Innehållsförteckning för May Issue #25.2 från BuildHome

Try before you buy — it makes sense whether you’re choosing a new car, a new pair of shoes or a home design. Display homes are built for just such a purpose, allowing you to experience a wide array of home designs first-hand. You get to walk through the rooms and see how easily the home flows, you can linger in the kitchen and imagine how your family would use it, and you can assess for yourself the quality of the finishes, fittings and appliances. Trying a home on for size can be an important first step in the home-building process and to help you get the most from the experience, we share some helpful tips from the experts. We also called on some leading home builders to talk us…

If you’ve decided to go down the project home route, you can look at homes in glossy brochures or take a virtual tour online, and these are great ways to get an initial sense of whether a design appeals. You can also pore over floor plans on a builder’s website to see what’s located where, but there is no substitute for actually walking through the rooms, getting a sense of how the home flows, or spending time in the lounge area or kitchen and picturing how your family would use these spaces. This is where the display home is an invaluable resource. Trying a home on for size can help you to make a better, more informed decision. “Building a home is one of the biggest investments you’re ever going…

Architecturally designed with family living in mind, this duplex ticks all the boxes. Each dwelling has four bedrooms, abundant storage, alfresco dining and entertaining areas, and thoughtfully designed interior living spaces. While the process for building the duplex was straightforward, given it was new-release land, Charlie Abdul Ahad of Oscar George Projects put considerable thought into the design, selection of materials and how the homes would be used by the young families that continue to flock to Oran Park, one of south-west Sydney’s fastest growing suburbs. “Duplexes and freestanding homes make up the majority of dwellings in Oran Park so it was important that the duplex stood out from surrounding homes while providing the essentials that families moving to the area need,” says Charlie. “The north-facing views of the property…

Awash with sunlight and offering expertly integrated interior and exterior living spaces, Preston House isn’t just tailored to fit the young family of five’s current lifestyle needs. It’s been designed for maximum flexibility, ensuring the spaces will adapt as the children grow. The homeowners are an active family who spend a lot of time outdoors. They also love to entertain and wanted a light-filled home, so these were essential considerations for Lot 1 design, Sydesign and Technique Build who worked together to create this beautiful new two-storey home in Sydney’s inner-west. “Natural light was a big part of the clients’ brief as the home they previously lived in was very dark. Considering this and the site orientation, the architectural concept and design evolved to allow the structure to fold around…

Fondly referred to by the folks at Rosewood Homes as their “Glamptons” design, the Liana is a stylish Hamptons-inspired residence for those who want a little luxury in their lives. The spacious open-plan design and abundance of bedrooms and living space make the Liana as well suited to the growing executive family as it is to those upgrading to their second home. The flexible floor plan also caters to what is an increasing trend, namely, having adult offspring living at home longer or having grandparents live in. Separate living areas, lavish bedrooms, a chic gourmet kitchen with butler’s pantry, an effortless indoor-outdoor transition, plenty of storage and a generous garage capable of accommodating the largest of family cars mark the Liana as the most family-friendly of homes. Add to this…

While a narrow block may pose certain challenges, with the Evoke from Rawson Homes a small-width site is no barrier to having a light and airy home with room for everyone. Suitable for young families, couples planning to have children and those who have extended family to stay, the Evoke offers everything you need, without compromise. What’s more, it’s perfect for empty nesters who are looking to downsize to a single-storey home but still want space for when the kids and grandkids visit. Rawson Homes put a lot of thought into the design of the Evoke. Land costs have risen and as a consequence, developers are offering smaller lot sizes to make building homes more affordable, especially for young families and those trying to enter the property market. The Evoke…

A few years ago, having spent countless weekends attending house auctions in inner Melbourne, Lisa and Jason decided to get off the endless house-hunting merry-go-round. The prices kept going up and up and they had to compromise more and more. Then one weekend, it hit them — why not build one of those “Harkaways” they had admired in the past? Before long, they had bought a knockdown property in a great location in Mont Albert North, 13km east of Melbourne, and were sitting in the showroom at Harkaway Homes’ head office, feeling both nervous and excited about their sudden decision to become owner-builders. Fast-forward to just a year later and they had already moved into their beautiful two-storey Gabled Victorian Traditional home. Lisa and Jason’s house, which offers charm and…

