A good way to make a room look expensive at a fraction of the cost is to mix standard sized windows with customised highlights. This gives you the best of both worlds, with the major part of the window being a large standard size and the smaller custom parts being less expensive. You can also create the look of customised full height windows by adding an infill panel at the bottom of the window section so it can reach the ceiling.

Deciding on the window frame material is also key. The two main options are timber and aluminium with brushed steel a third, yet pricey option. Aluminium is of course cheaper than timber and comes in a range of finishes and colours. It requires basically no upkeep and does not warp with temperature variations. The downside of aluminium is that it can look a little stark if left unpainted and the thermal properties are not as good as timber as timber.

Timber is an elegant option that can give warmth and character to a room but can cost substantially more. A good budget conscious option is to use Victorian ash timber windows which are much cheaper and come pre primed to reduce painting costs.

There are many options when it comes to suppliers depending primarily on the budget. Brio are some of the best in the business with many years of experience primarily with bifold doors and accordion style windows which can really open up a space. All their window frames whether timber or aluminium use top quality door hardware and stainless steel bearings for years of smooth function.

With windows being one of the largest factors in cold and heat entering and exiting a house it makes sense to opt for double glazing in all your windows. These days the cost is really surprisingly small and the benefit immense to both your comfort and the environment.

Anyone that has ever renovated can attest that careful planning and communication is key to making your renovation succeed on time and on budget. Make sure you take the time and really consider what you want to achieve from your renovation before the wrecking ball starts swinging.

It seems like an obvious question, but think carefully about which rooms you want to renovate. I have seen it time and time again that someone will invest in a beautiful, modern new kitchen and not touch the outdated living room that sits right next to it. Consider how the renovated room will affect adjoining areas and plan accordingly to ensure spaces flow and consistency is upheld throughout the whole dwelling. It can be as simple as using the same colour in the adjoining room or making minor modifications to floor coverings etc.

You also obviously have to be realistic and ask yourself how much you can really afford to spend. Having tons of amazing design ideas is great and be sure to let yourself be inspired by looking at lots of references, but make sure you then source accurate quotes (which might bring you back down to earth). Remember also that there often hidden costs involved that your contractor may not have included in their quote. These include accommodation for you if you have to move out for a few months, lighting fixtures, furniture and appliances. Make sure you ask your designer if these costs are included in the quote.

Once you budget is locked in, you’ll need to consider exactly how you intend to use the new space. Will it be a space for you to entertain guests, or for you to entertain yourself and your family? Will the cook have the run of the kitchen or will it be more of a communal family space. Do you have lots of things to store or are you lucky enough to have liberated yourself from too many possessions and can live in a minimalist style. Do you have kids that need their own space or toy storage. All these decisions can dramatically effect the overall design success of the renovation.

Colours have been proven to affect people’s moods, so make sure you tell your designer your colour preferences from the start. Do you like bold and bright, muted and warm, dark and moody, natural and earthy. The best idea is to have a look online at colour combinations that you like and then show these to your designer to see if they will work with the space and furnishings you already have. You really have three choices – keep with the current style of the dwelling, or take a more a radical completely different approach, or combine elements of both.

Are churches a great place reside? Well with over 17,000 churches sold over England the answer seems to be a resounding yes! It’s Britain’s favourite conversion, beating even barn conversions for the number one spot. However, although churches attract large groups of buyers to viewings, many people have second thoughts when it comes to the crunch, realising that it’s just too different for them.

If you are considering renovating a church yourself, take care and budget wisely as many are listed as heritage buildings and therefore need specialised work by certified craftsmen. Furthermore, many churches have large internal original features that may prove stubborn to convert into separate rooms. An effective solution can be to create pods inside the main space which use large sliding doors or bifold doors to gain entry. This way spaces can be opened or closed as desired whilst keeping the natural large volume of the church intact. I have even seen pods that move on sliding door tracks, allowing the owners to rearrange their interior as they require.

