We have been posting videos of our house designs on our Facebook Page. Over the past months, these have accumulated several views from visitors and clients alike. Today, we are featuring five of the most viewed house designs videos.

Let’s begin.

The Brewood (1300 Views)

The Brewood is one of our most popular house designs. We, ourselves, are very proud of it too.

Houzz in itself is impressed with its layout especially its transitional master bedroom

“This is an example of a transitional master bathroom in Other with a drop-in tub, an alcove shower, beige walls, ceramic floors, a drop-in sink, beige floor, flat-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, beige tile and a sliding shower screen.” — Houzz

The  Robeck (1400 views)

The brick wall of the Robeck exhibits a modern ranch style brick home, which is gaining popularity this 2021. This showcases the beauty of the rural country lifestyle thanks to its wide verandahs and decorative posts.

This owner also added three massive water tanks and solar panels for an environmentally friendly lifestyle because of being on acreage.

The Hayes (1200 Views)

The Hayes is an epitome of our expertise when working with slab and stumps. We’ve added it a modern country style feel through the addition of a wide stacker door opening to the verandah; while its downstairs garage area houses the laundry, shower, toilet and large storerooms. Upstairs are four large bedrooms with an ensuite and main bathroom.

The Wisener (630 views)

With 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, this cladded house is a sure head-turner. It even provides views of the local creek and the bush aspect native to the block.

All of these features have been carefully designed after ticking all the boxes of the client’s personal needs.

The Kitzelmann (569 views)

Last but certainly not the least amongst the house designs is the Kitzelmaan.

What better way to maximise the view of the Brisbane River but with a homestead home designed just for you. In this design, the team of Davolyn used the sandstone blockwork effect and raised concrete slab for that dream ranch you have always wanted.

Do you have a block where you wish to build your dream house? Do you need help putting together the different aspects you want present in it?

We love making your dream house a reality. Let’s talk.

The on-going pandemic has put homes at the centre of many people’s lives. It has again received fame as it became the focus of attention of many families. Moreover, we are also expected to see new building designs born out of your many homeowner’s desire to

● Build
● Renovate
● Make-over

What are these recent trends? How do you choose the best one for your family?

Let’s begin.

1. The Rise of Antibacterial Materials and Automatic Appliances

Hygiene is now on the top of the list for many homeowners. This includes the demand for:

• Automatic washbasins
• Infrared bathroom sensors
• Voice-activated kitchen appliances
• Brass accents accessories for kitchen, cabinets and bathrooms

All of which are now sought after add-ons to many homes as it ensures reduced touching and increased bacterial and viral protection for the family.

2. The Return of Bricks

You’ll most likely see more homeowners demanding for bricks to be added to their homes; and by bricks, we don’t mean the classic 60’s red bricks. Rather, these are beautiful bricks designed to add warmth, texture and character to your home.

3. The Fascination for Shifting Rooms

As more people now prefer working from home, many rooms have now been transformed as office spaces or additional nursery rooms for the kids. This realisation pushed many designers to create adaptable layouts that can easily be transformed into purposeful rooms as needed.

So don’t be surprised if you see more non-permanent walls added to house lay-outs this 2021.

4. Welcoming Nature in our Homes

With the invitation of technology into our homes is the embracement of nature. It may sound contradictory to some, but the pandemic has shown man how nature and technology can be fused together So aside from seeing more automatic appliances added to homes, you will also expect more outdoor space added to homes. That is for them to enjoy the many benefits the sun and plants can give to their health.

5. The Rebirth of Environmentally Friendly Homeowners

Ultimately, more homes will see a shift to bio designs, furniture and objects made from living organisms. This includes:

• Tables
• Chairs
• Cabinets
• Stools
• Lamps
• Pots

Conclusion

The pandemic has made us realise many things. It has shown us to value our families and health more than anything else. All of these prompted these designers and many homeowners to do the needed change within their homes and in their future homes.

Do you need help customising your new home? Or do you need help in renovating your current house in Queensland? Let us help. Send us a message.

Building a house can be distressing, especially with the stories about building costs blowing out while the project runs. Are you a first homeowner who has the same worry? Or are you a homeowner who tries to DIY your home renovation in fear of exceeding the budget?

Whichever the case, we truly understand. However, entrusting the building works to a licensed builder is still the best option. No need to worry about those stories, we got your back. Here we listed some tips to not just stick with your budget but even reduce the building cost.

#1 Be familiar with “site cost”

The site cost is a magic word when it comes to building a property. More often than not, site cost is responsible for additional expenses in building work. Therefore, you have to be familiar with it.

Building on rocky or sloping ground, or having trees that must be removed are some examples of site cost. These conditions require more services than the usual construction work which means more expenses.

