Buyers Guide

Consider our requirements - Dream Home

• Our family's expectation regarding dream Home
• Number of bedrooms.
• Number of bathrooms.
• Other important features.
• Our budget range.

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Choosing where to live - Location

• Will we be close to everything we need - shops, schools, parks, public transport, etc?
• Will we be able to position a home on our block so it has good access to sun, ideally with the long side or back facing north (or close to north)?
• Will any neighboring buildings have an effect on our block's privacy, views or access to winter sun?
• Best block for us.

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Choosing our new home - Orientation

• Is it a functional floor plan without wasted space and with plenty of storage?
• What would we change about this plan?
• Will our preferred home fit well on our block with living areas facing north (or close to north)?

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Choosing our new home - Comfort

• Is there good insulation under roofs, in ceilings and in walls?
• Do we need floor insulation?
• Do our windows predominantly face north?
• Are our north-facing windows shaded by eaves or overhangs?
• Are our east and west-facing windows shaded by adjustable shutters?
• Do we need to consider double glazing? Where?
• Will we use curtains with pelmets to help keep in heat? Where?
• Comments, things we'd like to change about our home design:

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Working with you builder - Our living areas and kitchens

• Can our living areas be divided up as needed, for economical heating and cooling?
• Will our living areas get plenty of sunlight in winter?
• Will our living areas be shaded in summer?
• Can windows be opened on more than one side of living areas to let cooling breezes through?
• Is our kitchen set out so there is easy reach between different activities?
• Do our kitchen cupboards use low emission particle board and finishes?
• Comments, things we'd like to change.

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Working with your builder - Our bathrooms, laundry, bedrooms and home office

• Will our bathrooms and laundry have a window for natural ventilation?
• Have we chosen fixtures that will save water? For example, do our bathrooms and laundries have 3-star showerheads, 4-star toilets and 3+ star taps?
• Comments, things we'd like to change:
• Can we swap some rooms around so the bedrooms will be cooler in summer?
• Comments, things we'd like to change:
• Will we use the home office a lot?
• Will it be a sunny, pleasant place to work?
• Comments, things we'd like to change:

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Our heating and cooling

• Do we have a north-facing roof for solar hot water?
• Do we have a gas connection?
• Type of hot water system we're looking for:
• Have we locked in good design features to avoid or reduce our heating and cooling needs?
• Can we use fans or evaporative coolers instead of air conditioning?
• Would a solar air heater work for us?
• Does our gas heater have a high star rating?
• How can we save further on heating and cooling?
• Will we use electricity from renewable sources?

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Our fittings and appliances

• Does our home design make good use of natural light?
• Our lighting requirements:
• The costs of running our lighting per year:
• How we can save on lighting costs:
• The energy star rating of our fridge:
• The water star rating of our washing machine:
• Our other major energy-using appliances:

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Our colours & finishes

• The types of flooring in our home.
• The timbers used in our home.
• The paints and varnishes used in our home.
• Examples of colour schemes that we like.
• Have we specified materials that are either low emission or natural products?

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Our outdoor living

• Will our alfresco areas get sun in winter and be cool and shady in summer?
• Will we use local native plants, drought-resistant plants and mulch in our garden, to save water?
• Will we grow our own vegetables and herbs?
• Comments, things we'd like to change:
• How many liters will our rainwater tank hold?
• What will our rainwater tank be plumbed in to? :
• Will we reuse our wastewater? If so, where will we collect it from and where will we use it?