Valuers spend years at university learning how and it is a serious profession, but with a little bit of common sense, you can get some basic ideas about what is and isn’t value. It is one of the most common questions we receive from people trying to make the most of their budget. Consider this basic principle in terms of effort: a hole can get dug by forty men in a day or by one machine in four hours. While both offer the same result, one clearly offers value and it is easy to observe in terms of effort.

However, when we choose products in the home it is less obvious but the benefits are just as valuable to you as the consumer. In this light, choosing the right products, methods and design features in your home can ensure terrific use of your budget.

Often upfront savings can be achieved in a home by opting for less durable materials, or products that don’t have support and after sales service. Always check with your builder what they are using throughout the home and chances are, if you can’t easily identify the product or can’t find it online, you should be questioning why it is in your home.

Further, the choice to install some products over others can affect long term value of the home. A cheaper house initially may provide savings, but maintenance and running costs of the home can be affected enormously. For example, insulation can seem to be costly as some builders may not provide it upfront, but installing it at the time of construction will not only offer significant savings over the life of the home, but also will improve your personal use and enjoyment of your new home.

So in short, take your time, be informed, and enjoy your time you spend when choosing your builder.

What is a ‘spec’ home?

A spec home is a home that is not built to a client’s brief, and typically sold off the plan or placed for sale on the market when completed. Sometimes, this can include house and land packages, but usually this is a home built specifically to be sold on completion. For the client, this offers a home that is ‘out of the box’ and brand new, so there is no holding cost, and no waiting for the building to complete. If you love a new home, but can’t wait for it, then this is your best option. There is however in most cases much more stamp duty to be paid on this type of transaction as opposed to building a custom built home, and you will miss out on choosing your colour schemes and special touches.

Most people prefer to live in a brand new home. The reason some new properties may seem more expensive is that they offer a higher quality of living, the latest in construction methods, building design, facilities, technology and amenities. Ever increasing land and building costs means each new project usually costs more than the last one.

Renovating old homes can be a great way to have the best of both worlds – a home with modern function in an established area.

You should bear in mind that an older property does not usually come with the same warranties and guarantees, and will need upkeep or renovation before a new one. All of these calculations need to be taken into consideration.

As a home owner, you need to think about what it is you may want out of your home and consider that a new home provides an open slate to influence the design and end up with the house you truly want rather than a compromise of what is on offer.

As an investor, you need to look at what tenants are demanding, such as open plan living, cool, energy efficient homes, and the level of community in the area the home you are looking at provides.

Explain what advantages exist with regard Stamp Duty and construction?

Stamp Duty is a Territory Government tax on the transfer of property and is charged in all Australian States. In the Northern Territory, if you purchase an established property, full stamp duty is payable on the total purchase price of the property.

If you purchase a house and land package, you only pay Stamp Duty on the value of what physically exists at the time of purchase “ad valorem”, i.e. if construction has not commenced, you pay substantially less Stamp Duty. This saving is usually some thousands of dollars.

Stamp Duty payable is calculated proportionately on the level of construction completed at time of purchase. Therefore if you purchase halfway through construction you will still receive roughly half the maximum saving. The earlier you buy the less Stamp Duty you pay and the more you save.

Importantly if you choose construction, you will need to balance these considerations of stamp duty with the holding costs that are typically payable during construction until the home completes. If the construction period is lengthy, than the savings in stamp duty may not be enjoyed or it may end up costing more!

Affordable homes are a great initiative and there is plenty of information available with a simple online search. There are around twenty designs available for homes in Bellamack, and prices are from $342,000 to $420,000 for two to three bedroom homes. This is a fantastic chance to enter the market and if you qualify for one of these restricted blocks, then you would spend a long time searching to find a deal as good as what you may get for these homes purely in terms of size, let alone something brand new!

If you are in the market, you simply must factor these onto your list of properties to look at and examine.

Which way should I approach planning my home prior to construction?

Like the home needing good foundations for it to be a success, it is essential that as a client you have a great relationship with your builder. After all, they will be building what for most people is the biggest investment of their lives.

When you walk into your builder’s office the initial relationship you start with, which hopefully should be positive, is typically the relationship together you end the project with. This is especially so if you and your builder work together and give some time and thought to planning your home. In that light, being pro-active and being able to have question and answer sessions with your builder should be the accepted minimum. If they can’t do this for you, you should find one who can.

Working closely with your builder and giving the planning process time will improve the outcomes no end. Insist on receiving a full Schedule of Finishes and a detailed Plan at each version of the drawings as you work to completion so you know exactly what you are paying for. Some builders are unwilling to change their range, style or standard of construction and it would be important you establish this prior to choosing a builder if this is essential to your vision for your home.

