I would imagine that standard windows are sized to fit between a set number of courses of bricks.
Could it be that the mortar is a bit thick, resulting in a…

Weed and Feed is great. It will kill the new growth but the old dry bindies will remain for a while. It takes a few seasons of weed and feed…

I did all that and the architect even offered unlimited re-designs until I was happy, yet I still got a poor design that I couldn't build.
I don't trust architects now.…

I totally agree. I had a big brand name unit that corroded out at about 10 years. When I checked the cost of replacement ($3,500 for the unit only at…

The Archicentre cost guide has a figure if $600-$750 for a small room for clean surfaces.
We had our 5 bedroom 2 storey house painted inside for $9500. I figure it…

I'd say that, as long as he's keen and puts in the effort, it will come out fine.
Look at owner builders. They have NO experience, yet their care and eagerness…

You are not allowed to build kit homes in many urban areas. I would check with your council first.
I would agree with YakChat and say that the home you are…

Hi Michelle. I'm surprised you haven't come across it before. It has been phased in over all of NSW now. Originally, it was only in Sydney.
"From 1 July 2007 BASIX…

I wonder who was the first builder that thought it would be a good idea to put a BEDROOM in a house. They could sue everyone who's put one in…

Soil tests don't necessarily reveal the whole story.
If they hit rock, is it a floater that needs to be removed, or is it bedrock that you want to sit…

Personally, I wouldn't sign a contract until I was ready to build.
Signing now and building in a long time makes you a 'stale' customer and you will be way…

Where abouts in Sydney? I used a really good guy in the Sutherland area. If that's in your area, I will dig out his details.

We had dark slate in the last house, and have light polished porcelain in the new house. I prefer the slate in many ways.
The porcelain looks more classy but the…

My brother in law goes to a place which a different theme in each room. He must like it as he goes there regularly.

I don't think you need insurance.
In our work on construction sites, we need to show our Public Liabiliity and Workers Compensation insurance before we are allowed on site.
To visit…

I just had a look at the designs. They look nothing alike. I wouldn't worry at all.

In reality, every home design is based on the thousands of existing home designs already out there.
The designers do not start building a house from first principles. Each house is…

Do the top floor external walls line up with the ground floor walls?
It's a bit hard to tell from the small drawing. It looks like the top floor is…

Unfortuneately, the only way to get rid of them is to pay someone to do it, or do it your self. No council permission is required as they are classified…

Maybe the builder's paint wasn't dry yet. That would cause it to lift. How long was it between the builder painting and your painting?

A closet would be great.
You never see a closet in the project homes, yet a small room near the front door for all your hats, jackets, bags, sports gear,…

I'm with Perry and 3xb on this one. Keep it simple.
Cordless phones take care of the whole house. One phone point with a GPO next to it to charge…

Oldfields, as on the attached labels, are scaffold manufacturers.

True, marine ply is untreated plys (plies?) joined with waterproof glue. The glue is the only marine part about it.
However, you can get CCA treated plywood for outdoor use, same…

How do you clean under the round 'salad bowl' type?
It's hard enough cleaning around the edges of an old style surface mount sink. Plenty of rubbing with the sponge to…

That would assume that you have selected your builder before you have any real plans to price to.
How have you selected the builder in this case? You would have to…

How about the traditional "emohruo" , or as in the movie, "The money pit".

I got to the bottom of the tile sealing issue and found it was my beautiful wifes screw up. Yes, our tiles should be sealed and they now have been.
Under…

Yep, sounds like an ad.
There is no reason to paint a tiled roof, unless you want to change the colour. We had the same type of scammers (not saying that…

How are they going to show if the price really has increased? They would need to record the costs as of the signing date and as of the start date.…