Author: CVG (Page 5 of 8)

Luxurious Verandah

How to Have a Truly Luxurious Verandah

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On October 6, 2013

In Building & Construction

The typical verandah or patio is a rectangular extension along the back or side of the house that allows you to enjoy a place of relaxation without going outside. Since it is completely roofed over and attached to the house, it becomes part of the house but still allows you to step out into fresh air without being ‘outside’ as it were.

Some people break with the traditional idea of the verandah and create an outdoor space that is truly luxurious, being much larger than the usual long, narrow area. If you choose to install composite decking, the result can make a stunning addition to the home that is both exotic and beautiful. Here’s how to do it.

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Outdoor Living Is Not Living Outdoors!

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On October 3, 2013

In Outdoor Living

Australians love to enjoy the great outdoors, often without going any further from home than the back deck or patio. Outdoor living is not the same thing as living outdoors; the latter requires putting up with the extremes of climate we experience in this country, not to mention the numerous biting things and of course, the need to find adequate sanitary arrangements.

You don’t need to call the removalists because you can enjoy the sun and the seasons within the comfortable confines of your own home or apartment with just a little outlay of cash and a lot of time and effort spent figuring out exactly what you want to achieve. For some, it is simply a place to set up the BBQ and perhaps a table and chairs under a large umbrella while other people might prefer a purpose built BBQ facility with entertainment deck and weather proof overhead protection from sun and rain.

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Avoid Kitchen Design Mistakes

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On September 1, 2013

In Cabinets

Avoid These Kitchen Design Mistakes

Although your kitchen style comes down to individual preference, and there are certainly no hard and fast rules about what’s right and wrong, there are certainly some traits that are often thought of as undesirable when it comes to kitchen design. This is of particular significance to think about if you believe you may sell your home at some point in future, but also for practicality reasons. What may look good on paper or in theory, may not necessarily be practical in reality.

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Designing a Relaxing Bedroom Retreat

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On August 10, 2013

In Architecture & Design, Interior Design

The bedroom is often the last place people pay attention to when designing or renovating a home. Far too many bedrooms wind up being uninspiring boxes with little to no architectural details or features that make them stand out. A good bedroom or master suite is far more than just a room with a bed in it. Any well-designed bedroom should be functional and peaceful, which takes a lot more planning than you might imagine. Your bedroom should be a place where you enjoy spending time at the end of a long day. Here are some design features you should think about when designing a beautiful and functional master bedroom.

Storage: The number one feature that people look for in a bedroom aside from size is how much storage the room has. Having plenty of space for clothes, shoes, and accessories is a must have. While not everyone needs or wants a large walk-in closet, it is still important to have a place where you can keep your clothes neatly tucked away. Make sure your remodelling plan has enough room to keep all the clothes you own right now, as well as a bit of room to grow for the years to come. The more storage you have, the more attractive your bedroom will be at resale, provided the storage is well designed and doesn’t detract from the feel of your room.

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Make Your Home Eco-Friendly with a Rainwater Tank

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On June 27, 2013

In Building & Construction

There are many good reasons to make your home more environmentally friendly. Generally, taking steps to improve the eco-friendliness of your home will save you money in the long run, allowing you to reduce your consumption and resource usage. Installing a rainwater collection tank to catch the rain falling off your roof is one way to do such that. With warmer summers, less rainfall, and higher populations, having enough clean water is becoming more of a pressing issue.

The government is starting to restrict water usage in high priority areas. The Water Corporation is also launching a campaign alongside swimming pool builders to help home-owners find ways to reduce their water consumption by 60 litres a day per person. It is possible to use less water without having to alter the way you live, and a rainwater tank is one great way to do just that.

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Buying Your Own Home?

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On June 19, 2013

In Maintenance, Property Investment

Everyone needs somewhere to call home, a place of their own and whether you buy or rent, you want to be comfortable, safe and enjoy spending time there. While there are some people who prefer being on the move, living out of suitcases in hotel after hotel most people like to have a home of their own. It doesn’t need to be a mansion with a home lift – even if that is their own caravan, motorhome or live aboard boat, the common denominator is that it is theirs.

In some European and many Asian, African and Latin American countries, renting is more common than home ownership. Germany for example has only 42% of the population owning their own homes and countries like India, China, Argentina, Chile, South Africa have even fewer home owners. The tenancy laws in some of these countries often favour the tenant and ensure long term security in ways that make renting a far more attractive proposition than owning your own home. In others it is because there is a higher percentage of very poor people.