So often the major source of negative stories you hear about in the industry is because builder and client are not understanding precisely what is in the home, or drawings that don’t show the full areas of the home and don’t line up with the Schedule of Finishes. All of this should line up and make sense at all times, or if this isn’t the case, you should seek clarification from your builder immediately.

A classic example is with extras. Extras, or variations in some cases, can be charged at any rate after construction starts – not all builders charge market rates for such work, and usually there is little consumer protection in the contract. So make clear that you know what these costs are for extras prior to entering into a contract.

In 1974, around 8 in 10 of the 12,000 homes in Darwin were destroyed due to Cyclone Tracy. A large number of homes were classic tropical designs, featuring a lightweight, elevated home seated on stumps of generally around 2-2.5 metres tall. This allowed cooling breezes to come through the home at a time where air conditioning was not available on the scale it exists today.

Though building standards gave some thought to the possibility of a cyclone, most buildings were not capable of withstanding a direct hit. Since then, Darwin has seen a number of government led initiatives aimed at reducing destruction of homes and loss of life. This included the creation of a Cyclone Testing Station in Townsville in 1977, and the introduction of improved techniques such as ‘tie downs’ and ‘bracing’ to make the homes far more wind resistant.

Homes in Darwin are subject to some of the most intense inspection and building methods in the country, and have served to produce formidable homes that should withstand most storms. Standards were introduced after the cyclone and then updated in 1985. Post-Tracy, Darwin has thankfully not been confronted with this scenario with a destructive cyclone hitting Darwin directly. 

As builders, we have seen designs evolve from the ‘bomb shelter’ designs that were the immediate response to Cyclone Tracy and featured widely in the reconstruction of the city to the current styles that increasingly incorporate lighter weight materials that are now deemed to comply with the government standard and able to be used in homes.

These lighter-weight modern homes built today are as a result just as strong as any of the post-Tracy homes and can harness the breeze. This gives the locals benefit of lightweight tropical design without the obvious issues of forty years ago, where homes were being ripped to shreds or taken clean off them. In any case, any home post-1985 should withstand a cyclone event.

If we look across to Broome, where cyclones have directly affected the city in recent times they have embraced lightweight construction, if for no other reason than the relative difficulty in sourcing heavier materials in that area. These homes have resisted the cyclones, and while there is never a case for complacency, your new home should be a safe place in a storm.

Like landscaping, installing a pool all starts with understanding what you want to do with the pool and if you can, incorporating it into your home design. It will typically cost 5-10% of the total value of the home and should be given a lot of attention from the outset if possible. Like the verandah, in Darwin the pool can really become another living area, where you can spend a lot of time comfortably.

You should ask yourself if you want to be cooking poolside or under an adjacent verandah, if you want room for just a table and chairs or room enough to host poolside parties. Whether the pool is to be for families or as a statement to built form, this needs to be identified from the start.

In Darwin, we would advise you should from the outset budget for an umbrella or shade sail, and an industrial fan if you can install it safe from the elements. These can make a pool much more accessible for use and much more comfortable for the life of the pool. Umbrellas cost more than shadecloth but offer flexibility and they are far easier to retract, making them less exposed to the elements and damage.

Perhaps the most common question we receive about installing a pool is whether to install a spa or not. We find spas in Darwin usually are the crowning piece of the pool puzzle and you usually find they are most used part of a pool, sharing with friends and family. However, a spa can add significantly to the costs of the pool and will require significant additional electricity and as often happens with home improvement, you will have to balance budget with desired lifestyle.

Pool features to personalise the project abound and include waterfalls, swim jets and for the true local, water. They are regularly installed in Darwin, and your pool installer will know all about them should you elect to warm the water for those dry season days where the water is no longer hot tub temperature. It is little wonder why sometimes Territorian behavior is sometimes considered unique!

You will always have a thought when investing into a property a pool to keep an eye on making sure it is appropriate for future use, whether you sell the home or your requirement change, or to keep pace with technology. I would say just make the pool the place that feels for you right today, as it is tough to plan too far to the future. Who would have thought 10 years ago we would be installing internet enabled outdoor televisions on walls on most of our new homes?

A great place to start with design is to look at the design and features for your own needs. It is important that your kitchen has the storage space that you need.  Storage options that are available include cabinetry, open shelves, adjustable shelving, drawers, and even wine racks.

After that, you need to consider the ‘triangle’ of the fridge, pantry and oven and start to layout your kitchen around that. With a rough sketch in mind, at this point you should evaluate the way the kitchen interacts with the adjoining spaces, which should at a minimum include the dining area and possibly outdoor entertainment and living room.

At this point, the bench tops, and decisions about what goes into them should be made. At present, kitchen island bench tops are so popular because of the added space that they give to a kitchen, especially counter space.  In turn, more counter space makes the space feel for accessible and easy to use and you will need to work with your designed to pick the right size island for your kitchen.

