Outdoor areas is shrinking as sites become smaller and closer. It becomes vital that we use every inch or our expensive land and design our gardens as efficiently as possible to assist in the comfort, privacy and appeal of our homes.
This should be thought through at plan stage. We will know on site where the sun will be hot or low and in what seasons so we can benefit from pre-planning our gardens if not pre-planting as the construction of the house moves on. An ideal block has a long side to the north with the plan showing the living areas along this side. Ideally we have the main out door fresh air “rooms” this side too. Establishing deciduous trees along this boundary will shade the living and out door rooms in summer when the trees are covered in leaves. In winter when the canopy is twigs the lower sun can easily stretch into the home for FREE heating! “What to do with an avalanche of autumn leaves?” I hear you say. “Easy!” I say “Compost!”. Kitchen scraps and oak leaves are fabulous for composting down to rich loam which is so good for gardens generally but vegetable gardens especially. Along the south side of your home from where the worst wet and windy weather comes, thick, evergreen shrubs will protect and buffer the wind and rain assisted by the eaves in protecting the home. Eaves are valuable at protecting windows, walls and doors. The length of the eaves on the north side of the home calculated correctly will allow the sun's entry into the living rooms in winter and stop the sun short of the sills in summer. Perfect efficiency! Gardens can provide us protection to walkways by using arbours, can, of course, provide flower decorations for interiors and as gifts, vegetables with travel distances calculated in millimeters which ensures the freshness and health benefits are intensified enormously. It is a very therapeutic occupation to spend time gardening, especially for children who not only benefit from the fresh air, they need to know where our food comes from and they will build immunities through contact with soils, plants and bugs. By taking time at planning and thinking stage the garden can be created to be of huge benefit to the comfort, efficiency and production of your home. Laying out the beds with rich loam after house construction has finished will give the best start. Adding compost and mulch occasionally will ensure only a small amount of time will be required to water and maintain the plots but the profits of enjoyment and production will be wonderful!
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Now days the average Australian house is 231 m2. What can you build into that size I hear you ask and well you might.
At nearly 25 squares of the old size, based on 10 ft x 10 ft = one square, this is a generous space. Usually this is the measure of the internal area of the house, not counting a double garage (add 40 m2) Nor verandahs or alfresco which might be any size you like but usually around a generous 40 m2 again. Into 25 squares can fit good sized rooms: living, family, meals, kitchen, laundry, three bedrooms or fourth/study and two bathrooms. This might sound normal until you hear that we have doubled that size since 1960's. How often does one hear the cry of “Seven grew up in a two bedroom house with my bedroom the built in veranda. And we only had one bathroom!" We do not want to go back to that. Nor do we want to have a small footprint of house with numerous pokey rooms. I remember the toilet off the laundry one end of the house and bathroom (shower over the bath) the other. Even as a child I was aware of this inconvenience. Long after the very sad time of loosing our beloved cat, I could not enter the laundry without slowly opening the door a tiny crack for fear of puss leaping out and getting nicely lost in the house in a much more comfortable sleeping place! And the laundry “design” was foolish too! Now: this 25 sq. house they say costs average $2,300 per year to run: heat, cool, water, power gas etc. Passive solar design can put a dint in that firstly by choosing the correct site. Secondly by thoughtful placement of rooms, doors and windows, length of eaves, materials, colours and garden planting. This should all be meticulously planned before turning soil. Placing the living rooms on a long north facing side of a site with larger windows, having long eaves to protect the windows from summer sun, creates a great start on home comfort and lowering of running costs. Larger multi-purpose rooms that can be closed to adjoining areas are very effective in keeping the size of home down while still allowing space for every activity. For instance: having a combined kitchen, dining and family area with a desk for home management, school work, hobbies etc ensures the children can be supervised on computers and homework, all phones might charge and be used in this area not in secret in a study. Careful thinking through a house plan can reduce the need for and cost of additional space. For a new build, of course this is easier but looking at an existing home, room uses can be changed, windows added &or the garden arranged to assist the homes comfort. More of this another time. If your house is not as comfortable as you would like or your running costs are high, we can assist by suggesting changes that do not equate to full renovation.
