Tips for building a new home

Gone are the days of painting a feature wall in the living area of your new home. Beautiful designer wallpaper looks much more sensational. Papering walls rather than painting them adds richness, texture and depth in a way paint can never match. Wallpaper can be compared to a piece of artwork for a room. Wallpaper should not just be limited to the living areas either. It adds a sense of luxury to the bedroom, where dark moody colours and deep
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Solar power is one of the most efficient ways to comply with state government energy efficiency regulations which were introduced in 2011. More than 95% of Berstan Homes’ clients choose a solar water heating system over a rainwater tank for toilet flushing when they build their new home. The requirement to have one or the other is part of the 6 Star Standards which aligns to the Building Code of Australia’s national energy efficiency measures. The regulations also include a
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You’ve moved into your shiny new home, built by the nice people at Berstan Homes. Now it's time to organise the kitchen and fill up the pantry. Modern kitchens which are part of a larger family room or living area may not be as big as traditional kitchens which had a room of their own. New streamlined kitchens often sacrifice cupboard space for breakfast bars or larger appliances, and your new pantry may be smaller than the previous one. So
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The days of large backyards in a new house build are over. Blocks of land are getting smaller, and dual occupancy and duplexes on the same block are more common as land prices increase and urban sprawl continues. Even knockdown rebuilds often reduce the size of the backyard as home owners re-prioritise their leisure time and maintenance demands. If gardening is your passion but you don’t want to be a slave to weeding all weekend, it is possible to have
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Many of our clients have been asking lately about the extra costs for under mounted sinks. Builders charge more for these installations due to the extra works involved. The under mount sinks cost between $400-$500 in comparison to the standard surface mounted sink which costs around $280. The other extra cost is the cutting and finishing of the stone which can range from $500 to $800.  So you should expect to pay around an extra $820+ for an under mount sink.
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Are you in your thirties with a family and still renting? Do you feel home ownership is out of your grasp because of the current high price of houses? It is possible to save money when entering the home market by choosing a new home build in Melbourne. You get exactly what you want with a brand-new house by Berstan Homes. There is also a substantial saving on stamp duty when you buy land rather than an existing house. First
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With so many homes being built fast and cheaply these days, we are often spotting design oversights that can really effect the quality of a home. For example Standalone baths look fantastic but can take up a lot of room. Many builders solve this problem by building the baths very close to walls. It might make the bathroom look bigger but they are nearly impossible to clean behind, especially a water spillage. Any water that is not removed will ultimately
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Having double glazing installed is one of the key ways of achieving cheaper energy bills. Double glazing not only reduces your energy bills but also provides a more comfortable and quieter home with fewer condensation problems and heightened security. As much as 50% of the heat lost from your home is through windows. This could cost you hundreds of extra dollars every year in heating and cooling bills. Double glazing is extremely energy efficient, cutting these heat losses by up
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A new product to make laying tiles level is on the market and watching one of our tilers the other day with a tiling aid. The aid is a levelling clip and what a great idea they have been around since 2014 known as the Tuscan Seam clip and what a system it is. When butting the tiles up you place a clip under the tile and then press the clip together, this then forces the tiles to become even
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Berstan Homes uses and recommends Jet Master gas fires in all their homes. Yes, they may cost a little more than some but you get what you pay for. With so many cheap imported models flooding the market it's great to know you can invest in a Jet Master fire and know it will outlast the rest.
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