Home renovation costs: when to save, when to splurge
Undertaking a major home renovation and extension is a large investment in your family home, and in your family’s future. There is a myriad of decisions and selections that need to be made, and overarching it all is a budget that you are determined to work within. This advice will help you decide if you should spend or splurge.
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Green plumbing tips
Water is the world’s most precious commodity. We can be blasé about our usage and consumption of water during the wet months or when there are no apparent shortages and our dams are at a decent level.
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Brighten your day
Do you have a room or hallway in your home that is always dark and you need a light on even during the day?
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How to ensure you have the best viewing at home?
Do you have bad TV reception at your home? Australians love to watch TV and it is very frustrating when you are about to settle in to watch a movie or your favourite game of sport and the signal is playing up. So get an Antenna service expert to identify and fix the problem once and for all.
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Building Quotes: How to avoid hidden costs
Building Quotes and avoiding hidden costs is possible if you know what to look for. Not all Building Quotes are created equal! If you are embarking on a home building or renovation project, you have probably contacted several Builders and have their Quotes in your hot hands. Some may look cheaper than the others, but are there hidden costs? Learn what to look for and why a cheaper quotes may cost you more in the long term.
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Is your pool water-smart?
Living in Australia means we’re often conscious of our water use. But we also love to swim! Luckily there’s measures we can take to make sure our swimming pools are water-smart.
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Working with building designers and interior designers
Building a house or an extension, or a planning a renovation requires extensive knowledge of building design, engineering, codes, regulations, and requirements. By starting your building or renovation with a clear plan, you can create a home which perfectly suits your style, needs, and ideas. Interior designers can work together with building designers if your plan requires it, and work with builders to fit out the house with appliances and permanent fixtures.
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Beat the Melbourne climate install air conditioning
Australia is a country of climate extremes and while traditionally we embrace the summer months it can be exhausting and debilitating when the temperatures and the humidity rise. Our houses heat up during the day making it very uncomfortable to sleep at night. It can be just as uncomfortable trying to stay warm during the chilly winter months and if you live in Melbourne you could well experience all four seasons in one day. The perfect solution to this changing and sometimes unpredictable weather is air conditioning.
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Tips for Managing a Hot Water System
If you don't maintain your hot water system, you may face several consequences that can cause inconvenience, expenses, and even safety hazards. Over time, hot water systems can accumulate sediment, rust, and debris, leading to reduced efficiency and increased energy bills. Without proper maintenance, these deposits can cause leaks, blockages, or damage to the system, requiring expensive repairs or replacement.
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What to look for when considering tiles and tilers
When it comes to tiles we tend to think of the wet areas of the house - kitchen, bathroom and laundries. But there are so many styles, shapes, sizes and materials of tiles available for many more uses than just our wet areas including floors and walls for living rooms, entry halls, fireplaces and stairs, not to mention outdoor areas such as verandahs, terraces, pathways, entertaining areas and pools.
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Garage door safety: tips on keeping you and your family safe
When you think about it, the garage door is probably the heaviest moving object on your property, as well as the largest. So it makes sense to treat this item with special caution, particularly if you have young children in the family. It is worth coming up with a set of safety rules that both adults and children are aware of, and make sure that you remind everyone from time to time about them. After all, as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure.
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Top 5 Indoor Floor Lamps for Contemporary Interiors
When function is perhaps secondary to design, decorative indoor floor lamps allow you to add illumination that is heavily influenced by your personal aesthetic. A decorative floor lamp is a feature that should look wonderful whether the light is turned on or off – something to consider when floor lamps can be larger in size and have the potential to dominate an area of your room. Use your lamp to create a mood to reflect your décor and treat your floor lamp like a work of contemporary art.
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Appliance repair: when to call a professional
If any of your appliances have been acting strangely lately, you may have wondered whether you should call a professional. The most obvious sign is that they aren’t working at all, but other symptoms include loud noises, water leaking, decreased efficiency, and higher than normal power bills. If you’re tossing up between repair and replacement, a professional can help you assess the appliance and make the best decision.
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Consultants for Residential Building work
Basix: Environmental Consultant Basix Certificate (environmental performance evaluation) is required for all development applications. This certificate has been required with all development since 2006. This details the energy and water use and storage and recycling on site. The certificate is tied to the title and has to be certified as completed by the building inspector when the project is complete and before you can move in.
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Blind cleaning - bring your old blinds back to life
Are your once beautiful blinds starting to look old and worn out, are they not operating a well as they did when new? Might be time to call in a professional blind cleaning and repair company.
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Ever thought about giving your home a Lift
Homes with lifts or elevators were once rare and considered a very expensive luxury item. But with improved technology, design and engineering, lifts are more affordable and becoming a sought after necessity
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6 tips for incorporating your style into interior décor
Imagine the feeling of walking into the home of your dreams, a luxury space designed by someone just for you. What does that space look like in your mind, does it make you feel safe, connected and inspired? This article looks at how you can make your space at home perfect for you.
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Australia's Innovative Approach to Workspace Design & Strategy
Learn key innovations in flexibility, technology, and wellbeing shaping the future of work.
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Building inspection - why do you need one?
What is a Building Inspection? A building inspection is an examination by qualified professionals which identifies faults and hazards in a property. These can include anything from maintenance and safety issues to serious structural faults or damage. Often the problems identified are not immediately visible or apparent to the untrained eye. Special equipment may be used to gather more information. After the inspection, a report is provided which details the issues. This allows home owners and potential buyers to make informed decisions.
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Shade Sails
Shade Sails (also known as Sail Shades) and awnings are a great solution for providing protection from sun, rain and wind in outdoor areas. There are many commercial properties such as cafes, pubs, clubs, schools, day care centres, hospitals and nursing homes utilizing their outdoor areas with overhead coverings and private companies providing outdoor space for their staff to use for coffee and lunch breaks. They are now also more and more homes and private residences with shade sails and awnings.
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