Blinds on the inside
Considering blinds for your windows? Well you will be bowled over by choice. Here is some information to get you started.
Read moreContinuous Hot Water or Solar Hot Water? The pros & cons
The choice of hot water heating will depend on many factors, including your property location, size and household needs
Read moreElectricians can help you make the most of your renovation
If you’re planning on renovating you may know that you need to have a professional electrician check your home for safety and compliance, as well as undertake all of the necessary work. This is a great time to consider exactly what an electrician can bring to your renovation, and how to make the most of having a capable professional in your home.
Read more5 mistakes that will jeopardise your garden
If you’re a total newcomer to gardening and you want to pick up some skills fast, it’s easy to find good information. There are scores of great books on the best techniques and you can collect tips and advice from home improvement shows. This article goes deeper into how to nurture your garden.
Read moreHow to choose the best fencing for your home
When it comes to choosing fencing there is a huge range of styles, sizes and materials to choose from and lots of things to consider before you make your decision. First and foremost is choosing the right style of fencing to compliment the style and architecture of your home. For example a traditional home may suit a picket fence or perhaps a sandstone wall. While a contemporary home could suit anything from timber or steel to a brick, rendered or stone wall.
Read moreHow long does it take to paint a house?
When you paint a house, it's important to prime it first.It takes half a day for one coat. Then you can paint the walls with another coat.In the end, your painting job must look nice. One important thing to remember is that it's interior or exterior painting. So it's always best to try and do the prep work yourself if possible. It means filling holes in plasterboard, sanding down surfaces to be much more easily painted, and cleaning surfaces.
Read moreHow to create kerb appeal
We have all admired other people’s homes. Regardless of the period, style, size and location there are many homes you look at and just say “wow”, “I could live there in a heartbeat” , “that’s my dream home” , “if I won Lotto that’s where I would want to live” and so on. We can be equally critical about the homes we don’t like. The ones we look at and say “what were they thinking?” “look how untidy that yard is”, “I don’t like the colour scheme” or “it looks very ramshackle”, “maybe its abandoned”.
Read moreRendering a fresh look
There would be few homes these days that do not have some interior or exterior rendered walls. Many contemporary homes are rendered entirely on the outside especially new builds, while a large number of existing or older style homes are rendered to give them a new lease of life and more kerb appeal. Rendering creates a modern elegant finish with clean simple lines while providing a protective layer to the walls making them longer lasting and lower in maintenance.
Read moreBeat 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.
Read moreGreen 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.
Read moreBathroom ideas and trends
After kitchens, bathrooms are the most important room in the house and perhaps the next most expensive. There are no hard and fast rules to building a brand new bathroom or renovating an existing one, other than the importance of the highest standard of workmanship in waterproofing and plumbing.
Read moreWhat you need to know about built-in wardrobes
We all love lots of storage in our homes and the most efficient way to do that is with built-ins. It is well worth considering the addition of built-in wardrobes to your bedrooms. Or if you are lucky enough to have plenty of space a walk-in robe is even better. A built in wardrobe creates a very functional and tidy solution for your clothing, shoes and accessories that can be customised specifically for your needs.
Read moreHow to choose a staircase
There are many homes throughout Australia with staircases and in some more than one. A staircase can be tucked away and unobtrusive or can be a focal point and add real wow factor to your home. Taking regulations and guidelines into account your staircase can then only be limited by space, budget and imagination.
Read moreA balcony enclosure creates a warm winter retreat
A balcony enclosure using a frameless glass system could be just the thing to turn your outside area into a warm winter retreat. Balcony and outdoor entertainment areas have been enjoyed all summer long. But with winter on our doorstep, now is the perfect time to think about how this space will be used in the colder months ahead. And a balcony enclosure could be just the thing!
Read more5 practical ways to create a seamless flow between interior and exterior living
Enjoying time outdoors is a wonderful thing. To have a house that has outdoor recreation areas means having space to play games in the backyard, host barbecues, and form many fond memories. One of the best parts about the outdoor sections of a house is the way they integrate with the inside of a house, and the more flexible and changeable the middle-ground is, the nicer the overall effect. Sometimes it can be hard to work out ways to make one’s outdoor area more indoor-friendly, but not to worry, we’ve created this straightforward
Read moreHouse Inspections: Uncovering Hidden Problems and Potential Solutions
A qualified building inspector often holds certifications from recognized industry bodies, ensuring they follow standard procedures and guidelines. For example, in Australia, inspectors may be licensed by the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) or hold accreditation from the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors. These certifications validate the inspector's expertise and ability to provide a thorough, reliable assessment.
Read moreCan you get a Home Loan with a Bad Credit history?
Debt can sometimes just get out of hand. It’s not necessarily through financial illiteracy, financial mismanagement, excessive risk taking or other nefarious reasons – life just happens. Businesses, for instance, impacted financially by unforeseen events like natural disasters, may fall into this category. These customers may benefit from the net savings made from consolidating various debts into one.
Read moreThe Modern Day Butler’s Pantry
The traditional Butler’s Pantry has evolved over many years from what were a series of rooms such as the scullery, pantry and larder where each stage of food preparation and clean up was conducted. These rooms were eventually condensed into one room being what we would now call a kitchen.
Read moreMaking the most of your pool area
Swimming pools are often the focal points of modern landscape designs. However the areas around them are often overlooked and neglected when it comes to maximising the potential of our backyards.
Read moreHome 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.
Read more