Tag Archives: home building

Issues to Consider Before Renovating Your Bathroom

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Renovating your bathroom is a very exciting and interesting task and should be thoroughly planned out. Renovating your bathroom can be overwhelming, Classic Quarters Group has prepared a a few simple points for you to consider when undertaking your bathroom renovation.

Renovation Budget

First think about how much you are willing to spend on the renovation. Setting a budget will help you make important decisions such as whether or not not to move the services and what quality level of materials to buy. Once you have determined the amount you want to spend, you can get a clearer idea on bathroom furniture, tiles and other accessories.

Renovation Timeframe

People tend to think that renovating a small bathroom takes much less than it would take if renovating a larger bathroom, but this is not necessarily true. For example, a bathroom renovation specialist will have to go through the same processes whether you were installing a large bathtub or a small one. Classic Quarters Group is a Sydney bathroom renovation specialist that can take care of everything in a very reasonable timeframe.

Hidden Problems

If you have decided to go for a major update of your bathroom, the whole plumbing layout should be reviewed. This will give more value to your home over time because your house’s age is generally the main cause of hidden problems such as broken water pipes or electrical wiring issues. It saves time and money in the medium to long term, not to mention less headaches and issues!

Bathroom Measurements

There are three important things to consider – locating pipes, electrical wiring and size of standard bathroom accessories, such as bathtub, mirror, cabinets, faucets etc. This is one of the reasons you should choose a professional bathroom renovation company. This way you can avoid a lot of mistakes which result in wasted time and money. We can advise you on how to use the space to ensure we can include as much or as little as you want in your bathroom. There are lots of space-saving ideas in bathrooms such as built in shelves in the shower for toiletries, hidden cisterns, and vanities with good storage (that of course look great!).

Lighting

A bathroom can be impractical or even dangerous without proper lighting. Firstly we want to work with the natural light and then consider adding to the light levels where needed. As a general rule of thumb, the bathroom should have at least 4 watts of incandescent light per square meter.

Ventilation

Ventilation is essential in a small, wet room such as the bathroom. It is also a difficult task that requires good upfront planning. Poor ventilation can lead to excessive moisture in the bathroom leading to rotting timbers or unhealthy mould. We can discuss options that will best suit your use of space.

Classic Quarters Group is the Sydney bathroom renovation specialist that can help you have the bathroom you have always dreamed of.

Building a Terrace Home in Sydney

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Classic Quarters Group is a terrace home building company in Sydney, always looking for new ways to optimise the costs and the comfort of the buildings we create, all the while building you a fantastic and high quality home or renovation to your existing home.

Building a terrace home in Sydney is something most people in the world only dream about. The city is one of the most beautiful in the world, and is an important financial element in Australia’s national economy. Sydney is a wealthy and prosperous city and the quality of life is higher in only a few places on the globe. Sydney actually ranks #8th in Quality of Life Index for 2012, which says a lot about the advantages of having a home in here. It is the perfect place to build a home, have a family, work and live.

Some people are still unsure about whether it is best for them to buy a renovated terrace home or to buy one that is either in need of renovation or that has potential.

Some advantages of being able to build or renovate your own terrace include:

  • You can have total control on the construction materials. This is maybe the most important advantage in building your own terrace house. You’ll have the chance that very few have – choosing the roof, the bricks, the flooring, the colors, the tiles, the bathtub, the windows and doors for example.
  • You can also have a discussion about the layout with your architect. This will allow you to design a layout that best suits you, your family and your lifestyles needs. By building or renovating your own terrace, it also allows you the choice of selecting your own fixtures and fittings so they fit your taste and not the old owners.
  • Finally, selecting a terrace home often means you get a home that has some fantastic original charm (should you choose to keep it) and most terraces are within immediate proximity to the city which suits many people.

Be careful to choose a builder with a proven history in this specialised type of renovation… failures can lead to problems with neighbours, an unlivable home, lower resale potential. Key issues to study are water ingress (eg from dilapidation) and egress (eg from neighbouring sites), rising damp in the structure, understanding of privacy and overshadowing… there is a long list of things that can go wrong on a terrace renovation that you must educate yourself in. With a wealth of experience throughout the Sydney area, Classic Quarters Group offers a complete solution in planning and constructing high quality terrace homes. Our professionalism and experience save clients money, time and stress.

Contact Classic Quarters today for a quote

Build the House of Your Dreams in Sydney

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Sydney is an amazing city and building your own house here is a dream for many people. Here are a few things for those that want to build their own home in the near future. Even before seeking the services of an architect, you should put your ideas in order and outline the future design of your dream house. This way you will have a starting point in your discussions with the architect.

Family members and their age

This is the most important thing you should consider when choosing for your home’s architecture. If you have young children, you can opt for a larger kitchen and dining room. If your parents live with you, you can also consider a granny flat in your design. An important consideration is how many bedrooms and bathrooms you’ll need.

Family lifestyle

If you like to spend a lot of time with family, then your living room should be larger and comfortable, so that there is space for everyone to be together or to have space for their hobbies. A time-consuming job means you should consider a home office. This way you won’t have to disturb others by working in your bedroom or living room. If somebody in the family has a hobby that takes space or makes a lot of noise, you should consider that too. A rehearsal room is great for musicians, while a workshop is ideal for carving or carpentry amateurs.

Orientation

The cardinal orientation of your house is not something you can ignore. The rooms where you will be spending more time should definitely not be facing north. Most people actually prefer having their living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens facing east. This way you can enjoy natural light in the morning, which will make you feel wonderful. Scientists have found that retinal cells signal the brain when natural light hits your eyes in the morning, leading to a more natural ‘waking up’ process that is less stressful than awaking in the dark. What better way to start each day?

Home as a destination

This is an factor you should keep in mind especially when it comes to investments. Most people don’t want to invest a lot of money on a holiday property, realising that they won’t be spending that much time there. If you want your home to feel like a sanctuary, a preferred destination where you can ‘holiday at home’, this will impact your design. No matter the decision, you and your family must be thrilled with your new house.

Classic Quarters Group is a leading provider of building services in the Sydney area specialising in terrace building, granny flats building, new builds, complex renovation projects and second storey additions to name a few. Contact us today for more information or a free quote.