The thing about site costs is that they are not typically detailed when a plot is advertised. Unless you are aware of site costs and checked the plot yourself before acquiring, you might pay for additional services.

#2 Keep your dream house simple

As much as you want your first home to be extravagant, we have to be realistic. It is important to get the footprint right and to complete the things that can’t be easily changed in the future. So then you can always extend your house through renovations in the future.

Moreover, simplicity is a trend in Australian architecture these days. Smaller and a more minimalistic home is easier to manage, has a lot of room for improvement and more practical.

Keeping your dream house simple also has to do with your choice of materials. Consider having more conventional basins, benchtops and flooring as that would be cheaper. But if you have a bigger budget, then using expensive fittings is your option as these will eventually pay off when it’s time to resell.

#3 Invest in Sustainable Living

This may not lower the cost of construction but it will have a significant effect in the long run. Sustainable living is another trend in architecture that promotes cost reduction.

By utilizing your location’s airflow, sunlight direction and natural energy you can have a sustainable living. For instance, you can have your windows placed in the direction of the airflow to minimize the use of electric ventilation. However, these elements vary from one location to another. You may want to consult a local builder to help you plan your home’s layout.

#4 Choose low-maintenance options

One of the most expensive things about owning a house is its maintenance. As a first homeowner, you must think about the property’s maintenance before its construction. This can help you save up in the long run.

There are lots of low-cost and low-maintenance options for building materials available in the market today. You will never run out of choices to make your home as low maintenance as possible.

#5 Stick to the plan

Now that you have the necessary information to plan your dream house or renovation, what’s left is to plan. Weigh what can be applied from the tips above. Maybe not everything in this list will work on what you have in mind so you’ll have to discard some. Following just a thing or two will mean a lot already in reducing your building cost.

However, we highly advised that you follow this last tip. Stick to the plan.

Make up your plan, consult it with your chosen builder, revise if needed and stick to it. It can be tempting to add more designs and prolong or shorten the project duration but refrain from doing so. If your budget will not blow out, the building work will be compromised. Therefore, it is with the utmost importance that you follow your plan.

Do you need any help in planning a budget-friendly renovation or building work? Send us a message.

Are you planning on building your own home this year?

Do you already have a builder in mind?

Finding the right builder for these tasks is important because your chosen builder can spell a big difference in the expenses and outcome of your construction project. Therefore, you must choose your builder wisely.

But how would you do that?

There are lots of construction companies in Queensland. There are large firms which provide services to wide housing projects while others are relatively smaller, often run by a local family.

Between the two, who would you choose?

In this blog, we listed some of the benefits of hiring a local family-owned builder for your building and renovation work. Read on to know who to choose for your 2021 project.

#1 Experience

Large firms have extensive experience in building works. However, a local family-owned builder has more experience in working with rural sites and family focused homes.

Large construction firms tend to specialize in wide housing projects while small scale constructions often get smaller projects. So, a local family-owned builder can be more experienced with your construction needs and have local knowledge compared to larger firms.

#2 Price

“Not all that glitter is gold.”

As the popular saying goes, not because it’s fancy and expensive doesn’t mean it’s the best option. Price may be a good parameter to ensure quality. But then, you should always keep in mind that larger firms tend to charge higher regardless.

The good thing about local family-owned builders is that they may offer you the same service with more cost effective outcomes. Who wouldn’t want a less expensive deal of the same quality?

#3 Familiarity with the local area

A local family-owned builder is usually the go-to company whenever there is a renovation need in the neighbourhood. It isn’t surprising if your local family-owned builder knows the community as much as the community knows them.

This familiarity comes with being within the area. Most local family-owned builders started their business in the community where they lived. The climate, historical and cultural factors, as well as the disposition of the neighbourhood, are known to your local builder. This knowledge helps them adjust the building works to minimize possible problems.

#4 Openness for custom-built projects

You would not find the same openness for custom-built projects more than what you will experience with local family-owned builders.  Their previous projects make local family-owned builders familiar with all-sorts of customized renovations and building works. They might even be able to suggest necessary modifications to make your house look and function better.

#5 They are near you

Choosing among the builders within your community could mean two things. First, you can ask your neighbours for referrals. A referral is a good basis when hiring a builder as feedback says a lot about the services a builder offers.

The other one is that they are just a few kilometres away and would like to build again or have a query, your local builders are very accessible.

Conclusion

Working with a local family-owned builder has a lot of benefits. You’ll find when you hire one that there’s more to them than what we have listed here.

Should you need a local builder for your building works? Send us a message today.

Do you ever consider designing your dream home?

