If you’ve been touring homes for sale, you might find yourself asking plenty of questions about how you might change them to better suit your style. For example, what would it take to add another bathroom? Why did the seller choose those cabinets and that flooring for the kitchen? Could the deck be converted to …
When it’s time to sell, every homeowner wants to get the most out of their home. Buyers like to see renovations, updated decor and new gadgets during viewings, but which improvements are worth the cost and will deliver the greatest return on investment? This guide collects everything you need to know into four simple steps: …
Your home equity is the portion of your home that you own, calculated by subtracting your mortgage balance from the home’s market value. For example, say your home is worth $250,000, and you owe $150,000 on your mortgage. If you’re looking to take out a home equity loan or line of credit, it’s good to …
Your home renovation must meet basic requirements for health, safety and structural soundness as set out by the Building Code of Australia. Beyond this, the permit process ensures that your plans are in line with other local government requirements, such as planning regulations and environmental or heritage requirements. Generally, approval is required for renovations that …
When homebuyers come to the real estate market, many are conflicted about buying an established home or building their dream home from scratch. There are a series of pros and cons with both options, and making a decision will ultimately come down to your personal preferences, budget and needs. An established home is one that …
Many analogies have been used to describe the professional builder: the conductor of an orchestra, the ship captain, and even a general executing a military campaign. The point is that the builder is the one who must coordinate the innumerable players and products needed to transform a set of two-dimensional drawings into a finished home. …
If you don’t like a specific musical style, the theatre bores you, or you’re not attracted to works of art, you can almost always avoid them. Architecture, however, is different. A poorly thought-out project will affect the lives of many people consistently and for a long time. With interiors, this effect is even more amplified. …
The Greeks believed in beauty so much that they made a word to describe the same- ‘esthetics’. The word went through many different variations, and today it came to be known as aesthetics. Aesthetics is concerned with beauty and appearance. We try to maintain these aesthetics in our lives and our surroundings, and it also …
Searching for a house plan that meets your lifestyle and needs may seem overwhelming, but knowing what to look for from the start can help you be successful. When choosing your home design, it’s important to pick one that not only meets your individual needs but also considers your building lot, natural landscape, and whether …
Design and build is a term that explains a procurement route in which a company is hired to design and construct a client’s project. The traditional procurement route would see a client hire consultants to design the project’s development and then hire a contractor to build the project based on the client’s wants and needs. …