One of the big colour trends at the moment is black with brass or gold accents.
Whether it is a white kitchen with black taps and brass lightfittings over the island bench or black cupboards as above with a crisp white top and gold and brass accessories....these are all on trend. 
Reece plumbing have some wonderful taps in black and brushed gold to help with this colour scheme. Beacon lighting have some amazing brass pendants ideal for the kitchen with some with a slightly industrial edge. Polytec have the gorgeous colours to achieve the dark rich look for kitchen cupboards matched with Silestone who have an array of stone benchtop colours to choose from,Ariel being similar to the above. All completed with National tiles subway tile in marble grey and their timber laminate flooring or a tile lookalike. With Lexicon quarter on the walls for the finishing touch!!..Perfect!!

In these awful times investing in Property may be the only sensible  investment option.
Some people still have money to invest and seeing as the share market has taken a real dive, the Property market may be the saving grace. With interest rates so low it is perfect and with building a home having more tax advantages then in buying an existing home, building an investment is the best option. People may be worried about finding tenants in these times, but there will always be people who need to move for some reason, be it from a marriage break up or having to find a new job.
Also the build timeframe is normally around 10-12 months so hopefully by the time the home is finished the world will be back to being safe and healthy!!
Above is a picture of a Dual Key design, this is a home that has 2 residences under the one roof. One side is normally 3 or 4 bedroom and the other is 2 bedrooms. 2 rental incomes under the one roof and these designs generally fit on a normal 450m2 block.
​The Dual Key design may also be the way people own property after this pandemic, pooling finances together with older relatives to get into the property market and keep loved ones close.

I am very excited about our Insulation!! We have had a lot of hold ups with the building of our house...things that I warn my clients may happen have happened to us!   
Anyway our building journey continues...we now have insulation in our walls..the internal and external walls and between the ground and top floor.
The standard insulation is normally a wall wrap with the external walls , sarking under the roof (if in a bushfire area) and batts in the roof cavity.
We paid extra for a thick blanket under the roof(it looks wool wrapped in foil), insulation in the walls(pink fluffy batts) and the floor and some extra acoustic insulation(pink compact batts with mesh) for the bathroom, ensuite and rumpus walls.
We will be toasty warm in Winter and Cool in Summer and our son and his friends won't bother us when they are in the rumpus playing video games!!
The gyprockers have started and the next step will be the carpenter finishing the trimmings around the doors and the skirting boards.
It 's definitely looking like a house now...yay!!

What your builder isn’t telling you
We all love looking at the display homes and being dazzled by all the shiny tiles, huge rooms with high ceilings and gorgeous outdoor BBQ areas.
But are all these inclusions and the display home plan exactly what you are getting when you sign on the dotted line?.
More often than not No.
With some of the big building companies the display home Inclusions are anything but standard.
You want downlights? No... you only receive the baton, you want carpet and tiles…no they are not included in the standard price and a driveway …well who needs that??
Before you sign any building contract you need to ask your builder about their standard inclusions and these items as well:
*BASIX The Building Sustainability Index-this accesses the energy efficiency of the home and is a requirement of NSW Councils…is the correct Water tank and the right water saving taps included.
*BUSHFIRE Requirements-most blocks of land have a Bushfire Rating…a BAL rating, if the home does not have the correct Bal requirements for example gutter guards then the home will not be approved by Council.
*CORRECT SLAB rating-all soil has a specific type and classification and the slab thickness depends on this classification …has the correct slab type been included?
*ROCK-has rock removal been included in the price? This not only applies to when the builder is excavating but when the plumber is digging for the drainage.
*WATER/SEWER CONNECTION-is there enough allowance for the water/sewer to be connected to your home-have they allowed enough linear metres?
*SOIL and SPOIL REMOVAL-if the builder has to dig out the block for the foundations, where does the extra dirt go? is this included if he needs to take it away to the tip?
*TREE REMOVAL-Often a block needs a good tidy up before building can commence, is the removal of trees and site clearing of overgrown grass and shrubs included? Are you expected to have the block completely cleared?
*EASEMENTS-check if there are any sewer or water easements on your block this can affect how your house is positioned…if the house needs to be moved will it affect the cost
*ALFRESCO-this area is a must nowadays but check if the roof and flooring are included in the price
*LANDSCAPING-although most people feel they can do this themselves…some estates require landscaping to be completed within 3 months of moving in..Does your builder provide turf and fencing?
All these items if not included can cost up to $50,000 extra…and most of the time people do not find this out till they are half way through the build, or at their colour selection appointment.
Having a fixed priced turn-key builder..and I mean a proper fixed priced builder (not a builder who says Fixed Priced with a huge asterix next to the price)…all these worries are eliminated…all these items are included and the home is completed inside and out…so all you need to do is move your furniture in!!
So when you are visiting that display home that is your dream...and you ask for a quote, make sure you ask for all these items to be included so you won’t receive any nasty surprises!