Two Storey Home Builders with Upside - Down Living

Two storey home designs contain a few extra items that a traditional single storey home doesn’t usually need including stairs, balustrading and sometimes even a balcony. While conventional 2 storey homes are designed to keep the bedrooms upstairs for privacy reasons and the living areas downstairs, it is now quite common for two storey home builders Perth to offer Upside-down living or Inverted living options. This basically means the house design is flipped to feature the bedrooms at ground level and living areas upstairs.

Perth two storey home builders like Great Living Homes have several of their 2 storey home designs created in a range of versions which include Upstairs Living, Downstairs Living and options for a Rear Garage or Front Garage. Having these different versions of the same design has proven to be valuable for those clients who don’t really know what they are looking for as it provides a visual example for them to view and consider before making any final decisions.

Throughout their 25 year history Great Living Homes have built hundreds of two storey homes and for many of these projects the clients wanted to take advantage of the spectacular views available from their block; these have included views of our stunning beaches and sunsets, views of Perth city from the hills, views of sprawling landscapes and farms in the countryside or views of the magnificent Swan River. When there is so much to look at from their plot of land, many clients opt for this Upside-down living so they can share the beauty with their family and guests or simply appreciate the panoramic delights with a glass of wine from their balcony.

One important thing to consider if you are thinking about going with the inverted living concept is whether or not your kitchen and dining rooms will remain downstairs or be moved upstairs along with the bedrooms. If you were to have an upstairs kitchen, you need to remember that you will have to carry all of your food shopping upstairs too (unless you can afford to install an elevator), which could becoming annoying! 

Some people with double storey homes like the privacy and security aspects of having bedrooms upstairs, perhaps it is the comfort of knowing nobody is peeking through your bedroom window. Obviously there are other advantages and disadvantages to Upside-down living, and the decision about which is best comes down to individual tastes and living preferences; your 2 storey home builders can assist in making the decision, but ultimately you are the only person who knows what is best for your lifestyle. 

Single Storey Homes Perth - Renovate or Build

So the kids have moved out of home now and the family’s single storey home Perth is looking old and tired, plus there are now too many rooms left unoccupied and unloved. You have lived in the same home for 20 years and the thought of moving to a new home terrifies you, but you feel overwhelmed with living in such a large home which is suddenly very quiet, empty and lonely. As you rapidly approach your retirement years, the time has come for you to decide if the family home can provide everything you need for old age or should you consider the alternatives?

This is a question that plagues many homeowners, not just upon approaching retirement but at varying times in our lives consistent with significant life-changing events such as planning for children, empty-nesting, times of financial difficulties and so on: Should I renovate my existing home or should I build a new home? There are so many factors to consider in answering this question.

A large number of Single Storey Home Builders Perth also undertake renovation jobs in addition to building houses; seeking advice from experienced and qualified builders is a logical step in balancing the pros and cons in your decision making process. Below is an outline of arguments for and against both options.

RENOVATING PROS:

·         Easy renovation work can save you a lot of money and time
·         Getting involved in your own renovations is empowering and you feel a sense of accomplishment
·         You retain your same block of land and community connections
·         You can renovate at your own pace or in stages

RENOVATING CONS:

·         Making structural changes can become extremely expensive
·         Once you renovate one part of the home, you may feel it is necessary to keep going on other sections which cause the renovation costs to go through the roof
·         If demolishing part of the existing home, you will need to check that building regulations still allow the home to be positioned in the same place
·         DIY renovations need to fit in around your lifestyle which can delay the project completion
·         Renovations may seem simple and inexpensive until you come across hidden problems which could end up costing a lot more than planned

BUILD NEW PROS:

·         You get to start from scratch and include everything you’ve always wanted into your new home including energy efficient appliances and construction materials to reduce ongoing energy costs
·         New home equates to a fresh start – new suburb/community, new lifestyle, perhaps new job
·         You can choose a completely different floor plan& incorporate new interior décor
·         Resale of a new home is more promising/profitable than selling a renovated, old home
·         You can ask your Perth Single Storey Home Builders for a fixed price contract (this is something you can’t do with renovations)
·         Take advantage of new technology such as home security, sustainable products and smart wiring

BUILD NEW CONS:

·         Building a new house requires a larger sum of money or taking out a new loan
·         You will need to find a suitable block of land to build on, or alternatively demolish your existing home and rebuild which doesn’t come cheap
·         Paying rent as well as your mortgage while building can put you under great financial pressure
·         The process of building a house can be very stressful and can take over a year to complete

Great Living Homes - Rural Home Builders

Living away from the city allows you to purchase much larger blocks of land for a price that is a lot easier on the hip pocket, it also means you can take advantage of that size and space when building your new residence! Ruralbuilders in WA design their homes to be able to accommodate large or extended families because rural properties are often a good distance from the services we are all used to seeing in the metropolitan suburbs.

