DBG Blog #17 - Keeping Warm in the Winter: The Key to Comfortable Living

As winter settles in and temperatures drop, it's easy to focus solely on staying warm and cozy indoors. However, ensuring that your home maintains a comfortable and consistent temperature throughout the colder months is equally important. This blog post will explore some effective strategies for keeping warm in the winter, ensuring a pleasant and well-balanced living environment.

Insulation Matters

Proper insulation is crucial when it comes to maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature. It helps regulate heat flow, prevents cold drafts, and reduces energy loss. Evaluate your home's insulation, paying close attention to areas such as walls, windows and doors. Consider upgrading insulation materials or consulting with professionals to improve its effectiveness. Well-insulated homes are not only more comfortable but also save on heating costs.

Efficient Heating Systems

An efficient heating system is essential for maintaining an optimal indoor temperature. Consider upgrading to energy-efficient models that provide consistent heat without consuming excessive energy. Programmable thermostats allow you to set different temperatures for various times of the day, helping you optimise comfort and save on heating bills. Regular maintenance and timely repairs ensure your heating system functions optimally throughout the winter months.

Proper Ventilation

While it may seem counterintuitive, proper ventilation plays a vital role in maintaining a comfortable environment during winter. Good ventilation helps remove excess moisture and pollutants that can compromise indoor air quality. It also aids in temperature regulation by allowing for better air circulation. Ensure that vents and air ducts are clean and unobstructed, and consider installing a heat recovery ventilation system to efficiently circulate fresh air while minimising heat loss.

Window Treatments

Windows are significant sources of heat gain and loss in any season. In winter, they can allow cold drafts to seep in, making your home feel cold and uncomfortable. Utilise window treatments such as thick curtains, blinds, or insulating shades to minimise heat transfer. During the day, open curtains to allow sunlight to naturally warm up your living spaces, and close them at night to reduce heat loss. Consider upgrading to energy-efficient windows, which offer better insulation and reduce heat transfer.

By implementing the strategies mentioned above, such as proper insulation, efficient heating systems, ventilation and window treatments, you can create a comfortable and well-balanced living environment throughout the colder months (and warmer months too). Remember, a cosy home is one that has the perfect balance between warmth and coolness, ensuring you can fully enjoy every season.

DBG Blog #16 - Considerations for your bathroom renovation

In our experience with Adelaide bathroom renovations, people decide to renovate their bathrooms for two main reasons:

1.     Update an aging bathroom to suit their lifestyle; or

2.     Increase the sale value of their home.

Below are a few tips that can set you up for success.

Renovating for lifestyle

Even the best thought-out bathroom designs need updating after enough time has passed. Whether you’re looking to modernise your bathroom or do a complete re-design, you should consider both your current budget and the future sale of your home. Designing your bathroom to suit, and completing your selections before starting the renovation, will ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible.

Before starting your bathroom renovation, we recommend you talk to a designer to get ideas on how you can maximise efficiency and space while keeping your bathroom aesthetically pleasing.

Renovating to sell

If you’re renovating your bathroom to sell, consider the buying market for your home. For example, if your home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, families will likely be more interested in purchasing the home..

Renovating to sell means you’ll be designing your space with as much aesthetic neutrality as possible. Although you may think a bold feature wall would add value to the home, you may want to consider neutral colours such as grey and white to avoid discouraging buyers due to personal taste.

Drafting a design

No matter what your motivation is for renovating your bathroom, we suggest working with a builder who supplies drafting services in-house. This will help you design the space in the best way possible. A draftsperson can help visualise your selections and the design of the room, and when working for a builder, they know how to keep the project within budget. Don’t hesitate to reach out today for a quote on your Adelaide bathroom renovation!

DBG Blog #15 - Prime Cost vs Provisional Sum

There’s a reason that lawyers are in high demand – contracts can be confusing and difficult to read. With many new concepts and terms introduced, a building contract can be daunting to read, much less sign.

A few terms that often lead to the most questions are prime cost and provisional sum.

Prime Cost

According to Turtons Lawyers, a prime cost is “an allowance made for a specific supply item, where the final choice of the item has not been made at the time of entering the contract.” [1] Prime costs are typically entered for fixtures and fittings such as door handles, stovetops, and tapware.

If, after the item has been purchased, the actual cost of the item is low, the prime cost will reflect this.

Provisional Sum

A provisional sum is an allowance included in a building contract where the cost of a contract item cannot be known by the builder before the contract is executed.

Provisional sums are often used for plumbing, electrical, and other items that cannot be concretely priced until the renovations have begun.

The Difference

Simply stated, the difference between a prime cost and a provisional sum is that a prime cost applies to the item itself while a provisional sum refers to the item and the cost of installation. Prime cost allowances allow flexibility for items not yet chosen by the homeowner while provisional sums are used when it is impossible to know the exact price for a section of work.

Prime costs and provisional sums are beneficial to both the builder and homeowner as they promote fair pricing for both parties. If the actual cost is low, the prime cost or provisional sum will reflect this. It also ensures that if the price is higher than the allowance, the builder is not losing out on profit for the project.

In the end, knowing exactly what you’re paying is always ideal, but unfortunately, there are many situations in which unforeseen costs arise. A good builder will provide you with a price as accurate as possible, but prime costs and provisional sums can be preferable as they are beneficial to both parties.