During that time I thought that the worst job around the house, when helping…
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Changing Builders Standard Plans
Most builders will change their standard designs to some extent. The builder of the last house we built, Metricon, was fairly flexible. Here are some of the changes that you could talk with the builder about if their standard is…
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West, or East, Facing Windows
Well the first rule is to avoid West, or East, facing windows . . . or at least keep them as small as possible….and here is why: Summer West windows get direct sunlight from mid-afternoon to late in the evening…
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The Entertainer
“Just the thing for Entertainment” or something similar is a common theme in house builder’s brochures and estate agent descriptions. It’s really a way of trying to upsize you into a bigger (more expensive) house. Before you get sucked in…
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Window Size
Building Code Rules on Size The Building Code of Australia requires you to have at least 10% of the floor area as windows with at least 5% of the floor area being able to be opened. If you go in…
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