"There has never been a better time to renovate"

Melbourne Home Owners are in the grip of a renovation revolution", Channel 7 News, 30th April 2012

To Move Or Improve?

You’ve finally come to the conclusion that your home no longer suits your needs, but you prefer not to move and essentially like the area in which you live. This leaves you with two options and you are confused as to which may be the better way to go. The blatant question then is; at what point do you decide to relocate or extend and renovate your existing home?

   

At Cameron Construction, many of our clients have different reasons for wanting to extend/ renovate; they can vary from needing more room for a growing family, entertaining space, modernising the home, improving your lifestyle, to gaining a more “open” feel in the home or simply more privacy.  Many have children on the way or children leaving home so the needs are also diverse based upon what stage of life they find themselves at.

One of the main reasons people prefer to extend and renovate is that they can remain in a particular location. With the dwindling land supply, particularly in the coastal areas, building a new home usually means moving to the outer/extreme this is a harsh reality. People also understand that moving home can incur stifling costs – particularly with Selling Fees and Stamp Duty but as can be seen in the chart, other costs escalate to push up the cost of moving dramatically.

For many people, they like where they live. They like the area, their neighbors, friends and family are often nearby not to mention amenities like schools, public transport, hospitals and other Community facilities. In other words, they are established there and really don’t want to risk moving unless absolutely necessary.

Many of our clients choose to extend or renovate for the above mentioned reasons. Extending or renovating your home with Cameron Construction really gives you the best of both worlds; the convenience of being able to stay in the same place offering you the security and convenience of staying close to work, friends, family along with the pleasure of seeing your home transformed into a dwelling with the functionality and security of a modern home that will provide you with much pride and satisfaction for years to come.

Spring 2011 in Review

So far, this spring has been one of the busiest for the team at Cameron Construction. We have been hard at work finalising existing home additions and renovations in preparation for the wave of new projects currently in design as eager home owners prepare for the warmer months ahead.

For most of our clients, the sound of neighbouring lawn mowers, the smell of spring and the warmth from a few days of sunshine, instinctively inspires them to prepare their homes for a range of summer entertaining activities, whether it be catching up with family for a Sunday roast, or inviting friends around for a Saturday BBQ.

This season, the building design team at Cameron’s has noticed an increase in the demand for open living designs where internal walls that divide tired living and entertaining rooms are removed and external walls are replaced with either sliding stacker or bi-fold type doors that open the home out to rear decks and alfresco areas. And more than ever, home owners are asking for complete home makeovers with particular attention being placed on remodeling dysfunctional kitchens and transforming out-dated bathrooms.

Rod and Lucille Cameron, co-founders of Cameron Construction, confirm that the trend towards green is continuing. As water and energy costs continue to rise more and more home owners are choosing environmentally friendly options including, rain and grey water alternatives, double glazing, and superior thermal insulating products.

Spring is a great motivator to get out and about and start planning your next home addition and renovation project.  And choosing a builder like Cameron Construction that offers the total package of award winning design and construction means that you’ll have more time enjoying the warmer months and less time worrying about doing it yourself.

Reality TV - "THE BLOCK"

In recent months we have been busy working with Josh & Jenna on their magnificent Edwardian style home in Cameron St Richmond. Some of you will know this address as the site off the hit TV show “The Block”, which recently aired on Channel Nine with huge ratings success.

The Couple were undoubtedly the team to beat, with well known judges John McGrath and Neale Whitaker awarding the couple with “the Best Room” for an AMAZING 4 out of 7 rooms. This was a first in the shows history.

The Bathroom received particular praise, being classified as “THE BEST ROOM IN BLOCK HISTORY”. The room was cleverly designed and incorporated a freestanding bath within the in-situ shower area. Bluestone floor tiles were selected and were sloped towards a brushed chrome shower grate running the entire width of the bathroom.  Despite the complexity of the design, the room was completed in an impressive 7 days and WON the challenge for Josh & Jenna.

Being a part of the show was tremendously exciting and an experience we will never forget.

The Renovators Delight.

By Michael Cameron

You’ve just bought renovators delight and are now considering what can be done to transform it to your dream home.

 If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent many weekends looking for a new family home. A home large enough to support a growing family, in good nick, but at the same time you didn’t want to buy somebody else’s dream.  You probably looked at hundreds of homes, and after months of torment you finally found the one. A renovator’s delight and your future dream home.

So what is the next step?

If the home is livable, then the advice that I give to my clients, is to do nothing. The first step should be to live in the home, relax and get to know it, find out what you love about it, found out what you hate about it. You may find that the room that you absolutely love in winter becomes the room you can’t stand to be in, in summer. This step is crucial before even considering design.

While you sitting back and enjoying your new home, this is also an excellent time to catch up on some reading. Magazines are an excellent source of information to catch up on recent trends and form ideas and thoughts for what you’d like in your new home. Instead of ear marking magazines, I suggest cutting out things of interest and creating a scrap book. This is will form a condensed montage of styles including fixtures and fittings that are to your liking.

If you haven’t already got to know the neighbourhood, then this is also a great time to get out and about. If you can find the time, put on your walking shoes and take a walk around the block. An appreciation of neighbourhood character is an important step in design. Understanding what works well and compliments surrounds homes and the suburb can add significant value to your future home.

 After spending much time looking for your new house, you’re probably an expert on local real estate. If not, I suggest investigating what other renovated homes are selling for in your area. Knowing what the market will demand for completed projects is good to know. If, however, you’re planning on living at your new address for the medium to long term, then considering that property doubles every 10 years, then over capitalizing is probably not an issue.

And finally, you should consider your budget. After purchasing your renovators delight, is there still room in the budget to renovate? While Individual circumstances will vary, a professional building consultant should be able to give you a rough ball park figure on how much your idea’s will cost.

In all, research and development of ideas is paramount to any successful project and the team here at Cameron Construction is always happy to help. So if you’ve just bought a renovators delight and can afford to wait a few months, take your time and settle in. Get to know the neighbourhood and investigate other similar projects nearby. While the enthusiasm to begin is hard to quell, the returns from careful planning will far exceed the wait.

Six Questions to Ask When Choosing a Builder.

In Victoria you must be licensed to carry out building works that are over the value of $5000. And that’s a good thing, but is it enough? We’ve all heard the horror stories, and for every one we hear, there are a dozen more that end up in legal disputes and VCAT mediation.

It doesn’t have to be like this. There are a number of questions you can ask to minimize your risk of becoming a horror story and ensure your home is professionally finished, completed on time and within budget. And choosing the right builder is crucial. So, who is the right builder? We’ve compiled a list of questions that consumers should ask potential builders to ensure that the builder they choose is the right builder for them. 

1. Ask the builder for references. Ask for references that are for similar jobs in the local area that you can contact and view. Does the site look clean and tidy? Ask the client about their experiences with their builder. 

2. Ask about other jobs they are working on? Does the builder specialise in projects that are similar to yours. 

3. Ask how long it will take? Has the builder estimated a reasonable time to complete the project? Over and underestimating construction time could be an indication of an inexperienced builder. 

4. Ask for any recent Building Awards? Builders that win industry awards are acknowledged by their peers for producing projects of a high caliber. 

5. Ask for a detailed quote? Always ask for a detailed quote. And remember, apples are not always apples when it comes to building. You pay for what you get. Is the cheapest price really the best price? 

6. And finally, Ask the Building Commission (1300 815 127) The Building Commission is a statutory authority that oversees the building control system in Victoria. Ask them about the builder.