 Imagine travelling for a holiday from Perth city to a relative’s rural property which is several hours drive away and where the nearest shop or hotel accommodation means another lengthy car ride?I know I wouldn’t like to spend my entire holiday driving from one destination to another leaving no time for relaxation. Well rural home builders take these things into account when designing country homes and ensure that there are plenty of bedrooms or lots of extra floor space where makeshift beds can be set up for when friends and family come to visit.

Great Living Homes has over 25 years of experience building all types of houses including rural homes and when clients ask us for a rural home design they often request a granny flat or guest house to be built as well, after all if you have the land available why not make good use of it? Many families living in the country will rent out their guest houses as a ‘bed and breakfast’ or a ‘peaceful country retreat’ and the income generated from this is a great supplement especially for farming families during hard times.

Most Perth rural builders can build you a sprawling and attractive country style house, but Great Living Homes will work with you to personalise your design and make it feel like a home you can live in and grow with for decades to come. All of our homes come with a 20 year structural guarantee, an energy assessment, termite protection, quality European style appliances, soft closing cabinet drawers, tiling and paving allowances, pivot door shower screens and more, all covered by a Housing Industry Association (HIA) building contract for your peace of mind.

Our newest rural home design‘The Glenwood’ was released at the start of this year and is shown above; it features 4 large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a laundry, an activity room, a huge theatre, open plan kitchen, family, dining rooms which flow out to the rear alfresco area and a scullery. This lovely home has nearly 300m2 of living area and is beautifully lined with a full front verandah, double entry doors and a double remote controlled sectional garage door to secure your vehicles. As mentioned earlier, Great Living Homes are more than happy to help you mould any of our standard designs around your personal needs to create a unique, individual home.

Making Your Narrow Lot Home Feel Bigger

We’ve all noticed the growth of narrow lot sites in Perth’s housing estates and whether we like them or not they are here to stay. Narrow lot home builders have been under pressure to create more designs suitable for these lots with tiny frontages and there are now hundreds or even thousands of designs to choose from. Most builders of narrow lot homes Perth use all of the space-saving tricks of design where it is possible, in order to make use of all of the land available and the best solution to increasing the space available in a narrow lot home is to build up instead of out.

Some of the common design based solutions to making narrow lot homes feel bigger include using high or sloping ceilings and increasing the amount of natural light in the home by adding windows or skylights. Open plan living areas also help to make the home feel bigger because there are fewer doors and walls separating living areas. There is also the option of creating exterior living spaces with whatever remaining land is available to provide the feeling of spaciousness.

When living in smaller homes like apartments or units you may notice the space seems to get messy a lot quicker than if you were in a larger home, this may simply be due to the fact there is less storage room available to you. There are also a number of crafty storage solutions you can use to eliminate the clutter from your small space, and these are things you can include in your home building plans or you can create yourself in an established home.

Staircases are great for using as storage spaces; you can use both the void space underneath a staircase to fit cupboards, drawers, bookcases or even to use as a computer nook. Then there is the space in each step of the staircase which can be utilised as drawers (see pictures), just see how much stuff you can fit in these spots!

The kitchen is often a room with not enough storage space, but even if you have a seemingly small space that couldn’t fit anything in it you may be able to build or install a slide-out pantry to house all your jars and packets of food. This would also be a good addition in the laundry to keep all your cleaning products hidden from sight. By installing one of these you can free up room in a cupboard or drawer to fit in unsightly electrical goods, linen, or pots and pans. If you are preparing to build a narrow lot home, why not ask if your narrow lot home builder can include some of these ideas in your new house plans?

Failing all of these great ideas, what about using unique, quirky space-saving furniture like a dining table disguised as a pool table in your alfresco, activities or games room?  Or a deskbed which converts from a small home office to bed for an unexpected guest?

Whatever storage solution you need, you can almost guarantee someone has created it and you will find it on the internet! Now you can stop worrying that you’ll never have enough room in a narrow lot home design.

Mandurah Homes on the Canals

There is something about Mandurah homes on the canals that make them synonymous with luxury and self-indulgence, perhaps the sheer beauty of the homes that line the waters' edge speak of wealth and opulence. Living by the water with your own personal jetty leading out to your boat so you can just jump in and go cruising through the canals taking in the scenery, what a life!

