Structure
What are balustrades and why are they important for safety in your home?
Guest post by James Andrew If you have invested in buying a property, you want it to look good and you want it to be a safe place. The last thing you want to happen is for someone to get hurt while…
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Floor Loadings
One of the things with blogging about houses is you can’t stop looking at buildings. I was on holiday in Cairns a couple of weeks ago and looking out of my hotel saw this balcony. What a great idea to have…
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Identifying signs of termite infestation.
Guest Post by Hubert Dwight One of the worst nightmares for homeowners is to find that their home is being attacked by termites. The thought of termites terrorizing your home is enough to send shivers up your spine. If you are…
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Roof Access Hatch – 5 Considerations
Guest post by Hubert Dwight If you are considering building a house with a flat roof or very low pitched roof (2-5 degrees) perhaps you should think about a roof access hatch. If you are thinking about installing a roof…
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Shipping Container Homes
Ever thought you would like your new house to be made from Shipping Containers? There are certainly some stunning Shipping Container Homes around. Both of these photographs are from the Container Home Plans Website. The site sells a Guide Of How To Build Using Containers. One…
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Efflorecence
What’s that white powdery stuff that can appear on brickwork? Well the technical name is Efflorecence It can also appear on concrete! What Is Efflorescence, & How Is It Caused? Basically it is caused by water soluble salts contained in either…
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Brick Ties
Brick ties, although small, have an important part to play in the structural strength of your new home. In brick veneer construction, ties are used to pass all the sideways forces across the cavity (such as from wind) to the frame….
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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…
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Retaining Walls – Besser Blocks
If you want a rendered surface on your retaining wall one of the best ways of achieving this is by using ‘Besser Blocks’. These are hollow concrete blocks which are designed to incorporate steel reinforcement within the block. A few issues…
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Types of Floor Joists
Build a single storey house on a slab and you don’t need joists . . . . but if you have a suspended floor, or you have a two storey house, your structure will need joists. When I first started…
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