HEAD ON UP THE COAST The Central Coast region of NSW is about to embark on a period of growth, with plans in the pipeline for a new business and retail hub — Warnervale Town Centre. The NSW Government has predicted that by 2031 the Central Coast will have an additional 100,000 residents and the new town centre will play a key role in managing this anticipated growth. Plans are also underway for a new village, earmarked for a currently underdeveloped site close to the yet-to-be-built town centre. Nobbs Radford Architects have been engaged to design the village, which would have 61 dwellings built over 38 separate lots — a mix of freestanding single houses and both attached and detached dual-occupancy dwellings. If the development gets the go-ahead, it might…

As a general rule, “worldly” and “refined” are adjectives rarely attached to the humble barn house, but this family home in Byron Bay is the exception to the rule. Consisting of two dwellings — a main house and a granny flat — set on a sloping block, Byron Bay Barns is the brainchild of Tim Sharpe, who owns both the property and Sharpe Design Construct, a professional home-building company. Cocooned within a setting of lofty hoop trees and magnificent pillar rock, both structures provide a strong indoor-outdoor connection that suits the subtropical coastal lifestyle of northern NSW — and they offer a host of intriguing design features. The pitched gable roofs are clad in spangled galvanised steel, a first in Australian architecture and an example of Tim’s keen eye for…

EXPERT TIP: Take your design inspiration from your surroundings. This home proves that the best influences are very often those that are right in front of your eyes. For this family of five, creating a home where they could make lasting memories was of utmost importance. But they didn’t want to do it just anywhere. A good location was key, and luckily for Steven, his wife and their three young boys they found this magnificent plot in Sydney’s north which provided something to write home about. At first glance, though, the site wasn’t exactly ideal. It features steep bushland, lots of rock ledges and a 12m cross fall over the build area, which meant water and gradient issues. But, as it turns out, these challenges also presented an opportunity to…

Inspired by the luxury homes that dot the southern shores of Long Island in New York — better known as The Hamptons — the architect-designed Boston 36 from Clarendon Homes is an abode of superlative style. Not only does it boast four bedrooms and three bathrooms, making it ideal for the larger family, its sympathetic but edgy approach to using Hamptons-inspired materials and detailing ensures the Boston 36 stands out against its competitors. First impressions count and from the moment you spy the facade, with its complementary mix of materials in a colour palette of soft white and grey, a feeling of relaxation washes over you. The sensation is enhanced when you step into the entry, where detailed timber ceilings provide visual warmth and a feeling of tranquillity, and the…

As your family grows your day-to-day needs begin to change so a home that can adapt as you evolve is essential. The two-storey Alara from King Homes NSW is just such a home, ticking the boxes for flexibility, space, openplan living and a family-friendly lifestyle. “The Alara has been designed with the modern, growing family in mind which is why it provides plenty of space to allow family members to spread out around the home,” says Mark King, director of King Homes NSW. “It’s also a home that makes it easy to gather as a family or to entertain. The back of the Alara has a great open-plan layout between the dining, kitchen and living spaces which flows straight into the outdoor entertaining area. We also added a servery window…

By considering a modular solution for their new home, a young working family now has all they were looking for, and more, in a family abode — all wrapped up in a stylish, contemporary package. This was the third time the family had undergone the building process — and it was by far the least stressful for them. They’d previously renovated, then built a project home and were slugged with surprise additional costs and a lengthy, complicated build process. In choosing a modular build, they were delighted with the entire process, from the easy intial design stage right through to the quick turnaround and hassle-free construction phase, which meant they were enjoying their new residence a whole lot sooner. The homeowners wanted a coastal feel, including high ceilings, light interiors…

What happens when most people plan to build a new home is that they buy a vacant block of land and then search for a house design — something that looks good and suits their lifestyle. In other words, their dream home. This process can, however, be fraught with danger, unless you know what to look out for. “In far too many cases, a house design that appears to be terrific may not actually be well suited to the buyer’s needs at all, nor their block of land. In fact, without modification, the dwelling could end up costing them a small fortune in on-going energy bills as they strive to stay comfortable all year round — this is why site orientation is so important,” says Ian Fry, principal of Frys…

If you’ve outgrown your home but you love the location, the kids are settled at the local school and you have family and friends living nearby, you won’t want to move. You could renovate or extend your home, or you could knock it down and build a new one. “When you like the area you live in, a knockdown-rebuild is a path to a better house in the community that you have come to know and love. It presents the opportunity to upgrade your lifestyle, use the equity in your existing home, and have a blank canvas to build your dream home,” says Craig Moore, general manager of Rawson Homes. “The result is a new, modern home, built on your own land and designed to suit your needs, now and…