If your answer is a “yes”, then we are happy to tell you that it is possible. Yes, it is a reality to have your custom-built home. We are here to help you in every step of your homeowner’s journey.

Now, you may be interested to know what it’s like to have a custom-built home.

Will it be costly?

Will you have a say in every phase of the construction?

Is your idea even feasible?

Those questions are probably running in your mind when you think of doing a custom-built home. We’ll be discussing all of these in this blog. Let’s start.

The right way to start

One of the most difficult phases when building a custom-built home is how to start the project.

Homeowners may think that the right process is to:

• buy a block of land
• hire an architect to design the house
• get a builder to do it

But do you know that this can be very impractical and may even result in blowing out your expenses along the way?

What we suggest is for you to first find a builder, a local one,  who will help you find a block of land.

Why?

It is because local builders are more familiar with the location. This allows them to give you helpful advice when choosing a plot.

Your input will always matter

Since this is a custom-built home, the homeowner has a say in every phase of the project. From planning the house layout to the finishing touches, your input will always matter.

This is one of the benefits of having a custom-built home. If you wish to have a bold and artistic splashback, you can have one installed. If you fancy a flat roof with a few skylights, it will be possible. Everything you want to add to your dream home is just a plan away from happening.

We at Davolyn Constructions are happy to hear our clients’ ideas. As a local family-owned builder, we can also help you come up with the best decisions to make your dream home possible.

Custom-built home can cut future expenses

The idea that custom-built homes will cost so much is what hinders most first time homeowners from choosing this option. However, choosing a custom-built home can actually help you save more money in the future.

Firstly, you can have your home built with sustainable living features to minimize electricity consumption. By simply positioning your windows towards the direction of natural airflow, you could limit the use of your AC. Or if you install enough skylights, you can save up energy by turning off the lights during daytime.

Custom-built homes are also less likely to be renovated in the near future. Considering that all of the materials used are new, repairs wouldn’t be needed so soon.

Conclusion

Davolyn Constructions believe that a home is an important family investment. We know how much you want your dream home to become a reality and we are always willing to make that happen. Should you need our service, we are just a phone call away. Let’s talk.

Brisbane is known for having a favourable climate due to mild winter as compared to other zones. However, the long summer in this tropical zone can be very challenging for some residents as the heat triggers several types of illnesses such as heat stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as mild diseases such as allergies and heat rashes.

Aside from health risks, the summer heat can also become a threat to your property.  High humidity during summer produces mould and dampness on concrete walls which are responsible for peeling paint. It also invites pests such as dust mites and bugs.  For this reason, air conditioning systems are an absolute necessity for homes in this region.

But then again, the problem of rising energy bills can become an issue. What if we tell you that a passive design can help you save on your energy consumption during the long summers? Would you consider it?

What is Passive Design?

Passive design is a method of constructing a house or other properties which maximises the following features for you to enjoy a natural and cool atmosphere:

• directions
• location of the plot
• materials to be used
• the layout of the interior 
• placement of windows 

It is the general term for several techniques applied by builders and architects in the design and constructing properties. There are more specific strategies to passively cool your home without or with minimal use of air conditioning units and they are detailed below.

Making use of insulators

Insulators, as used in building and construction, are materials which possess great resistance to heat transmission by conduction and convection. Applying insulators in your property will do a lot of help in maintaining cool indoors or lessening the effect of summer heat in your home by repelling the heat from the outside as it is transmitted inside through some materials such as metal roofing which conducts heat. 

Using thermal mass

Thermal masses are construction materials which absorbs heat during daytime and expels it out during night time. Concrete is one of the best examples of this material. Concrete walls are more convenient to use in houses due to this reason. Concrete slabs for floorings are also getting into trend nowadays due to it acting as thermal mass. 

The good thing about thermal mass is that it allows you to have a cool indoor during daytime through heat absorption while diffusing the collected heat during night time when it is cold making the indoor a bit warmer.

Proper placing of windows, shades and other openings

This technique requires knowledgeable builders and architects as the placement of windows shades and openings has several considerations to be effective. Skilled builders know where the windows and other openings like a verandah must be placed to maximize the flow of air from the outdoor to your home. They must also be able to advise which type of windows works best in a given spot as windows can be either a shade or an opening, or both. 

Proper layout of the rooms can also do a great deal to passively cool your home. For instance, in an appropriately designed interior, a single air conditioning unit can be used to cool several rooms at once which will save you from paying for several units per room.

You might have observed that most of the techniques being utilized in passive design need assistance from an experienced builder. Here at Davolyn Constructions, we extend that help for you. We have proven skills in designing properties to provide passive cooling for your summer-ready indoors! Send us a message, today.