Roofing Tiles – An Important Inclusion by New Home Builders in Melbourne

Selecting the right building material for your new home is an essential thing that cannot be overlooked. Picking up the right roofing material within your budget is important for the overall appearance of the house. Here are some of the top choices to consider for your roof top -

• Terracotta Tiles - One of the most preferred choice for rooftops in Melbourne is terracotta tiles. These tiles continue to hold their aesthetic appearance for decades and demand negligible maintenance. These tiles are crafted from natural clays, extremely durable with extraordinary strength. These tiles are weather resistant too, thus offering a good amount of heat reflection during summers and retention when its winter, keeping your home at even temperature in both the seasons. Terracotta tiles are the most common choice of new home builders in Melbourne.

• Slate Tiles - Slate tiles is another popular option when it comes to roof tiles, it is one of the long lasting roofing material available in the market. If you want to give your home a traditional look then terracotta tiles are the best option and if you want to give your designer home in Melbourne a contemporary look then slate is the best option, it is available in wide range of colours from classy Black and Grey to vibrant green, red and purple. One major benefit with slate tiles is, they are fire proof, thus it saves you from any kind of fireworks, wildfires or any adjacent house fire.

• Metals - Metal is fast becoming a popular roofing choice, for more and more new home builders in Melbourne. Metals such as galvanized iron, copper and zinc along with steel are widely used in the roof construction material. It is also believed that metal roofs can lower energy bill to some extent. Other advantage with slate roofs is, they are built to last at least a century.

• Bitumen Shingles - Bitumen shingle tiles is a relatively new concept in Australia and is a great alternative to traditional roofing. These tiles are made up of an asphalt base, topped with a shingle and attached to a wooden frame. These tiles come in wide range and colours, are light weight and flexible, and has excellent storm-proofing material. Due to its unique appearance coupled with long lasting quality, these tiles have become a most preferred option of custom builders in Melbourne.

House & Land Packages in Melbourne. Let’s know the Pros & Cons of it.

If you are not too keen on building a new house or buying an older home and then renovating it, in that case, taking a house and land package is an attractive alternative. There are many positive reasons for buying a house and land packages. However, there are some pitfalls too. So, before you invest in a house and land package, here are pros and cons of same.

Majority of Melbourne home builders have bought land in the outskirts of popular metropolitan areas and have developed off the plan houses to prospective buyers, giving them a set of benefits.

 The Pros

• When you are looking for a house & land package in Melbourne, you can find great options as per your budget from a modest one-storey home to a classy two-storey designer home.

• Buyers are given a detailed house plans with minutest of the details, saving the hassle and cost of hiring an architect.

• Saves huge amount of your money on stamp duty and overall a simplified council approval process.

• Flexibility to customize your house as per your lifestyle and tastes including room configurations, interior fittings and other decorative features.

• Provision of financial institutions to assist buyers with financing.

The Cons

• Like any other business, land & house development, it is a profit-driven business wherein developers look for smart ways to maximize their profits and this is achieve in a variety of ways:

• Developers purchase land in the outskirts of cities, the price is cheaper and certainly has less value from the selling point of view too.

• They generally buy construction material in bulk or at times compromise with the quality too.

• You may find, that your house & land package is located at a distant location, from majority of important places including School, Hospital, Shopping malls and other amenities.

Before, making an investment in the house & land package in the Melbourne, ensure that everything is included in your contract or itemized in your quote from lighting switches to flooring or material used in the house, go through the details before you sign a contract. You can also hire an independent building consultant that can assist you in complete evaluation of the house before you commit to any package.

Zing up a Living Room with Personal Touch

In order to bring a room to life, there are numerous variety and range of accessories and fixtures available out there in markets. Ranging from few dollars to thousands, these additions can be a matter of personal taste and choice. A custom designed home or a luxury home, the choice and needs would certainly be different. However, there are certain building blocks that can surely make your room more inviting and comfortable.

Here are top four options to lift your living room décor and style -

• Comfortable Seating - Living room is a place where we spend most of our time, where most of the casual family gathering also takes place in the evening or over weekends. So make sure your room offers comfortable seating place, functional seating is an essential part of any living room. You can place seating pieces in your room where your friends and guests can relax; there are numerous seating options available from a comfortable couch to classy anchor seating, from cute loveseat to contemporary sectionals. Pick the one that fits the theme and tone of the room.

• Occasional Tables - Keep side tables, coffee tables, oversized ottomans they look fun and are functional too. Depending upon the available space in the room you can keep tables that suits style of your room. For instance, you can go for contemporary two-tiered coffee tables, if you host lot of casual coffee meetings with your friends and if your priority is storage then go for side tables with ample storage space for keeping books, games and other things.