While tenants don’t have the ongoing expense of property maintenance and expenses such as rates or adding tenant requested items such as security alarms and doors and flyscreens, they also don’t enjoy the capital gains that accrue from property ownership. In these markets, rents are usually far less than mortgage payments and renters can invest their extra cash in various ways to make up for not having bricks and mortar behind them.

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Kitchen Cabinets – They’re Just Boxes, Aren’t They?

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On June 8, 2013

In Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets aren’t just boxes, they are an important part of the kitchen. Great kitchens are made up of four things:

– The cabinets, drawers and doors
– The bench top
– The tiles, floor and wall
– The appliances and lighting

When choosing the components of a kitchen, too often the cabinets are thought of only as the doors and handles, or drawer fronts and handles. The fact is, the sides, bottoms, tops and backs are important, too.

Lower cost or budget kitchens will save money in a couple of ways, one of which is to have no back to the cabinets. Afterall they will be fixed to the walls so the wall will form the backing plate. Sadly, the gap between the wall and the frame of the cabinet can offer ingress for cockroaches and other undesirables. Not only that, opening the cupboard door and seeing raw wall behind the crockery doesn’t enhance the experience when exploring your newly installed kitchen.

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Easy Home Improvement Projects to do on the Weekend

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On June 1, 2013

In Building & Construction

Most people put off home improvement including landscaping like new garden rebuilds or internal renovations as long as possible because they are afraid of it being a long and drawn out process that never seems to end. Homeowners looking to make a dramatic impact on their home without investing a great deal of time or money should consider doing a small weekend project themselves. It is amazing how big of an impact even a small renovation project can have on your home. You will enjoy the updated look, the added function, and the satisfaction of knowing you did the work yourself. Here are just a few projects that you can tackle on a weekend off.

Spice Up Your Kitchen

If you spend a lot of time in your kitchen cooking or spending time with the family, then why not take a weekend to give it a face-lift. Replacing a kitchen from top to bottom will cost $10,000 and up, but you don’t have to spend that kind of money to get a fresh new look. You can easily make a dramatic impact by choosing a new paint colour, installing a new back-splash,  or even just replacing the cabinet and drawer handles.

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Hiring What You Need

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On May 18, 2013

In Equipment Hire

Watching those renovation shows on TV I often notice how they always have the right gear to get the job done with; something many DIYers seem to ignore. The simple truth of the matter is that you can’t do the job if you haven’t got the right tools. I know the old saying, “a poor workman blames his tools” but if the tool isn’t doing the job, or you are making do with a tool not designed for the task at hand then you are on a hiding to nowhere, as we say in the trade.

Speaking of the trade, tradesmen such as fencing contractors or window installers know the tools they need to get a professional job done. Knowing you need a left-handed, metric thingameedoo and having one at hand are two different things altogether. Often the cost of buying the tool is prohibitive, even for tradies. For a home renovator who might use it once and then never again, puling out hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars simply isn’t going to happen.

Which is where equipment hire companies step in and provide a very worthwhile and much needed service. They carry just about any tool or piece of equipment you will ever need for any size job. They make most of their money serving the trade, from handy men doing similar sized jobs as your DIY project to multi-national construction companies making everything from skyscrapers to new motorways.

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cvg.net.au home-will-cool-colorbond-roof

Why Your Home will be Cool with a Colorbond Roof

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On May 1, 2013

In Building & Construction

Some people may wonder if their home will be cool with Colorbond roofing. After all, it is thin steel sheeting and that may seem as if it will be hot. However, there are several reasons why this will not be the case. A Colorbond roof is indeed, quite cool and can even save you a great deal on the cost of cooling and heating over the lifetime of your home.

For a start, Thermatech Solar Reflectance Technology, the special technology that is now used when painting the colours onto the steel in the factory, actually reflects the sun’s rays rather than absorbing them. There are only two colours that don’t do this; Colorbond stainless steel that is not painted at all and Night Sky, which is black.  And not many people would want to have a black roof, anyway. Even the other, darker colours reflect the sun’s heat well. When something reflects the sun’s rays, it also reflects the heat away from the surface, making it cooler.

This not only makes your home more comfortable, it saves on the cost of air-conditioning because there will be many days that you won’t feel the need for it. The cooling effect of Thermatech technology is a lot less in the winter because the sun is lower in the sky, changing the angle of the sun to the roof. Also, the days are shorter and often they are overcast, so your home remains warmer rather than cooler.

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