There are three suburbs of Mandurah where canals are located – Halls Head, Dudley Park and Wannanup - but despite their popularity, there are still some lots available for sale. It is likely that most of the affordable blocks have been sold and the remaining ones are quite expensive, this is almost certainly the case in Mariners Cove (Dudley Park) where they have advertised 99% of the canal lots have been sold.

Canal homes are typically designed to have the best possible views from each room or level of the home, but each canal site is unique so Perth home builders really do work for their money before the home even begins construction- there is no 'one size fits all' canal home design. Another of the challenges of design with these homes is to make the home look inviting from both the front and rear elevations of the property; this is because of the traffic from the street and also the water.

Living in a canal community must feel like living in two worlds; a fast-paced world with cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles with everyone rushing to be somewhere versus a laid-back carefree water world where boats are the vehicles, life is more relaxed and nobody is in a rush to go anywhere. All you need to do to escape the hustle and bustle of the real world is walk out your back door instead of the front door!

If you are considering buying a canal site to build on, you should speak to some local Mandurah home builders during your process of selecting a builder because you will find that many of the canal homes have been built by local building companies. Local builders will be more familiar with building in coastal conditions, what local council requirements are for these sites and the best materials to use for the home to continue looking magnificent for decades to come. Sourcing a builder locally also benefits the local community which is a good thing especially if you plan to move into the community from another suburb/town.

Resilient Home Builders Perth

The two storey homes builders Great Living Homes have a keen interest in the global push for resilient housing that will stand up to significant weather events like floods, bushfires, earthquakes and severe storms. Resilient housing will be the way of the future thanks to global warming and the resultant increase in natural disasters around the world. Insurance companies throughout the world are beginning to take into account the resilience of housing when determining insurance premiums however this is a relatively new concept in Australia.

Resilient housing goes further than just being prepared for an incoming storm; it also refers to being able to sustain life during and after a natural disaster or emergency, so things like storage of safe drinking water and food supplies are important aspects of becoming resilient. In order to determine how safe your home would be against severe weather events, the Insurance Council of Australia have developed a Building Resilience Rating Tool where you can quickly and easily input information about your home and receive a report indicating how you can further strengthen your home.

While there are hundreds of things you can do to fortify your home, here are a few tips to strengthening an existing home and preparing for resilience:

• Use durable, hard-wearing building materials for all parts of the home
• Use fire-resistant materials such as steel structural framing, compressed concrete cladding, external window shutters and fire-resistant timber.
• Ensure the home is connected securely from the roof to the foundations with metal strapping and hangers.
• Consult structural engineers to ensure your home is prepared for earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes. Double storey homesbuilders should be using lightweight materials where possible to reduce the load on foundations and building structures, particularly in areas of earthquake activity.
• Homes in flood-prone areas could be raised up on stilts to reduce the impact of flood waters on the home or alternatively the lower levels of the home could be used as a sacrificial space where flood waters can pass directly through the home with minimal structural impact.
• Install some form of renewable energy to assist you when power is cut off during weather events eg. Solar PV systems.
• Harvest and store rainwater which can be accessed during times when fresh water is not available.

Upon building a new house, 2 storey home builders should situate a home out of flood and wind zones and place them on the land where they can best take advantage of solar energy making them inherently resilient.

Great Living Homes are two storey homes builders in Perth who are committed to helping improve the resilience of homes firstly by setting the standard amongst local builders, but also by developing their own resilient building materials, continuously improving their construction methods and by encouraging people in the community to buy or build resilient housing to secure the future of their most valuable assets.

Single Storey Home Designs

There are several types of single storey home styles including freestanding single storey homes, duplexes (two single storey homes joined by a common wall), units (multiple small single storey homes on the same lot which can be detached or semi-detached), narrow lot homes, rural homes, rear-parking homes and the list goes on. At Great Living Homes we can build any style of single storey house your heart desires and we can even assist you with our range of standard designs or with a custom design service.

Our rural range of single storey homes designs include large, sprawling houses with 4 or 5 bedrooms plus separate media, activity, living and dining rooms as well as an alfresco and a wrap-around veranda and lock up garage right through to small, basic rural homes with a smaller sized interior and just a front veranda and open carport. There is something to suit every budget and lifestyle, plus we will happily make changes to our standard designs to tailor them to your requirements.

