Back in the 80's you may (or may not) remember that a granite benchtop in a kitchen was all the rage. It did look great and it certainly made for an enviable kitchen.

In todays market a granite bench top is not always achievable for home owners, however, there are more options available that give the same look but at a more achievable price.

A ceasar stone benchtop is man made and provides you with a variety of colour options. We find white and cream are the most popular. To add this feature to your kitchen package you would be looking at approximately $3,000.

You can also have the same colour for your bathroom bench tops. This would be approximately $1800 extra to your bathroom package.

Call us today to discuss this option for your new home build.

It can a very exciting time when you start making plans to build your own home. A few keys steps to follow will help make the process a little smoother.

Government Grants - Great opportunities are still available for first homeowners in the form of government grants a great help with the financial aspect of building your dream home.

The First Home Owner Grant (New Homes) scheme is offered at $15,000 and is available to first homeowners building their home. From 1st January 2016 it will reduce to $10,000 (information correct as at July 2015). There is also a stamp duty concession for first homeowners buying land valued at under $300,000.

There is also a $5,000 grant available for those building their second or third home which in some circumstances can contribute to the payment of the stamp duty. Be sure to discuss these options with your mortgage broker or lender. Office of State Revenue http://www.osr.nsw.gov.au/grants/fhog .

Pricing of your final house package - When researching the price of your new home, it is important to be aware of all items that are included - or not included - in the final price.

More key steps can be found in our Top 10 Tips to consider when building your home.

If you are keen to save a little bit of money while building your dream home and you want to do your own landscaping, here are a few tips to help get you going.

Be mindful of your drainage points – you want the gradient of the soil to fall away from your house. Hiring a bobcat will help in levelling and grading the dirt.

Next is the base - use a little lawn soil mix to go on top of the dirt. This can be a mixture of sand and manure. You want some soil on top of the bare dirt so that your grass has something to grab hold of and grow. Important note: Pick your timing, the last thing you want is for your soil to wash away after the next downpour. Check the weather and if possible put the soil down first thing in the morning.  

Which turf? There are a few varieties depending your budget. Buffalo is in the middle to high price range, where as Kykiua is good and at the cheaper end of the spectrum. 

Once you have your grass it is time to roll it out over the soil. Now is the time to get a few friends around to help with a little heavy lifting and laying the grass. It can also be helpful to hire a roller to roll over the turf once it is in place, gives it that extra touch.   

The most important step - Water! You need to keep the water up for the first couple of days and then start to slowly pull it back. If you water too much the roots will not go down into the soil. The roots need to seek out the water, so slowly bring the watering back to train the roots to head down. 

Extra tips - now that you are a few months in, the grass is starting to take hold and is looking good. It can be helpful to use a slow release fertiliser, a light sprinkle over the top. You also want your first couple of mows to be on the high setting, this way it thickens the grass and plunges the roots down into the soil.

These handy tips are also available on this factsheet.

If you would prefer to get the professionals in, call Clinton from Visionary Gardenscapes on 0447 645 877. He can help with garden makeovers, development and maintenance services.

SPRING CLEANING CHECKLIST . . . 
Now is the time to achieve those spring cleaning chores we all hate to do, but love the feeling once it is done. Here is a great spring cleaning checklist you can print off to help get you started. 

SPRING CLEAN YOUR WALLET . . .
Adele Martin from Firefly Wealth has given us some great tips for saving money.