In the news this week, new figures on home values; housing industry reacts to axing of National Rental Affordability Scheme; re-purposing old televisions and monitors; and a look at green walls…
The average Australian home now costs around $546,500, according to a quarterly review released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The ABS’ Residential Property Price Index (RPPI) also shows that the increasing prices have contributed to a rise in the total value of residential dwellings to $5.1 trillion in the March quarter 2014...
The housing industry is less than impressed with the Federal Government’s axing of the final round of the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS).
Since it was established, the NRAS has delivered 14,000 affordable homes, with a further 24,000 homes in the pipeline across the country. Round five of the scheme will not proceed as a result of the 2014 Budget – withdrawing $235.2 million from the program over three years.
See what the industry feels about it...
Vertical gardens or ‘living walls’ are starting to become a feature in homes and commercial buildings the world over. Restaurants and cafes now have healthy edible plants on display, while homeowners are using the walls as space-saver gardens or privacy screens.
How do they work, and how easy would it be for you to have one in your home?
Just six years after poor lending practices contributed to a global financial crisis, some high-risk borrowing strategies are back on the market to tempt those struggling to raise the deposit for a home loan, borrowers were warned this week.
Consumer advocacy group Choice advises that low-deposit loans, family guarantees and 40-year loans are financial products that make it easier to take the leap from renting to home ownership, but they can also pose significant risks...
For too many years, discarded television sets and computer monitors have been ending up as landfill around the world simply because no-one had found a use for the components.
Californian manufacturer Fireclay Tile, however, has built its reputation on making bespoke tiles using recycled materials and with some help from crowd-source funding Kickstarter is now producing a line of CRT glass tiles. The glass is ground and de-magnetised then melted to re-form as beautiful grey tiles that come in polished or matte finish.
Image: Fireclay Tile
The 'Floor Area' of a building is a measure* of the amount of useable space in a building (and its attachments) at the final stage of construction. It is measured in square metres.
The boundary of the floor area is delineated by the external perimeter of the exterior walls of the building, but the area under unenclosed verandahs, carport etc, attached outside the exterior walls is excluded.
* According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics