• It is worth taking the time and trouble to do a prep coat – as they both protect and prepare the surface to be painted.

• A primer can contain stain inhibiting blockers which is good for timber surfaces.

• The best place to start painting an entire room is the ceiling. Start at the point that is farthest from the biggest light source and work back towards the light.
• Use a brush and edger to paint around the cornices and where the ceiling meets the wall.
• An undercoat is ideal for preparing plasterboard for painting.
• Some products will be formulated as an all in one with a sealer, undercoat and primer. If it is suitable, this could save you a lot of time and money in buying and using more than the one product.
• For surfaces that have been previously painted, a good clean and sand could be all it needs
  before repainting.
• Spend the time stirring the paint with a flat blade stirrer, paint needs to be thoroughly stirred.
• The perfect way to hold a paintbrush is to hold the brush between the   first finger and thumb with your other fingers resting on the top of the brush.
• You can use a paint application pad to paint edges such as skirtings. Load pain on to the application pad by using a paintbrush and then run the pad along the skirting.
• Use a paint roller in a zig zag movement to ensure an even coverage with paint.

• Paint must be applied to a clean surface. Sugar soap and a scrubbing brush will give a thorough clean and remove grease. Rinse and allow to dry before you paint.

• It is worth buying a good quality masking tape.  Poor quality can tear easily and be a problem to remove when you have finished.

Open plan living is a popular option creating an easy flow of space throughout the house. Heating and cooling can be more expensive in larger spaces and it can be difficult to keep the noise down if you need to. Room dividers can be a way to open up space and close it off when you need to.

If you can face your living area to the north you can take advantage of the free heating the winter sun will provide. Eaves will give you some protection from the direct sun in the summer time helping with cooling costs.

Windows on opposite sides of the room can allow a breeze to flow through in summer and double glazing can keep you snug and save on power bills in the winter time.

Think about how you are going to use the space, particularly if you have a family to share it with.  Clever design can have a number of areas to cater for different family activities.

Different lighting at night can change the whole look of a room in an instant.  Lamps and dimmers can create a welcoming and relaxed feel to a room with brighter task lighting used where it is needed.
Experiment with different lighting to change how the living room works at different times for you and your family.

When choosing a builder there are some important things to keep in mind.

A professional builder operates in a professional and businesslike manner. From the first phone call, how
they deal with your questions and how they follow up will tell you something of how you will be treated
once the contract is signed. A good relationship with honest and clear communication is vital for a successful building partnership.

Builders who have an established reputation can show you examples of their work they have completed which will tell you something of their work history and experience in the building trade. They can also refer you to clients who are happy to give a reference for their workmanship.

You can also ask for information on the number of projects they have completed on budget and on time.

Builders should be members of a professional association. These associations have strict codes of conduct
and practice that they need to adhere to maintain their registration.

Brownhill Homes is proud of their commitment to clients and high standard of customer satisfaction with completed building projects.  A dedicated team is here to help you every step of the way.

Brownhill Homes is a member of the Master Builders Association and a gold member of the  Housing Industry Association.

A kitchen should give you room to move freely around but also needs to be compact enough to allow you to easily reach between spaces when you are preparing food.
An efficient kitchen layout usually has what is called a working triangle. This includes the sink, stove and fridge as its main elements. The total distance to travel between the three is best kept less than 8m if possible to make food preparation as easy as possible and to spend less time walking in between.

When choosing colours and finishes for your kitchen, think about the kind of feel or atmosphere you would like to create. A kitchen with a black and white colour scheme and stainless steel appliances will make a very different statement to a kitchen with timber and warm and earthy paint colours.

Kitchens are a room people take notice of when buying a house and a well designed kitchen with easy functionality can definitely add value to your home. If you plan to sell your home in the near future, safer more neutral colours would be best to choose from that most people are happy with. Splashes of bolder colour can be brought in to liven a room up in pictures, chair coverings and kitchen equipment if you want to have more colour that can be easily changed.

At Brownhill Homes we have a kitchen built into our showroom that allows you to see the different samples that we have from our suppliers.  There are laminates and stone for bench tops, floor and wall tiles and paint samples to try out. We also have on display our standard range of dishwasher, stove, oven, microwave and sink making it easy to choose the colours, finishes and appliances for your building project.

Some of the important steps you will need to take are:

1.     Work out what your budget is. This may be related to securing a loan with a bank or adjusting a mortgage. What size loan would you qualify for if you need one? If you know what your budget is before you start to have plans drawn it will help you and your design team to be realistic with the design meeting your budget.

2.     Choosing the land to build on. You and professionals you may need to work with will need to look at building codes and standards for the council that the land is in, any special zoning, soil reports, and engineering reports and so on. Having this information will help you choose a design or in instructing an architect to design for you that is able to be constructed on the land you have chosen.

