It's the middle of winter - and while those of you up north will wonder what all the noise is about, down here in the southern states the needle's been dropping uncomfortably low recently...
To warm you up, this week we've compiled a gallery showing off some of the most incredible Australian beach houses we've seen. We've got some of the best beaches in the world here, so it stands to reason that we'd have beach houses to match. Hope you enjoy - and please, let us know if you think we've missed one!
Globalisation's pretty much taken for granted these days. Nobody will be surprised to hear that it's often cheaper to build our houses using products and materials manufactured overseas, and that on any number of fronts, Australian businesses often can't compete in terms of price. But price isn't always the best reason to do things, especially when you're talking about something as important as your home.
We don't often focus on interior design and decoration here at BUILD - mostly because half the known internet seems to be dedicated to those topics. Interior design's very important though - and there's far more to it than many people seem to understand. For example: lighting design, safety, ergonomics, energy efficiency, allocation of spaces, and choosing the right materials with the right properties are all essential parts of good interior design. Decoration obviously plays a big role in how comfortable and liveable your house is too...
Thorough planning and preparation will help you avoid most renovation hassles - but there's always some barely-significant thing to overlook when you're renovating. A few millimetres of mis-measurement here, a lapse in judgement there... Anyone who's gone through a rough renovation can testify to this - and sometimes, to just how big and expensive a 'small' problem can become!
We've put together a list of a few of the problems we hear about quite commonly from seasoned renovators - but we'd love to hear yours too.
It's always fascinating - especially when you're travelling - to take a good look at how people build, renovate and decorate their houses in other parts of the world. Especially in places with similar climates, and particularly if you've got the budget and freedom to be a little creative. Attics aren't that popular here, for example - but a properly done attic conversion is a fantastic way to make better use of an otherwise empty space.
There are all sorts of things that go towards the costs of your renovations. While it's definitely far easier (and more peaceful) to have someone else manage everything and work only with nicely bundled sums, if you're on a tight budget and you've got some time to spare there's a whole range of things you can do to put a leash on your expenses. Besides which, getting more involved's pretty damn satisfying...
We've all heard ugly stories about bad experiences with tradies and builders - and given the costs and emotional commitments involved with most home building and reno projects, a little fear's probably sensible. In most cases though, doing your homework, being thorough and checking credentials is all that's needed to avoid grievous disputes.
With the explosion of shows like The Block and The Renovators over the past few years, people have gone nuts for interior decoration and interior design.
If you don't know the difference between an interior designer, architect, interior or stylist, don't worry - it's pretty safe to say you're still in the majority. This week we thought we'd shine a light on these different professionals, and give you an idea of what they specialise in and why.
There's plenty of enthusiasm for ultra energy-efficient houses these days, but people still seem to think that serious efficiency is somehow only for straw-bale neo-hippies running biofuel generators using Alpaca poo. The reality is that truly passive house design's increasingly within reach, and very much worth investigating.
We'd be lying if we said that there's not some truth to the idea that it costs more to have a house designed for you by an architect or building designer. What a lot of people don't really take into account though, is that it's likely to add a considerable amount of value in the long term (both financial and emotional) if it's done well.
This week we thought we'd share some advice about a few of the snazzy new energy- and water-efficiency technologies that have appeared in recent years - many of which lots of people don't seem to know about (or in many cases, just don't know enough about).
They're not necessarily a substitute for clever house design on their own - but using the right sorts of appliances, fittings and materials can still make a colossal difference though, especially in an existing home. A smaller footprint means big savings on bills too, of course...
We all love a bargain - and these days if you're not sniffing around online to compare prices, chances are you're paying above the odds for just about anything. It's also well worth remembering that 'cheap' has two meanings, though... And where building and renovating are concerned, 'cheap' products bought online are often responsible for some colossally expensive problems.
There's been a meteoric rise in apartment living in Australia recently - and as a result, a lot of people are spending an awful lot of time thinking about how to adapt their big lifestyles to smaller living spaces. Sometimes it's a matter of getting smashy and knocking down some walls - other times it's more about arranging things more deliberately.
With temperatures grilling new highs into the record books recently in Australia and predictions of far worse to come, it's strange that more isn't being done to make sure new houses are better suited to our face-melting summers.
We've had flawless weather over the holidays, but in the last week or so the sun's really started to get furious in the southern states. Unless you already live in a passively-cooled wunderhaus, there's a pretty decent chance you're sitting around the house sweating buckets, thinking of ways get cool... and thankfully we've got plenty of those.
There's a certain amount of fantasy involved when you're planning a house - and there's no shortage of fuel for that fire in the form of the house pictures you're likely to see in home mags and blogs. We love great house pics as much as the next person, but it's also interesting to look a little deeper at each picture and ask: 'could I really build that?'
We've taken a look at a few scenarios where it's a bit more complicated than it first seems - would love to hear about your own challenges, gripes or big ambitions.
In the 70's people discovered how seriously dangerous the lead being used in paint actually is. In the 90's the government ran a safety campaign warning people of the dangers of the lead paint that was still on homes - but that's since been well and truly forgotten.
Which is a real shame, because renovation's far more popular than ever - and recent studies indicate that lead paint's way more toxic than anyone first thought...
Reading the semi-pornographic blurbs we often get sent about bathroom fixtures (and kitchen appliances), it's fairly clear why people tend to lose sight of the bigger picture when they're renovating. It's way too easy to lose yourself in beautiful bathroom pictures and develop an unhealthy fixation on design and material choices...
There's an awful lot to be said for uniquely designed houses. These days it's dead easy to pick and build a home directly off the plan, but committing a bit more effort and expense towards getting something that's specifically tailored to suit the plot, the area you're building in, the climate and of course your own (no doubt exquisite) tastes will give you all manner of benefits in the long run. It's also a hell of a lot more satisfying...
As one bright spark recently put it, "it's hard to know what you don't know about" (we'll let that one sink in for a minute). This is especially true for people who are building, renovating or repairing their homes. Planning often doesn't go much further than drooling over pretty pictures on Pinterest or superficial, glossy house mags. Not knowing what your options are leads to confusion, unrealistic expectations and (often) blown budgets.