• Personal Treasure - Your living room should reflect your personality and taste. To give it a personal touch, place lot of things that enthuse life into the living room like framed photographs over wall or side tables, any paintings or art work you have made or gifted by a friend or store bought these small details add warmth in the room and make it more welcoming.

• Candles - Candles look beautiful and add colour and freshness in the room. Display some on side table or coffee table, shelves or in case you have mantel then it is the perfect place to keep fancy candles. Depending upon your personal taste, you can keep candles in different colours, fun shapes, sizes, scented candles are another great idea, they spread aroma and create a refreshing and relaxing environment in the room.

Factors to Consider for Choosing a Location When Buying or Building a Home

Building a home is a lifetime investment and before you invest your hard-earned money, thus, it is important to consider various factors that can be of great importance and guide you in your decision making process.

Geographic Location –

When building a custom designed home, geographic location is of great importance, as location will have great impact on your overall lifestyle. If you are planning to stay in this home for a longer time then be careful about geographic location, research about the average home prices in that area, proximity to places that matter to you like a club you are member of, proximity to friends and family, Overall standing of the location in the region. 

City Life vs. Suburb –

Depending upon your preference, you can narrow down your options whether you want a city life or suburb is your first choice. Depending upon the location, there will be differentiation in the prices of various houses you will see. A house at a prominent location, facing the beach is going to cost you more than other.

Neighbourhood –

However, we all have a busy life style these days but importance of good neighbourhood cannot be overlooked. Within a particular area you will find, different types of neighbourhood and you will like to settle at the one that is closes fit to your life style and personality so that you easily get along with your neighbours.

Safety –

Safety is another top consideration when selecting a location. You would like to settle in a area where you can have a peaceful life rather than having a lavish home in an area where crime rate is higher and you don’t feel safe and fear every moment being victimized.

Proximity –

Depending upon your family needs you can decide the proximity to various locations like if you have kids then how close or far is the school or if you are planning to change then kind of schools in that district, proximity to other places like medical services, your work place, shopping and entertainment centres etc.


If possible, seek help from a custom home builder who possess rich experience in designing, developing and delivering quality construction as per your needs.

An Architect or a Building Designer! Which is a Better Option?

Whether you are building your new home in Australia or undertaking a major renovation to your current home, in both cases, you will need either an architect or a building designer. These words are most often used interchangeably; however, there is a significant difference between the two.

Let us have a look at the work portfolio and services of both.

The Architect

As per the Australian rules, an architect must complete the following criteria:

• A formal degree is required in Architecture
• Need an official registration with the state-based architecture board
•  To be a registered architect, all valid insurances are must

Even if they have all formal degrees and training, they need registrations in order to advertise their services as an architect.

A Building Designer

In case of luxury home builders in Melbourne Australia, they do not have to adhere to similar laws as for architects. However, there are certain things to check such as whether the building designer you selected is a member of BDA (Building Designer Association) or HIA (Housing Industry Association). Such home builders are considered more credible and are likely to be updated about latest laws and rules.

So, which is a better option? An Architect or a Building Designer?

Selecting between an architect or building designer can more be a matter of personal preference as both are can be judged based on their expertise, experience and merits. Whether you select an authentic architect or home builders in Melbourne, make sure to have a look at their previous work history,  testimonials, credentials, satisfied customers, accomplishments, present projects they have undertaken etc. Make sure they are not handling too many projects at the same time and are equally enthusiastic about your project as you are.

Getting started on your home building project is a big expense, so make sure you do a thorough research in the market before finalizing a builder or architect.



 

Living in Melbourne! Looking for Home Extension! This guide will help you to effectively plan and consider key things before you start

The extension of home will allow you to add extra space in your existing property without following the provision to sell it, in order to move to some other location. It is also important that the extension compliments the existing interiors as well as the exterior of the house and utilize the space in an efficient manner.

Custom Builders in Melbourne are the experts in extension and renovation of homes. However, before assigning the task to any particular builder, you should consider the following points in order to add perfect space to your dwelling.

• Home extension builders in Melbourne must be registered and possess a valid license to enhance the building projects.
• Ensure that the builder you select is experienced in this field and every member of the team should be skilled to deal with any type of situation in an effective manner.
• The contractor you consider to hire must not be embarrassed to answer queries that may arise before or during the time of extension and open to give reference to their previous work experience.
• He or she should be capable of handling legal formalities related to the permits that covered under building association.
• Before assigning the task to any builder, make sure that you thoroughly check what comes with the contract and must have an idea about the overall cost involved.

If you are considering for a home extension, it is recommended to make draft a plan so that the whole process flows in a smooth manner.

The process of extending and existing area of your home is now become a necessity in order to fit with family growth or as a part of the home improvement process. So hiring a right company will make the whole process manageable. You can find the builders through an online search as most of the companies have listed complete details of their services on their official website as well as business directories and local classified listings.