If you make the Island bench too large and it will overwhelm your space and not deliver the great feeling workspace it should. As a guide, you would want to ensure a minimum of 900mm between the bench and any other bench or wall. You can place anything in the island whether it is your sink or oven, but we would recommend only one of them unless the kitchen is particularly large. 

How do I make my bathroom green?

Outside of the lawn, the bathroom is the major point in the home where water is consumed. Choosing the right fittings in a bathroom can save you a lot of money and help the environment at the same time.

Installing a compact dual-flush toilet can reduce your water consumption by around 20 percent and the single best way to reduce water. The next best option is to look at your taps in the bathroom.

Although in the past water saving taps have been criticised for not being very functional, much has changed in recent times and the taps are now in the main either comparable or superior to non-water saving taps of the past. There are a lot of taps today that can save you even more on water usage with modified fittings such as a low flow showerhead or flow restrictors.

You should be using in Darwin a solar-powered hot water heater or a heat pump. Both are great and very efficient, and although expensive compared to electric options they quickly act to return your investment.

You could reduce energy use substantially also by swapping your older incandescent bulbs for energy efficient compact florescent bulbs or LED’s that use even less energy. If your design allows it, a skylight can also maximise natural light sources and further reduce energy use.

Fix any leaks in your plumbing system as soon as possible, as this is money, literally down the drain! Your water meter is an easy place to source any potential leaks from. If it is ticking over with all the taps off, you have a leak.

Consider installing a rainwater tank, which can be plumbed to supply water for your bathroom, as well as your laundry and garden. A grey water system that recycles the water from your sink and shower and feeds the toilet as well as the garden is another water conservation measure worth investigating.

If you are like most people and you start by looking for tips on choosing a block online, you won’t find too much detail on selection of a block in a tropical environment. Most information out there is encouraging you to heat up your home, which is the last thing you should be looking for. Except for the actual home, selection of a block is the most important part of building a home.

In the Darwin area, the land squeeze we had suffered through 2008 and 2009 meant selecting a block wasn’t a reality for customers as the land sale was conducted through a ballot system and largely you had to accept what you could get your hands on. Vacant blocks were a scarcity and most being bought up well before titles were issued.

Fortunately, the land shortage is easing and choosing your lot is a possibility again. When looking for a lot, you should consider some proximity of schools, shopping, parks and health precincts. You need to consider whether your home is going to have a backyard in the sun or the front of the house in the sun, and if you go two-storey, whether your home is going to be looking at someone’s backyard instead of overlooking a park.

I am thinking about buying my first house. What options for housing are out there?

Increasingly, there are more options tailored specifically for first homeowners. Government and developers jointly have provided options for this area of the market and it can provide outstanding opportunities for first time entrants to the housing market.

The options can generally be split into two categories – buying vacant land to later build a home on, or buying complete house and land packages. Both have strengths to draw on and as a starting point, discussing your options with a builder would be a great idea.

If you buy land on its own at the moment there are blocks especially available for first home owners every few months and it is generally cheaper per square metre than the usual market rate. It provides you freedoms with what type of home you can build on the site, within fairly generous parameters.

The house and land option presents an all-inclusive, predictable housing option for you to move your furniture in. The best aspect of this is that you can choose the design you want, and then leave the rest to the builder. It is inflexible in design options, but sometimes this is great for first homeowners when there is a lot of unfamiliar concepts and activities going on!

Looking around at all the various companies in Darwin you will find quoted areas on brochures to be approaching areas of homes in three ways, roof area, aggregate indoor and slab area, and bigger isn’t always better.

The measure the home ‘under roof’ which is the largest number you will find on brochures measures all parts of the home, including the outdoor areas and the eaves in the measurement. Generally homes with this measure will be advertised as the ‘ABC 256’, with the 256 indicating the aggregate size. Homes advertised this way feature usable living area that is usually 30-40% smaller than the number shown, and the usable living area can be sometimes less than half the aggregate number on some designs, so look out!

The other type of measurement that uses aggregate area relies on the measurement of all indoor areas, including the garage. This number is typically 35-40m2 larger than the living area the home owner will actually have to live in and enjoy, and they should be aware of this when making a decision.

The third type of floor area is a measurement of slab areas. This measurement will feature each area (living area, porch, verandah, garage) and is the most assessable and accurate measurement. It looks smaller on first glance, but you will find most of the leading builders will prefer this measurement as it is clearly describing the types of living areas in the home. Furthermore, with more breakdowns in floor area available it is quite safe to say that the design is more likely to be thought out and better to live in.

At the end of the day, the advertised measurements provide a guide to the home you are getting, just be sure to check so you know what you are comparing various homes to before making a purchasing decision. Starting from the floor plan and working up will get you the home you want more often than drawing a roof and filling the home in underneath it.

Is it cheaper to build a big ground level, or a two-storey of the same size?

