Ideas & Advice Archives

Buyer (still) beware

Australia has a new National Construction Code that doesn’t adequately address local climate, compliant building materials or construction quality.

Outdoors

Are we in a new golden age of conservatories? Secondhand glazing is being given a new life as greenhouses – but far from being plant-only spaces, we visit five conservatories which double as cosy extra rooms for relaxation.

Building materials

Thin skin: getting cladding right

Cladding has become controversial, but every building needs a skin. What should you consider when choosing cladding material?

Ideas & Advice

Light saviours: ways to upswitch your lighting

With so many lighting products to choose from, why are most homes – even sustainable ones – still so poorly lit? We ask three lighting luminaries for their advice on how to avoid the 'she'll be right' status quo.

Sustainable Design

Adaptable design and why you’ll keep hearing about it

Houses should be designed to match the way we live, which in the 21st century means being adaptable for ageing, climate, working from home and variable household sizes. Kirsty Volz explains how to ensure your home is flexible and fit for purpose.

Ideas & Advice

Renovate on any budget

Wanting to improve your home but don’t know where to start or how far your money will stretch? Experienced designer Simone Schenkel shares her tips for sustainable renovations with a starting budget of $10,000 through to $350,000-plus.

Outdoors

Shared yards

Tearing down the backyard fence or installing a gate between your house and next door sounds good in theory, but what’s it like in reality?

Ideas & Advice

Energy upgrade: From 1 to 7 Star

Danielle King and her partner were keen to find a way to measure the impact of their renovation, and she explains what they did to improve their 1 Star home into one with a 7 Star energy rating.

Sustainable Design

On the verge

Public meets private in that space between front fences and the road, which makes verge gardens a contested but exciting frontier for sustainable landscape design.

Sustainable Design

Natural connectors: Biophilic design takes root

Bringing nature into our homes and building designs is shown to improve our health and wellbeing – so it’s little wonder leading sustainable designers are integrating natural systems into residential architecture and landscaping in Australia.

Outdoors

Getting rainwater collection right

During the millennium drought many people installed water tanks for the first time. Ten years on, as we face drought again, what more do we know about the best ways to optimise rainwater collection for your site?

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