Being based in Mandurah, we also have single storey designs specifically created for living on the canals and the coast. Our new design called Hampton Springs is partially inspired by The Hamptons, a popular seaside resort in America well-known for housing some of the most luxurious residential properties in the country. This home design features plenty of living space located at the back of the home and opening out to the rear alfresco, perfect for summertime entertaining! Generous sized bedrooms, a bright and airy elevation and a scullery behind the kitchen are some of the luxuries found in this beautiful beach house.

We also have a number of smaller, entry-level single storey home designs which have been developed for the first-homebuyers niche to enable them to get a foot into the housing market. These homes are a little less luxurious, but they are all very stylish, modern and they still contain everything a family needs with a choice of 3 or 4 bedrooms and a small alfresco area.

Great Living Homes is not just a single storey home builder either, we actually specialise in 2 storey homes and we often build granny flats, luxury mansions, units and townhouses too. We are one of the most respected West Australian builders servicing the Perth metro and surrounding regions, plus we have over 25 years' experience in building affordable, quality homes! We invite you to explore our website or come and visit our office for a chat if you are in thinking about going on a home building adventure.

Great Living Homes Offers a Range of House Designs at Budget Price

The process of finding the perfect home designs in Perth usually begins with many long visits to Display Home villages or trawling the internet for pictures and house plans, but after all of this many people come out more confused than when they started because they have seen so many things they want to include in their new home, but there is often a limit to the money they can afford to spend or to the size of house they can build.

Sometimes it is best to start looking for suitable home designs once the buyer has already secured the land to build on, this way they can narrow down the list of designs to choose from simply by having information such as the zoning of the land, the location, which way the home will be positioned, whether the garage needs to be at the front or rear of the home, what council regulations apply and of course the size of home they can comfortably fit on the block.

Most people know going into the process whether they want to find 2 storey housedesigns or single storey and it is often difficult to change their minds once they have decided this, so this decision can also help to narrow the field of choice when selecting home designs. For example, if the buyer knows they want a 2 storey home then they are likely to be unhappy with settling for a singlestorey design so instead they can search for specialist 2 storey home builders and reduce the number of builders they need to make enquiries with. The location is another piece of information that can further reduce the size of the home builder pool to sort through because some builders may only build in selected regions.

Smaller home builders are often overlooked because they may not have the big advertising budgets that the big companies do, but on many occasions smaller builders provide faster and better communication because they have fewer clients to assist. They also tend to have more time to spend with their clients ensuring they are completely happy with their home design and they take more care throughout the building process. Small builders are also more likely to offer custom home design services rather than selling high volumes of standardised designs.

So when you are looking for home designs in Perth, support the little guys and look forward to seeing big results!

How to Choose Best Homes Builders in Mandurah

The city of Mandurah has rapidly grown from the small, holiday town it once was into a sprawling and vibrant coastal city. Being nestled on the edge of the Indian Ocean and the waterways of the Peel-Harvey Estuary, Mandurah is well-known for its water-based activities and beautiful canal homes. Mandurah homes are typically built to suit the Mediterranean climate and to make the best use of the gorgeous scenery throughout the region. Many of the city’s residents were drawn to the city because of the work/life balance opportunities available and being located so close to both Perth city and the world famous South West region of WA allows them to have the best of both worlds at their fingertips!

With the continued rapid growth of the city, Mandurah home builders have enjoyed the increase in local business opportunities and helped to increase employment in the area, construction is in fact the largest industry sector (by business counts) according to the City of Mandurah website. Great Living Homes is one of the home builders in Mandurah, owned and operated by a local family for over 25 years and they are very familiar with the building requirements for houses in this region.

Given the rising popularity of canal homes in Mandurah, Great LivingHomes have been lucky enough to design and build a large number of these properties as well as many other types of homes and apartment complexes. In continuing their mission to build dream homes for their clients, Great Living Homes exclusively services the Western Australian community from Yanchep in the north to Bunbury in the south and they offer their expertise in design, drafting, engineering and construction complete with good old fashioned customer service.

If you have never visited Mandurah, we thoroughly recommend you plan a weekend stay to be able to experience all this beautiful city has to offer. Once you have encountered the magic of the dolphins playing alongside your cruise boat on the estuary, the restaurants on the foreshore, the shopping and the spectacular scenery we just know you will never want to leave! Then when you make the decision to join this amazing community, pay a visit to Great Living Homes and let them build your Mandurah home.

We are a Two Storey Home Builder with a Unique Construction Method, Here is How we do it.