This is a common question that arises at the early stage of your home planning. A ground level home will require a larger block of land compared to a two-storey and also a larger building footprint, and usually this means a more expensive piece of land.

The two storey option will cost more for a number of reasons including increased safety measures, balustrades, stairwells, an extra bathroom on average and addition costs of running services across the two levels. You may have some planning and privacy issues to look after as well, which can also add to costs.

If you have your block of land selected and it can fit your requirements in either format, then it is generally a rule of thumb that it costs approximately two bedrooms of a ground level home to have a two storey of the same specification.

Landscaping is a very important part of a home, it can give definition to the built form and it is crucial that you plan landscaping when you design your new home, even if landscaping won’t happen at the same time. If you ever fly in to Darwin you can see the exposed roofs of new developments and those roofs are heating the surrounding areas up and landscaping will help give your new home much needed shade, even if it takes a little while to establish.

You should plan how you want to use your outside areas, and make sure that your design is appropriate for the tropics. In suburban areas of Darwin and Palmerston, you quite often find countless landscaped areas that become ovens in the heat. Classic examples include outdoor concrete or other hard landscaping that is exposed to the sun, or outdoor porticos that are designed to trap heat in winter but installed in a city that has an endless summer.

Working out what you are putting into the areas such as a swimming pool, outdoor entertainment and lawn is the starting point generally. From there, you need to consider the site and environmental aspects of the block, such as slope, size and orientation. A skilled building designer or professional landscape designer can put both of these together. In their hands, you can ensure that your project utilises the space as well as possible and can keep costs to an acceptable level.

Good landscaping can encourage the prevailing sea breezes to draw through the home. Your designer should have the skills to take advantage of this and the other great parts of tropical living. It is no accident that a green leafy home is cooler, and establishing good cover is so important.

Are soil tests necessary for to get prior to building?

Soil tests can allow you to definitively know what sort of ground you are building your home on. Assuming all is fine on a site can result in potential major damage to the home or constant problems with the settlement of the site in the future. No one likes a building that is moving, and the resultant cracking in the building that comes from it.

It allows you to know if you are going to need to look out for and address a variety of issues including erosion (soil with as little as 10% sand can quickly subside), saturation of soil (normally clay types) or a classic in some areas of Darwin, seasonal swelling and shrinkage of soil (clay soils).

Most sites in the Darwin Area are at ‘S’ Class which is a good soil to work with although you should always a get a specialist in to test as your site may not be. Although generally areas will have similar soil characteristics, sites can vary enormously from yard to yard as well. Inside our company, we have seen results for clients’ three adjoining properties with three different soil types, so you never know. Make sure you check you have your report prior to building, and your builder understands what he needs to do.

Landscaping is a very important part of a home, it can give definition to the built form and it is crucial that you plan landscaping when you design your new home, even if landscaping won’t happen at the same time. If you ever fly in to Darwin you can see the exposed roofs of new developments and those roofs are heating the surrounding areas up and landscaping will help give your new home much needed shade, even if it takes a little while to establish.

You should plan how you want to use your outside areas, and make sure that your design is appropriate for the tropics. In suburban areas of Darwin and Palmerston, you quite often find countless landscaped areas that become ovens in the heat. Classic examples include outdoor concrete or other hard landscaping that is exposed to the sun, or outdoor porticos that are designed to trap heat in winter but installed in a city that has an endless summer.

Working out what you are putting into the areas such as a swimming pool, outdoor entertainment and lawn is the starting point generally. From there, you need to consider the site and environmental aspects of the block, such as slope, size and orientation. A skilled building designer or professional landscape designer can put both of these together. In their hands, you can ensure that your project utilises the space as well as possible and can keep costs to an acceptable level.

Good landscaping can encourage the prevailing sea breezes to draw through the home. Your designer should have the skills to take advantage of this and the other great parts of tropical living. It is no accident that a green leafy home is cooler, and establishing good cover is so important.

Are soil tests necessary for to get prior to building?

Soil tests can allow you to definitively know what sort of ground you are building your home on. Assuming all is fine on a site can result in potential major damage to the home or constant problems with the settlement of the site in the future. No one likes a building that is moving, and the resultant cracking in the building that comes from it.

It allows you to know if you are going to need to look out for and address a variety of issues including erosion (soil with as little as 10% sand can quickly subside), saturation of soil (normally clay types) or a classic in some areas of Darwin, seasonal swelling and shrinkage of soil (clay soils).

Most sites in the Darwin Area are at ‘S’ Class which is a good soil to work with although you should always a get a specialist in to test as your site may not be. Although generally areas will have similar soil characteristics, sites can vary enormously from yard to yard as well. Inside our company, we have seen results for clients’ three adjoining properties with three different soil types, so you never know. Make sure you check you have your report prior to building, and your builder understands what he needs to do.