Creating a Kit Home Building Checklist

Kit homes have become an extremely popular housing solution over the past few years, offering not just an affordable place to call your own, but also the opportunity for you to play a role in constructing your own home as an owner builder. Your kit home company will provide you with a detailed list of information regarding the materials you will need; the following is a guide to creating a more general kit home building checklist.

Research

The first thing that should be on your checklist is research, because unless you have some sort of background in the trades, there is going to be a huge amount for you to learn about. You will need to know all about the process of building your kit home, as well as all of the local building regulations, so even if you are going to be more of a hands-off style of owner builder, make research number one on your checklist.

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Top 10 Interior Design Trends

Interior design trends seem to change every 10 or 15 minutes, but there are some trends that look set to dominate interior design throughout 2012. Whether you own your own condo or are about to move into a kit home, this year’s trends make it easier than ever to stay hip, and even allow a bit of room for you to show a little of your own style and flair. To make sure your place isn’t looking outdated, mix a little of one or more of the following styles into your home’s design, and your place will be looking better than ever.

Texture

Rougher, more textured finishes will be a centrepiece of 2012 interior design, with more wild looking surfaces starting to be seen in fashionable homes from Melbourne to New York.

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What Size Kit Home Do You Need?

Kit homes can be the perfect option for first homebuyers. They can help to bring in some rental income, house your small business, or even just put up the occasional guest who has had a few too many to drive home. The following is a brief look at some ideas in terms of the right size kit home for particular uses.

To live in…

If the kit home is for you to be able to live in, the size that you will need will depend greatly on how many people are going to be living there with you, and also if there is any chance more people may be coming in the future. If you have kids, factor in the extra space that they are sure to need as they grow and want more privacy, conversely, if you have a child that is likely  to move out soon, don’t allow too much extra space for them.

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Challenging Home Site? Build A Kit Home

Not everyone wants to live in the suburbs. Traffic congestion, crime, noise and pollution are all on the increase, making many new home builders yearn for a sea change.

The problem is that when you move outside the city limits, the terrain becomes much more chaotic. The very thing that appeals to us, the untamed nature of the landscape, can mean that some rural and seaside blocks are difficult to access and even harder to build on.

Hard, but not impossible, as these examples show:

Chilean Architect, Alvaro Ramirez built a cabin that is perched on the side of a cliff overlooking the ocean far below. Made from local timbers, it would have been a logistical nightmare to transport the materials to the site and a job for builders with a good head for heights, as the decks have no railings and extend out over the abyss below.

On the banks of the river Loddon in the United Kingdom, a water-loving firm of architects built Hind House, a stunning home that is more like a bridge than a house, extending as it does almost all the way across the river.

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Kit Home Design: Achieving Practical Innovation

So you’ve decided to buy a kit home and have opted for your own design. Great choice! The opportunities for innovation are practically unlimited in today’s kit homes. Victoria and most other states have manufacturers who’ll work with you to achieve exactly what you’re after in your dream home.

The thing to bear in mind is that innovation sometimes comes at a cost, so you need to consider the practicalities of every idea before including it in your house plan.

For instance, you may have always wanted an indoor garden, a great feature that has been successfully incorporated into house designs in the past. But how practical is it in the house you are planning? Do you have a large enough living area to accommodate it? What about maintenance? Will it require hoses trailing through your living spaces, or do you plan to have built-in irrigation?

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Kits; For Do-It-Yourself Dreams

These days, you can buy just about anything in kit form, from kit cars and kit aeroplanes to kit boats and kit homes .

A kit is basically a series of parts pre-manufactured to yours or the designer’s specifications and delivered ready to assemble.

Kit cars, or component cars, are very popular and come in several forms. They can be the parts for a complete car, with everything provided, or just the non-mechanical parts, with engines, transmissions and the like being sourced from other cars or bought new.

An extremely popular form of kit car is the body-only kit, where the chassis of a normal automobile has a new body added, usually something exotic like a Maserati, Porsche, Lamborghini or Ferrari. Because of the price difference, it is the ideal way to own a style of car that would normally be out of most people’s reach.

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Kit Home Studios; the New Great Australian Sheds

It’s been the stuff of urban legend for generations; the Great Aussie Shed at the bottom of the yard, where blokes disappear for more than 12 hours a week on average (nearly a month out of every year) to attend to Secret Men’s Business.

While the English have their studies and the Americans have their dens, the backyard shed has been the traditional retreat for Aussies since we first climbed down from the trees and began living in the suburbs.

But the days are numbered for the drafty, dimly lit potting shed, full of rusting tools and piles of old junk that’ll never be repaired. Thanks to rapid advances in modern building techniques, today’s bloke can now have his cake and eat it too.

Kit homes are set to become the new Aussie sheds. They still offer a backyard refuge where, unlike the workplace or domestic front, men can be fully in control of their environment. The only difference is they come with all the comforts of home like power, running water, good lighting and even bathroom facilities if you want them.

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A Kit Home Office Is A Great Way To Work

The shape of today’s work force is changing. To cut costs, many companies are now outsourcing where they can, and with all the latest advances in technology, working from home has become a real option for many people.

But it doesn’t work for everyone. A hectic home environment is not conducive to concentration and setting aside one room in the house as your office won’t keep all the distractions of family life at bay.

Young children don’t always understand the concept of ‘work time’ and if your partner is at home during the day, there will undoubtedly be distractions of one kind or another.

The solution is to have an office that is completely separate from your home, and kit homes fit the bill to a tee.

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Kit Home Granny Flats are the Perfect Solution

Once upon a time, a granny flat was just that; a little box in the back yard where dear old gran would come to stay when she was no longer able to look after herself.

But granny flats aren’t just for grannies any more. A growing number of people have begun to realise the value of having a second fully self-contained premises on their property for both family and financial reasons.

Granny flats are not what they used to be either. These days, kit homes offer total flexibility in design and build options. You can choose the dimensions, fixtures and style of your granny flat, have it delivered with the components ready to assemble, and then either put it together yourself or have a contractor do it for you.

A kit home granny flat will cost you thousands of dollars less than a traditional build and it will add substantially to the value of your property, should you ever wish to sell.

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Kit Homes: For a Hassle-Free B&B

Bed and Breakfasts have become hugely popular over the past few years. They offer an attractive alternative to expensive hotel accommodation or the sterile atmosphere of a motel.

The idea of home cooked meals and a warm family environment appeals to many people on holiday or travelling on business and for the B&B owner, it’s a great way to earn an extra income at home and meet interesting people from all walks of life.

The downside to owning a B&B is that you have no privacy, you’re always on call and expensive renovations may be required to make your house suitable for accommodating guests.

So if you like the idea of a B&B, but aren’t so keen on the cost, or the idea of having a constant procession of strangers through your home, here’s a great alternative. It will give you and your guests some breathing space, while still retaining that friendly home-stay feel.

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