Blog

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Janita Norman
June 2023
New Homes

How to Design a 7 Star Energy Rated Home: My Top Solutions

With 7 Star Energy Rating requirements coming into force in October, homeowners and builders need to be prepared for this significant change in the design and build process. We've been handed an exciting challenge with these new standards, but with knowledge and planning, most homes can comfortably get there.

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Janita Norman
May 2023
Heritage

Preserving the Past, Embracing the Future: 5 Tips for Revitalising Your Heritage Property

Australia is home to a rich tapestry of heritage buildings, each with its unique story and charm. Preserving these architectural gems is vital for future generations to appreciate and learn from. However, it can be challenging to strike a balance between what we expect of modern homes and maintaining a building’s historical significance. And that's where I come in! In this article, I'll share my five essential tips for harmoniously blending modern needs with heritage considerations in your building design.

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Janita Norman
November 2022
New Homes

The Two Single Most Important Things to Consider When Designing a New Home

Designing and building your own home is a joy and a privilege; a rare act of creation that leaves a mark on the world long after our time. But in the same breath, it is daunting and overwhelming, with seemingly endless thoughts and ideas fighting for your attention. Today I want to declutter your mind and ask you to focus on these two simple things...

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Janita Norman
September 2022
Renovations

How to Choose the Right Renovation Designer: My Inside Tips from 25 Years Experience

Any renovation, big or small, can be a challenging and stressful experience. Nasty surprises and unforeseen difficulties are part-and-parcel, but a good partnership with a building designer who understands the difficulties of renovating old buildings can give the project structure and direction, and help you to avoid common pitfalls. But all renovation designers are not made equal, so here are my top tips for picking the right designer for your project.

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Janita Norman
July 2021
New Homes

National Recognition for Rivergums House: Here's Why...

Our 2020 home, Rivergums House, recently won Best New House $500,001-$750K (NSW) at the 2021 Design Matters National Awards. The win is a validation of our belief in the power of purposeful design to deliver practicality and functionality without sacrificing beauty and emotional impact. Here I outline a few of the major design considerations that guided this award-winning home.

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Janita Norman
October 2019
Heritage

Heritage Building Health

Water is one of the most common causes of damage to heritage buildings. Allowing water to come in contact with a building can severely damage the building fabric, undermine the stability of the structure and create an unhealthy living environment.

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Janita Norman
August 2019
Heritage

10 Heritage Design Tips

Thinking of renovating, creating more space or redecorating your heritage home? To help you on your design journey and have the best chance of making your heritage design project a success, I have put together 10 Heritage Design Tips which you can download free.

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Janita Norman
March 2019
New Homes

Hostess Kitchens are a Thing of the Past?

Why do terms like ‘Hostess Kitchen’ and ‘Master Bedroom’ still appear in building plans and marketing of new homes? This is 2019 – what’s going on in our industry? And what on earth is a hostess kitchen anyway?