A second floor to your home might present as a great idea: it will not spoil the garden except through construction, creates the additional rooms needed, can separate kids from grown ups or create a quiet private meditation or work place.
But a few things to heed:
Care and thought needs to ensure the second story is not over capitalising and is a worthwhile undertaking.
Image by khiem tran from Pixabay
To build a new home is very exciting and allows for plenty of day dreaming. A new life in a different environment, enjoying your friends, family and aquaintences in a place you have thought about carefully. It can also be a sizable amount of work. It will be dearer, more work, time and complication for all involved if the details are not thought through carefully, decisions finalised and builders and tradesmen left with the plans and specification to follow the instructions and in the correct order.
One really needs to build the site, home, garden on paper FIRST. Taking plenty of time to "sleep on it" but to be definate in the decisions, thorough in details of construction, materials, colours, finishes. And then to leave the work to the blokes. First: Every detail of the plan needs to be resolved, then the construction materials. Once that is decided, there are the fittings & fixtures: kitchen, laundry and bathroom materials, details and colours. Also appliances and furnishings. Of course pricing will influence everything and having clear paperwork & notation makes the process far more sequential and mandanageable. Choices can be made based on availability, tradesmen and pricing. Having problems with decisions? Think: in five years time will this really matter? What is the worst that can happen? Help yourself and the builders but not flip flopping! The process becomes exciting not daunting, clear not confusing & decisive based on actual quotes, samples, availability, tradesmen and not surprises! Any changes the clients make to a builder's contract adds dollars and time to the whole build. Builders are within their rights to add a percentage to the changes of construction and materials. He has to ensure for changes that he has allowed extra time for his part and for all his tradesmen including additional insurance cover. Each and every time this happens every tradesman runs the risk of confusions, loss of time and materials. It is a little known fact of how many trades are affected by the smallest variations. A wider entry may mean more tiles, grout and time for the tiler, less carpet but no less of a laying job than the origional size. It could affect the plasterers, electrician, carpenter. The garden is an intergal part of the comfort of the home so should also be thought through before soil is turned. It maybe affected by where the outside doors are, window placement and paths. Once the home construction is finished spreading a big bag of lawn seed can assist until the full garden plan is realised. Firstly plan as much of the detail of the home on paper as you can, gather samples and colours. Make decisions and stick to them. And avoid costly changes!
Image by ElasticComputeFarm from Pixabay
This is one of real estate agents' favorite terms. What does it mean? Judging a book by its cover? First impressions?
The real estate agent stops to show you a triple fronted brick with one scrawny lemon tree in center of front lawn. Don't bother stopping! Another house has a gate that barely opens fully because of the “garden”! The house has two living areas you feel are essential, it is unusual and quirky: you like that! The garden is overgrown and house unusual but has potential to redesign into something very intriguing and lovely. A really neat tidy, manicured lawn and gardens: roses blooming, fruit trees laden with fruit: This look fabulous! Stepping inside the house is beautifully painted but cold, tastefully furnished and decorated but dark, looking through bedrooms, kitchen, you see the sun streaming into the bathroom and laundry! Curb Appeal misrepresents the real house's appeal or otherwise, the livability of the house for you and your family. You gain the impression of the house standing on the street for moments only while being anxious to get inside and look about. First impression is quickly and rightly forgotten. Once through the gate, up the path inside the front door, you gather much more important information such as the way the plan will function for you, where the sun is for solar benefits, how large the outdoor area is, how well established the garden is, how the neighbours houses impact this one, what appliances, fittings and fixtures are included. The street look of the house is of no importance: it is a glimpse of a house but nothing to do with comfort, style, suitability for your family, aesthetics, solar advantage. The lemon tree could do well if fed and watered but the house may need more serious attention to modernise and add comfortable living, enticing private garden, comfortable aesthetics, inside and out. It may be just the project you have been looking for to exercise your renovating skills. The first purchase of a machete for the overgrown garden, you can see the plan will be very practical for your family but most importantly the northerly aspect is evident: you can see this “interesting” property has huge potential for solar advantage. The house that looks so fantastic has no comfortable areas in which to live and no easy way to create it. Street appeal might entice or repulse you but it is of no importance in the overall workability of the home you want for your family for years to follow. The comfort for your loved ones should not be dictated in a mere moments glimpse. Vital to design ethos is PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN. This blog will explore: What does this mean? and Why and how is it to be incorporate it into our homes? Passive Solar Design is the use of the natural elements-our micro climate of our sites, to enhance our creature comforts of our homes in relation to heating, cooling, ventilation, aesthetics, privacy etc. Sites have different attributes and features, some good and some not so good: the conditions to work with. Here are a few of the very basics to use where ever possible: ORIENTATION Design to allow the sunshine into as much of the living areas as possible. In winter this maybe all the heating required. For summer we shade the windows which is not difficult as the sun is at a higher angle. Present a shoulder to the worst of the weather usually from the south or west: ideal for garage, laundry, bathrooms where windows are smaller and rooms used less often. Be sure to take into account features of the site: slope, views, established trees or gardens etc. · ZONES: Where possible plan living areas to the north as per above. Be conscious of social and private areas, vistas and air transfer between the two. Air-locks at external doors will retain the heat or cool comfort separated in the main rooms. CONSTRUCTION Using materials that are excellent at insulating and have high thermal mass (like bricks and concrete that absorb heat from sun and disperse it into surroundings when the air temperature is lower) ensures a minimum of temperature variation. With a well sealed building this will assist the maintenance of a comfortable living environment. GARDEN The surrounding spaces to the home are often established as an after thought but would be more beneficial if designed along with the house plan. Planting larger trees, roughing in levels and planning "outdoor rooms" can be started more easily before the build is too advanced. The finished spaces will influence the comfort of the home a great deal. None of the above suggestions add to the initial costs of the build but assist the consistent temperature control that adds to our comfort. More importantly it will reduce the power and gas bills substantially which in turn lowers our dependence on the non-renewable resources of the Earth: and that has to be a great thing!
Your home is too small, old and tired, but the family are settled, it's in a great area, and relocating is our of the question. There are changing needs as the family grows and you are inspired by the reality and renovation TV programs. But where do you start! It is not easy to avoid months of heartache trying to find good tradesmen, even if you can describe what you want or produce the perfect plan. That's where KITCHEN AND HOME SKETCH DESIGNS can help, by offering you a unique, personalised and affordable service. We will produce a plan that clients own and can take to cabinet makers or builders, simplifying the process and avoiding all too common renovation disasters. Based in Frankston, Margot knows how to create a plan that will best suit a family and take advantage of solar aspect, views, garden and local features. Margot designs kitchens, laundry, bathrooms, renovations, extensions and/or new homes and can create scaled plans for comparison. Working independently of builders and cabinet makers she says: "Though my drawings are not working/construction drawings, they contain abundant detail for tradesmen to quote. Clients can then compare the information of several companies." Margot itemises materials, finishes, brands and even colours if required. Her fee for a standard, in situ stand alone kitchen design plan and elevations starts at just $400. Qualified in Architectural Drafting, Margot does the all important design and planning. Adding a 'woman's touch', listening, incorporating hobbies and interests, she covers all the 'what if's.' "I can see how a home will work best for the family, and I convert that to drawings which the client owns giving them control of their works." KITCHEN AND HOME SKETCH DESIGNS is aimed at busy families wanting a simple process for their energy efficient, personalised renovation. With 20 years experience in the building industry and a passion for homes, Margot is a 'people person' and the inaugural 'greenie!' Efficient kitchens, laundries and relaxing family spaces leads to peaceful, happy families. As Margot has experienced, the design is the single most important stage and not always given the time and thought it requires. Working with KITCHEN AND HOME SKETCH DESIGNS will ensure you get the kitchen and/or renovation right for you and your family. "Margot was easy to work with and very enthusiastic about our new kitchen. She listened to our ideas and included fantastic concepts and solutions to suit our lifestyle." Joy and Dan, Seaford. |
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