From the timeless traditional exterior to the dateless — and decidedly glamorous — interior, this elegant two-storey residence in the northern Sydney suburb of Beecroft is a true classic. Custom designed and built by Young Homes for a working couple with two school-aged children, this home is the perfect fit in every way. It has the style the family loves, caters to all their lifestyle needs and looks right at home amid the neighbouring properties. “The clients had visited our display home, The Platinum, in Kellyville and been impressed by what they saw. They had also seen photos of another home we had built previously. This was in a classical style which they really liked,” says Dean Young, director of Young Homes. “We designed for them a home with an…

A great deal can happen in 90-plus years, and for a 1920s California bungalow located on Sydney’s lower North Shore, it was high time for an update, courtesy of Utz-Sanby Architects. The clients wanted a comfortable family house with all the trimmings — think open-plan living spaces, plenty of natural light and a generous garden — and that’s what they got. In original condition, the residence sat on a block with a gentle slope and a well-established garden filled with tall eucalypts and a spectacular crepe myrtle tree, providing a seasonal flourish of pink blooms. Having worked with the family on a previous house, Utz-Sanby Architects was wellversed when it came to the clients’ sense of style. “This is the second time we have designed for these clients, who have…

After a long and successful career, the time had come for an established businesswoman to contemplate retirement. In preparation for such a major lifestyle change, she decided to downsize to a single-storey abode near the beach — namely, Forresters Beach on the NSW Central Coast. The brief she gave to Bellmarch Homes was very specific. To begin with, the home had to integrate a separate self-contained living area for her matureage son. As for the main dwelling, it was to be modern, have an open-plan design, emphasise entertaining and offer an indoor-outdoor lifestyle. Importantly, the owner wanted to ensure natural light was captured in the main living areas by taking full advantage of the northerly aspect. “At Bellmarch we employ in-house architects, so the client was welcomed to our head…

If what you desire is a home that brings a smile to your face every time you pull up in the driveway, one that’s perfect for a coastal location or a knockdown-rebuild project in an established suburb where traditional homes rule the roost, Rawson Homes’ Kymira 36 is it. But it’s not just the beautiful Hamptons-style design that impresses — it’s the open-plan layout, large interior spaces and seamless indoor-outdoor connection that make this home as suited to a growing family with young children as it is to more established families looking to upgrade to their second or third home. “The exterior is Hamptons inspired with a coastal feel, which can be seen in the crisp white walls, contrasting large black-trimmed windows and typical Hamptons cladding,” says Nadia Fitzgerald, senior…

Boasting a contemporary, cutting-edge design, The Aurora from Buildcraft Constructions is a bold and breathtaking home that pushes the boundaries of design and construction. Located within the HomeQuest Display Village in Kellyville, north-west of Sydney, this striking two-storey home showcases the expertise of Buildcraft, a well-established, multi-awardwinning family-owned business specialising in high-quality custom homes at an affordable price. In designing The Aurora, the main goal was to create a flexible and stylish home to suit the needs of the modern Australian family. As such, it had to be able to provide for a family’s needs as they changed and evolved over the years. Just as important was a design that would never date. In meeting this brief, the architectural elements of the house were allowed to shine in their own…

One of the first things people tend to ask when they begin to research the possibilities for building a kit home in Queensland, Victoria, NSW and other parts of Australia, is why they should opt for a steel-frame kit home as opposed to a timber-framed project-built home or contractor’s spec home. Well, there are a great many reasons. In addition to being very affordable, steel-frame kit homes offer a variety of advantages to homeowners, both during the initial build process and in the years that follow. Here, PAAL Kit Homes discusses some of the many benefits that a kit home built using steel has over other types of residential dwellings. NO WASTED MATERIALS When you have a home custom built, the contractor will estimate how much of each material he…

Choosing the right designer for your project is arguably the most important step when planning a new kitchen or bathroom. Before you start looking for a designer, however, it’s important to understand the various stages of design and construction. THE DESIGN PROCESS Concept design is the first phase of the design process, when broad outlines of your project are defined, ideas are brainstormed, and various options are explored. Investing some energy, time and money into this stage will help you approach the rest of the project with confidence. After working with your designer, you may decide you’re ready to go, or you may want to hold back and save a little extra cash to complete the project of your dreams. The Kitchen and Bathroom Designers Institute (KBDi) has many members…