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Moving away and saying goodbye to familiar places and faces isn’t easy, particularly if you’re in a neighbourhood you love and the kids are settled in school. So what do you do when you’ve outgrown your home? Do you sell up and buy somewhere else? Renovate or extend? Knock down the family home and build a new one in its place? The last option — a knockdown-rebuild (KDR) — is fast becoming the most popular choice. A KDR gives you the opportunity to upgrade your lifestyle and use the equity in your existing home — and it gives you a blank canvas upon which to create a new home with all the mod cons, optimum energy efficiency, and all the space you need to see your family into the future. Another…

Home design is constantly evolving to meet the shifting needs and lifestyles of families. Some changes come about because of factors outside our control, such as the need to work from home due to COVID-19 restrictions; some result from changing aspirations or increased expectations about what a home should be. We asked home builder McDonald Jones to take us through some of the top design trends that are emerging in new homes around Australia. STREET CRED How our home looks from the street has always been important to us, which is why building companies typically offer such a broad range of facades. What is emerging is a stronger focus on rooflines to add visual interest and make an impact. “The roofline of the home is key to curbside appeal and a growing trend…

A survey by Porter Davis Homes has revealed how Australians plan to live very differently post the pandemic. The Porter Davis Homes’ Life During COVID-19 survey garnered responses from nearly 2000 people across Victoria and Queensland. Among the key findings is a push to have elderly parents return home. Nearly a third of all people say the return and safety of a loved one is now a critical factor in home living. They also want larger homes with smarter use of available space to accommodate a dedicated home office and an exercise area. Shaun Patterson, General Manager of Sales and Marketing, Porter Davis says smart design to reflect the post-COVID world is a must for new home builders. “What we’ve seen is a seismic shift in attitude. People are now looking to…

For most people, striving for an eco-friendly lifestyle is a culmination of a number of small actions, whether that’s ditching coffee cups for a KeepCup, choosing to buy second-hand or, for many, going green in your home. There’s plenty of lingo bandied around about passive homes, renewable energy and greywater recycling, but what does that mean? And how do we start? Sustainability isn’t meant to be a chore or a burden; it’s something to be integrated into the way we live each and every day. “Do whatever you can to lessen your footprint and live in harmony with the natural environment,” encourages Dave Martin, co-founder and Director of sustainable building company The Sociable Weaver. “Look to the natural world to create this — get inspiration from shapes, colours and functionality. Connect…

• Products and materials that are made from recycled materials. This means they have longer lifecycles and that the carbon footprint of the user can be reduced. A good example of repurposing products or materials is using fly-ash for concrete. There are many recycled products on the market, including recycled stone and metals. • Products that conserve natural resources and are made in a sustainable way. A good example is using timber that comes from sustainable sources. There are certification systems to ensure timber or other materials are produced from sustainable processes. To be green, a building material or product must have the right certification. • Materials and products that are processed responsibly. These are materials that have been naturally produced or have been produced using only minimal resources. For example, materials…

THE ROBIN BOYD AWARD FOR RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE — HOUSES (NEW) WINNER: NIGHT SKY, PETER STUTCHBURY ARCHITECTURE (NSW) Description: Night Sky is a residence for an astronomer, and acts both as home and observatory. The most expressive element of the home, an oculus, looks to the Milky Way. This home is memorable not for what it has but for what it lacks. This highly crafted home is uniquely raw and embraces only the essentials. Locally sourced recycled brick and recycled concrete are both the primary and finish materials of this home. There are no linings, and as such every detail is both exposed and celebrated. This material minimisation reduces the home’s embodied carbon and celebrates how the building is made. Night Sky is designed to operate passively over all seasons. In winter it…