3.     There are a number of professionals you may need to employ. A surveyor, a designer, architect, an engineer and a builder. Selecting the right builder at the start of the project will often mean you will be introduced to his trusted professionals. Here at Brownhill Homes we have a professional team we have completed many successful projects with.
Alternatively, you may already have the plans and land and now need a builder to provide a building quotation for you.

4.     Signing a building contract. A builder should have an industry standard contract that he takes the time to go over personally with the client, answering any questions and making sure the client is clear on each aspect and comfortable in signing the contract. Legal advice should always be sought when signing a contract if you are not comfortable or do not understand any part of a contract. At Brownhill Homes this is not carried out by a sales representative but by the owner himself, Chris Brownhill who takes each client through the contract signing process.

At Brownhill Homes we make the process so much easier for you with a comprehensive showroom at our factory in Maroondah Highway, Ringwood.
We have a dedicated staff member to talk you through the selection process, making the decision making process simpler and much more pleasurable.

We have sample boards of our standard ranges in bricks, tiles, weatherboards and all the external finishes you need to make decisions on. Carpet, tile and timber flooring samples will make it easier to see the options you have for flooring. Door furniture, taps and shower and bath fittings are easily chosen from our display boards.

We have a complete kitchen set up with bench top samples to choose from. Vanity units complete with taps and basins allow you to see what they would look like in your new home.

Brownhill Homes also has a premium range at an additional cost and are happy to incorporate your own choices of fixtures and appliances.

Brownhill Homes has bathroom fittings such as vanities, taps, shower-heads and tile and paint samples in their showroom, helping make the process of choosing your bathroom finishes simple.

In the kitchen where boiling water and cooking produces steam, the cooling steam turns into water that can cause condensation on walls, ceilings and around windows. When this is happening on a daily basis, especially during winter, mould and mildew can begin to form which can have an unpleasant odour but can also be harmful to your health.
In some cases condensation can seep into cracks and cause structural rotting and costly repairs.

If you don’t have a rangehood above your stove, an exhaust can be fitted directly above and vented to the outside. Many older houses don’t have exhaust fans fitted or the fans that they have can be underpowered.

Laundries and bathrooms also benefit from one exhaust fan to get rid of damp air before it condenses.  Tumbler dryers that are not vented outside and steamy showers can produce large amounts of condensation.

For an exhaust fan to be effective it needs to be powerful enough to expel humid air from the room where it is installed. Fans have a rating for air movement which is measured in CFM or cubic feet per metre.

To work out the size of the fan you need to calculate the volume of the room. To do this you multiply the L x W X H and them multiply the number of air changes you need.
For example:

In a bathroom with a shower 15-20 air changes per hour.

So if you had a room 3 x 3 x 3 x 15 you would need the fan to move approximately 405m3 per hour.

A well ventilated home could be less costly to heat as well as being a healthier place to live.

The type of lamp you choose will also be linked to the room you want to use it in and what the lamp is to be used for. For example, in a bedroom you may need a bright task light for reading by the bed and a lamp with a softer light elsewhere in the room to create a relaxed ambience to the room.

Lamps with dimmers can instantly change the feel of a room, a brighter light when you need it but able to create a more relaxed atmosphere at the turn of a dial.

Night lamps can be used in wall sockets to light hallways at night time or in a children’s room to give a low level of light throughout the night.

Lamps can also be used to throw light upwards as well as down to create dramatic effect.

Task lighting for reading, writing, cooking or hobbies needs to be bright enough to work without straining your eyes. Consider having a flexible base or head to make angling light where you need it to be.

Tip for task lighting:

If you are right handed, ensure the light comes from the left hand side. If you are left handed, make sure it comes from the right hand side to prevent casting shadows on your work.

Any room that you would like to install a fan into the ceiling must have at least 2.1 metres from the floor to the blades of the fan. From the blades of the fan to the ceiling needs to be at least 300mm.

When you are selecting a fan you need to consider the size of the room. The larger the more powerful motor you will need in the fan. The blades also need to be large enough to generate sufficient air movement around the room.

A fan also needs to be in proportion to the room, a fan that is too big can look overpowering in a small room.

If you have very high ceilings you can fit an extension rod to bring the fan down to a height where it will be the most effective.

If a fan is going to be installed where an existing light fitting was already located, you can buy a fan that has a light fitting inbuilt in the fan.

In winter you can reverse the blades of the fan and run in reverse mode and help lower heating bills. This pushes down the hot air from the top of the roof. Fans are economical to run and the average fan is around the cost of a light bulb to run.

Here is an approximate measure of the size fan you will need for an average room.

A small room of approximately 4mx5m =20m2 would need a fan measuring 120cm.

Take your room measurements into the shop where you purchase the fan and they can work out the best size fan for your room.