Survey Plans
A legal survey exists for all land (lots) in Western Australia. Survey plans are the official record of the legal boundaries of land and will usually indicate the dimensions and size of a lot. Three types of legal survey plans are available from the public register and copies can be purchased online from the Western Australian Land Information […]
Swimming Pool Construction
Swimming pools are extremely popular and come within the definition of “home building work” in the Home Building Contracts Act (1991). This legislation covers issues such as maximum deposit payable (6½ per cent of contract value), progress claim payments and so on. There are several construction issues to consider. When a swimming pool is constructed […]
Steel – Corrosion Protection
Hot dip galvanizing is a coating for steel made from an alloy of zinc and iron. Galvanizing is a once-only process – no substrate preparation and multiple coating is required. It offers total coverage – all exposed steelwork is coated both internally and externally. Galvanized coatings protect steel even at its most vulnerable areas. It […]
Sheds and Patios
There are many contractors who earn their livelihood building small sheds, pergolas, patios etc and perform quite well. One area that you should carefully note is that under the Builders’ Registration Act any project valued at over $20k requires the services of a registered builder. Handypersons who advertise in community newspapers are therefore restricted in […]
Paving – Other Information
Efflorescence – Do not be alarmed A white deposit known as efflorence may sometimes appear on any concrete or masonry product. It does not affect structural integrity and will dissipate over time. Efflorence is not indicative of a flawed product. Efflorence is a temporary condition where salts in the soil migrate via evaporation to the […]
Painting
Giving your home a fresh coat of paint not only freshens and updates the look of your home, it also maintains the surfaces like exposed timber (veranda posts, timber windows and doors), metal and wall finishes externally and internally. Many people opt to DIY, but it you are looking to have painting work done by […]
Home Theatres
For a number of years, it was difficult to get approval for theatre rooms if they were proposed without windows as they did not comply with the Building Code of Australia. After much lobbying by builders and designers, the Building Code has been adjusted to allow theatre rooms without windows, which is normally required […]
Indoor Air
Home owners are starting to pay a lot more attention to indoor air quality when selecting building products. This is particularly the case where children, elderly, or sick are involved, as they are more vulnerable to toxins. It has been estimated that we spend 90% of our lives indoors, so it is no wonder that […]
Home-based Businesses
About 1 in every 4 home businesses employs at least 1 person. Most new homes are not designed for the home business, although increasingly provision is being made for a home – office in many new home designs. Your new house design will be an important part of keeping your sanity and a smoothly running […]
First Homebuyers & Building
First homebuyers comprise around twenty per cent of the new home market. This means that each year of the 20,000 new dwellings constructed each year, around 4,000 will be built by new homebuyers. Master Builders’ advice to homebuyers who are going through the building process for the first time is as follows: Make sure you […]