Again... "Do you have a comprehensive specification that they have been working from to " compare apples with apples"?" Stewie They all were given the same DA documentation set + all Engineering specs, plus they all came around to have a look at the property. The consensus is &q...

On a large job like that you may be well served by an estimate from a local quantity surveyor. They are up to speed with all aspects of building and should be able to give you a realistic idea of what a job like yours should cost. Renos are hard to estimate for a lot of builders due to the nature o...

We are planning a renovation and are currently looking for a builder (we have DA approval, the engineering drawings are done). We contacted fourteen and ended up with three rough cost guidelines so far (the others were never interested or we eliminated them after the first meeting). The cost guideli...

We are replacing our roof as part of a larger renovation and have a dilemma I haven't been able to resolve yet. 30% of the roof has a shallow 10 degree slope and traditional tiles do not work. The only option I am aware of is to use 'Nulok' (beautiful but expensive) or sheet metal (butt ugly and try...

Great idea, never thought about such a solution ....

I have a large concrete slab leading to a steep garden bed. During heavy rains the surface water runs into this garden bed causing erosion. To stop this, I want to install a drainage channel at the end of the slab and drain it away properly. The only solution I have seen so far are the ubiquitous Ea...

I have a self-supporting outdoor deck (enclosed with roof) I want to resurface with cement sheets and then tile. The deck bearers are supported by brick posts. Is it best to leave a small gap between the new deck and the wall of the house to avoid rot, or is it better to use flashing and have the ce...

I need to attach a gate to a brick wall. The gate is 1.4m wide, 1.6m high and weighs about 40kg (steel frame and Merbau timber cladding). What is the best way to securely attach this gate to the brick wall? 1. use Dynabolts or chemical anchoring (or both)? 2. if Dynabolts are best, what length would...

I am planning to replace my existing roof, made up of concrete tiles (75%) and colorbond (25%). The roof is OK, but ugly and there are to many nooks and crannies where tiles and colorbond bits come together. No wonder I have possums as neighbours and whenever there is a torrential downpour I pray th...

I never thought about cabinet makers until a few days ago, why would it be any different? I am prepared to consider any options. We have our design done, a good idea of the finishes (Blum, Caesarstone, Poly, no handles, etc.) and the appliances are selected.

yep, Sydney.

We are in the final stages of choosing to buy a kitchen from someone... We've looked at several companies so far; some had good designers, others good products or service, but we haven't found the one that ticks all the boxes. We shortlisted two companies: - Sydney Kitchen - Kitchen Connection Has a...

We are planning to install a bamboo floor (strand-woven, tongue-groove) over our existing cypress wooden floor. Before we do, we will install a new kitchen and here is my question: a) would you install the kitchen on top of the existing timber floor (then add ~15 mm in height to compensate for the b...