Advertisement feature
More and more regular Australians are choosing to build their home from scratch rather than buy existing homes. There are a few reasons for this. First, established homes can be quite expensive, and if they are more than twenty years old can often require extensive renovations to make them liveable. Secondly, building a new house with quality home builders means that you have choice and control over some aspects of your home. And thirdly, building new means that you will spend less on upkeep for the first few years of the home’s life. Even newer established homes will require some maintenance in the first ten to fifteen years.
So let’s explore what it means to build a “modern” home. A contemporary home, up to date and in line with the times.
Open Plan Living Spaces
The majority of new modern homes have an open plan living space. This means that your kitchen, dining and lounge rooms are often all contained in one large room. Older homes would have doors separating these rooms. An open plan allows for a warm, welcoming and open-hearted feel. This makes you feel more at home and will make your guests feel more welcome when they come to visit.
Sleek Kitchen Design
A modern home will have a sleek, functional and great-looking kitchen. Appliances like your dishwasher, fridge, oven and rangehood will likely be chrome or stainless steel. Your benchtops will be polished stone, and you will likely see ample bench space. Storage will be smart and efficient, with pull out draws and lots of space to store food and pots and pans. Speaking of storage…
Lots of Storage Options
Modern households own more things than households of the past. A feature of older homes is that they lack storage, and renovations will often see people adding nifty storage solutions. Newer homes come with smart storage solutions, ensuring that there is a place for everything – from towels to books.
Smart Technology
More and more modern homeowners are turning to smart technology in their homes these days. These can include features like keyless locks, smart LED light globes, smart climate control, smart security systems and even smart fridges. These appliances can be controlled remotely from the workplace. For example, you can turn on your climate control an hour before you get home in summer to ensure you walk into a nice and cool environment as you get home.
Larger Windows
Houses of the past often had smaller windows and fewer of them. Modern home design features large windows in living and dining areas. There are advantages to this. More natural light means less money spent on lighting. It also means that your house stays warmer in winter, meaning less money spent on heating. While we’re on the topic of climate control.
Temperature Control
Older Australian homes often didn’t feature climate control. While some might have older ducted heating systems, most would feature perhaps one air conditioner in the living room. Modern homes either feature split system air conditioning in most living spaces including bedrooms, or a central heating and cooling system.
A Contemporary Conclusion
Modern homes are different from the homes of the past. Open plan living areas are very common in newer dwellings. Sleek kitchens with stainless steel appliances are features of the modern home. New homes will have ample storage, and can often feature smart technology inclusions. You will see more and larger windows in newly built properties, and you will also see whole-of-house climate control more frequently too.