Depending on the kitchen design a very helpful addition to the alfresco dining experience is the inclusion of a servery window. Having a window from kitchen to alfresco is an easy and inexpensive add-on to most homes.
With the servery window open it allows the kitchen and alfresco to become one area with ease of serving meals, drinks and helps create a great area for both living and entertaining.
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Tips for building a new home
New Home Builder
Thursday, October 16, 2014
New Home Builder
At Berstan we are supplying Parador German made laminated floor as a standard feature to all main areas. With over fifteen different styles to choose from our supplier and installer Carpet Call is looking forward to the new product range.
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Laundry design problems
Monday, October 13, 2014
I have been looking at so many designs lately and noticing that the laundries are so small. How anybody is going to be able to comfortably do any work in them is beyond me.
Most of our designs and in particular all the custom designs we do have a good size working laundry. We find that most of our clients complain about current designs on the market and they have issues with the workability of the area. A good size bench area is a
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Invest in property
Saturday, October 04, 2014
When looking for a new home as an investment property the key train of thought should on facilities. What is located close to the new home or what will be coming to the area in close proximity to that new home?
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Home finance
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
What a broad item to discuss, many younger clients come to us with ideas of buying properties well beyond their means and this can lead to many problems. Most want their big dream home first off without really being able to afford it so the finance is tailored to suit their payment capabilities at the moment.
All people know that circumstances can change so quickly from there being a duel income to a single income overnight. I suggest to my
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Interest rates
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Interest rates are at all-time lows and now are the time to take advantage and lock in a good rate. Buying an investment property is a great way to grow personal wealth and save on your tax.
Buying a new home is also a great way to save on stamp duty because when building a new home you only pay stamp duty on the land.
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Fall protection on site
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
Do you need to have any fall protection if you work on a roof?
All of our sites have fall protection to protect roofing contractors and all other trades from falling off the roof.
See photos for the fall protection now used and should be used on all sites to protect workers from falls. When I did my building apprenticeship in the 70's, we had no fall protection and many building contractors had falls from roofs.
Lucky that nowadays
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Wall framing temporary bracing
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
A client asked me a question last weekend how do you stop the wall frames from falling over?
Temporary bracing is the answer and these braces take the up any movement in the structure until the permanent bracing can be secured.
See photo of the temporary bracing and you will see the bracing is at 90 degrees to the wall framing creating the support.
The weight of the wall is transferred to the foundation with the frame sitting on the
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Buying a knock down rebuild site
Thursday, July 24, 2014
What to look for when buying a knock down rebuild site costs:
The construction of two double storey homes around 25 square each.
The cost of the two homes would be around $650 to $700k including subdivision, surveying, design, demolition, planning, engineering, soil testing and all fees from start to finish.
Some areas you should be looking at are Doncaster, Blackburn, Vermont, Donvale, Ringwood, Reservoir is also worth a look.
Size of land would need to be minimum 750m/2 plus.
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How solar hot water systems work?
Thursday, July 17, 2014
First cold water is pumped through the roof panels, and is heated by the sun. The heated water then returns to the tank, and is stored for later use.
At night (or especially on cold days) the gas or electric booster makes sure the water is heated to a usable temperature.
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