Great Living Homes are the two storey homes specialists located in Mandurah and building throughout the Bunbury to Yanchep region.
http://www.greatlivinghomes.com.au/blog/two-storey-home-builders/

Two Storey Homes | WA Builders | Great Living Homes

Great Living Homes are the two storey homes specialists located in Mandurah and building throughout the Bunbury to Yanchep region.
http://www.greatlivinghomes.com.au/blog/two-storey-home-builders/

Granny Flat Home Builders Perth | WA Builders | Great Living Homes

Granny flat plans range from 1 bedroom with no kitchen or bathroom right through to fully self-contained miniature homes with garages.
http://www.greatlivinghomes.com.au/blog/granny-flat-home-builders-perth/

Two Storey Home Builders Perth | WA Builders | Great Living Homes

There are not many two storey home builders Perth that are willing to use steel-framing because of the myths that steel warps, twists and produce
http://www.greatlivinghomes.com.au/blog/two-storey-home-builders-perth/

Luxury Home Builders Perth

Luxury is synonymous with elegance, comfort, opulence and wealth. Luxury homes are often put in the category of “dream homes” which people plan to buy when they finally get a win on that ever-elusive lotto draw. Luxury home builders in Perth are generally smaller companies who dedicate their business to this exclusive niche market, however there are exceptions! Comprising part of the “luxury” dynamic is the location of the home; luxuryhomes in Perth are typically built along the coast with stunning ocean views or in more upper class suburbs such as Dalkeith, Cottesloe and Peppermint Grove.

Of course luxury homes don’t come cheap, adding on all the extra features (like elevators, gyms, elegant entry foyers, wine cellars, tennis courts, saunas, home cinemas, underfloor heating, water features, guest accommodation, immaculately landscaped gardens and so on) soon makes the costs increase, not to mention the cost of the land to build on! However, those who choose to build luxurious homes quite often are happy to spend the money to ensure their quality of life is as good as it can be.

Luxury builders are held to a higher standard of quality which means they require absolute attention to detail, high quality fixtures and fittings, personalised design service and exceptional customer service. The vast majority of luxury home buyers want a home custom designed to be different to everyone else and they want to be able to move in to their new home with nothing left to do, so luxury home builders need to be able to offer full landscaping, painting and window furnishings in addition to their design service.

Great Living Homes are a luxury home builder in Perth with over 20 years of experience. They specialise in two storey homes and offer a full custom design service to help you put your ideas into a unique floor plan. Great Living Homes can build any home you can dream up and their passion for creating amazing homes means that you can rest assured your new luxury home will be everything you have dreamed of.

How to find Best Home Builders in Perth

If you are thinking of building your new home in the Perth metro area or surrounding suburbs, why not choose local Perth builders to undertake your construction project? Contrary to popular beliefs, using smaller Perth home builders does not necessarily mean your costs to build will increase or that you will receive a substandard home.

The main benefit of using a smaller local builder is the fact that they have fewer projects on the go at one time which in turn means trades people aren’t being rushed to complete one job so they can get to the next job. This contributes to a higher quality finish with more attention paid to the finer details, unlike with the bigger home builders of Perth. Another important difference between small and big builders is the customer service aspect- because bigger builders have hundreds of clients, they need to be very process-driven and they don’t have the ability to tailor their customer service to suit each individual client as that would be too time-consuming (and time is money). With smaller Perth builders like Great Living Homes (who only build in the Perth- Mandurah region), fewer clients means the staff get to know each and every client personally and build strong working relationships with them.

Great Living Homes are a small, family-owned company based in Mandurah (south of Perth). By establishing several industry partners such as In 2 Steel and Proline Products, as well as large suppliers like Dowell Windows, Stratco and M&B Building Products; Great Living Homes remain a well-respected and reputable builder after more than 20 years in business. We obtain competitive pricing on our building materials and we use local tradespeople who are experienced in building in Perth’s climate and are familiar with local building regulations such as Bushfire Attack Levels and Coastal conditions. All of these factors contribute to the high standard of building that we are passionate about.

What distinguishes Great Living Homes from other Perth home builders is our unique technology and method of building two storey homes. Unlike any other Australian builder, we build two storey homes by constructing the upper floor on the ground before lifting it with hydraulic jacks into the air and completing the build underneath it. We have discovered that this method can cut weeks off the standard build time (when there are no other delays out of our control), it creates a safer and more accessible work site as there is no requirement for scaffolding or working at heights and it can save our clients’ money as we don’t need to include the costs of scaffolding, cranes or other expensive machinery in the price of the home.