Depending on the design of the church, natural light can sometimes be hard to come by as many churches have long narrow windows that do not open and may not be allowed to be altered. However, church buildings have door entry points that can be updated to modern glass exterior folding doors or sliding doors to allow lots of natural light and air to enter the building and increase the connection to outdoors. Astute decisions need to be made however when selecting door hardware to keep the aesthetic complimentary to overall look of the church. Luckily there are many manufacturers out there such as Brio and stegbar that make quality folding door hardware to suit pretty much all looks.

Polished concrete is the flooring of choice for many modern homes and renovations. You have a lot of possibilities to work with as many colours and finishes look great against the muted grey that concrete offers. Renovating a kitchen offers you the chance to warm up that concrete if you wish by using timber or bright colours. The rich natural tones of the timber cabinetry will balance nicely with the concrete floor. Choose bright reds, oranges or yellow to give a modern industrial space a hit of fun and vibrancy and stop a space feeling too cold or austere.

Timber flooring in a host of styles and colours is also very popular option. Timber floors are very forgiving when it comes to kitchen parings. White, black and most colours work well with a light toned timber floor. Even timber veneer will look great provided you have enough white or neutral space to give all the timber some breathing room. Just make sure the tones of the two timbers play nicely together – for example if you have a grey toned cabinets and a light timber floor the floor may look too warm in comparison.

Tiled flooring has the benefits of polished concrete without the costs and works well with minimalist designs. If you have light coloured tiles, best to accommodate some contrast in your kitchen to avoid a white on white austere clinical look (unless you like this of course). Consider using some dark browns, greys or blacks in the kitchen – dark timber veneer also adds some richness and contrast to white tiles. Coloured glass splashbacks look great when paired with timber and light tiles. can deny The ever stylish black and white tiled floor works well with white, traditional and contemporary kitchens.

Lets be honest, in Europe and Britain we tend to spend quite a bit of time indoors because of the weather. We long for natural light and the sun. Natural light is completely free and makes us feel great! So how can you get more natural light into an existing home – remove those heavy curtains and install Bifold Doors. Doing so will open up your living spaces and reduce the division between outside and inside. Just make sure your get experts such as Brio to supply and install the doors with the correct Door Hardware and have all Bottom Rolling Hardware, Sliding Door Tracks and Hardware for Folding doors regularly checked and maintained. Nothing is worse than a squeaky door or doors that do not slide effortlessly. Brio’s hardware is some of the best in the business so make sure you take a look at their range if you decide to make the leap.

Fresh air – we can’t live without it. It makes us feel alive, keeps us healthy and costs nothing. If you are thinking of renovating your home, consider installing complete Exterior Folding Systems or Glass Sliding Doors that can be opened up to let fresh air and natural light in. You will also get the added benefit of increasing the living area of your home by bringing the outside in. Your mind and body will love you for it and with so many options on the market to suit every architectural style imaginable, there is really no better time to get back to nature in the comfort of your home.

In spite of weak household income growth, demand by speculative investors is pushing up prices. In its March Financial Stability Review the Reserve Bank cautioned that when rates rise again the risk is that property prices will fall sharply, resulting in an economic shock because of a fall in household spending and wealth and subsequent bank loan losses. Australian borrowers are sensitive to monetary policy movements as the majority have their loan costs determined by the overnight cash rate. This is in stark contrast to Britain and the United States where fixed-rate mortgages are more popular. In order to boost economic activity the Reserve Bank may cut rates again in April or May.

Importantly, though, for investors and borrowers there are some stabilizing factors – population growth and immigration both mean that demand for property, especially dwellings, will continue to be a major factor offsetting the 2014 unusually strong rise in house prices and lending.  In 2015 capital is being poured into construction which will boost the economy and provide supply for this underlying demand. To this end, investors are targeting building supplies companies listed on the stock exchange, such as CSR, James Hardie and Boral. Also Harvey Norman, where consumers go to furnish their new homes, will reap the investment benefit.

Another strong advantage of the house price growth is is that prices have increased so much in recent times that they have outstripped credit growth, so the housing debt to assets ratio has declined. This means default rates are relatively low, but also the value of the collateral protecting bank balance sheets has improved.