2020 has been a year where every aspect of how we live has been subjected to some extreme ‘stress testing’ – and none more so than the home.
With families forced to stay home together for more hours in the day than ever before, we’ve discovered whether where we live copes – or doesn’t cope – with a variety of new scenarios.
Working from Home
Many people continue to work from home while we wait for a COVID-19 vaccine. For the typical family of 2 working parents and 2 children, desk space is at a premium.
The trend for open plan living also means that finding a quiet area where you can concentrate away from distractions isn’t easy.
And it is widely predicted that we’ll continue to work from home in some shape or form after the pandemic is over.
So, you won’t be surprised to read that, as a design and construct company specialising in home extensions and additions, Addbuild has received more enquiries than ever before from people looking to include home offices in their renovation designs.
Design for the Kids’ Future
One eternal driver of renovations for parents with two or more kids has been to create separate bedrooms for each child rather than sharing, especially as the children get closer to their teenage years.
Now with the prospect of more people working at home, parents are looking to include study nooks as part of their renovation designs or opting for larger separate bedrooms to incorporate more desk space.
Additions Vs Extensions
The ‘new normal’ has also boosted the appeal of a first-floor addition over an extension.
There have always been distinct pros and cons to each option, but the need for more defined work spaces away from the noisy heart of the house – the kitchen and living room – has given additions an edge in popularity.
Once that decision is made, the biggest dilemma remains: who gets the upstairs, the parents or the kids?
HomeBuilder Grants
Despite the uncertain times, Addbuild has seen an increase in enquiries for our services during 2020.
Undoubtedly, a major factor has been the HomeBuilder grants, a stimulus to home building and renovations that has just been extended by the Federal Government for a further 3 months.
Peace of Mind Process
Another factor, re-enforced to us when we recently spoke to a client about their experience of building a home addition, is that Addbuild provides a thorough no obligation free quote.
This means that you get a detailed proposal of sketch designs and an indicative quote before you have to commit to building with us, plus the opportunity to fine tune the proposal.
Some builders may give you a free quote with no drawings which makes it really difficult to judge whether they really have incorporated all your ideas.
Concept-to-Completion
When – and only when – you are comfortable with our proposal, Addbuild generates a Plans Order which allows us to prepare all the plans, specifications and contract documents ready for council approval.
The next step is to sign the Department of Fair Trading Building Contract with a fixed building price. We then submit, monitor and manage the council approval process for you.
Upon approval, we assign a building supervisor to your project and begin the build.
It’s a process that has been refined over our 40 years of working with Sydney homeowners, ensuring there are no nasty surprises when you design and build with us.
It is likely that you’ll undertake a major renovation only once in your lifetime, so it’s almost certain that you’ve never had to submit plans to your Local Council and navigate the approvals process.
So Addbuild also offers this as part of our ‘concept-to-completion’ service as another way to make your renovation as stress-free as possible.
Improve Your Home for the Future
Based in Sydney, Addbuild specialises in designing and building quality additions, renovations & extensions with more than 1,800 homes completed to date.
If you are looking to improve the house you live in to create the home you need in the future, call Addbuild on 02 8765 1555. We will arrange for a design consultant to visit you at home to discuss your situation. Alternatively, leave your details here, and we’ll get in contact with you.
