How to Get Pregnant

Building your dream home? Renovating? Good planning results in value for money and avoids costly rebuilds because of a change of mind, or missing out on energy-saving devices and designs.
Write a wish list of everything you want your house to have, and include qualities such as ‘light and airy’ as well as specifics. After all, it’s more important how your home functions and makes you feel rather than how many square metres it is.
Designers recommend light, neutral colours for permanent finishes like tiles and bench-tops, with bolder accent colours for feature items like walls or decorative objects. This way when you feel like a change you can update the look cost effectively.
Living area
It’s definitely best when the living space flows from inside to outside, so have the outdoor living area as an extension of your lounge and kitchen -this doubles your living area and makes family life easier because children are much happier playing outside when they can see indoors where you are.
Considering energy-savings, ensure that there are openings on more than one side of your living area to let breezes flow throught in summer and minimise use of air-conditioners. Generally place glass facing north to capture light for most of the day, and consider high windows to release hot air as it rises. Ensure windows are double-glazed with good seals to keep in winter warmth.
Kitchen
A good kitchen offers room to move but is of a size to allow easy reach between different activities.
- Make sure the kitchen isn’t a thoroughfare.
- Allow for bench space between the sink and the cooktop, because this is the most convenient area to prepare food.
- Include drawers under bench height rather than cupboards -they offer better access to items.
- Place dishwashers near sinks to allow ease of loading. This also means plumbing is in one space and therefore saves money.
- Multi-bin sorters under sinks are a good idea – you are able to separate your rubbish for recycling straight away.
- For safety, have rounded bench-top corners and have at least one cupboard that can be locked for harmful substances.
- The fridge uses the most electricity of all appliances, so choose one with a high energy star rating. Make sure to allow a gap around the fridge of at least 50mm for good ventilation.

5-Star Green Designing
Installing rainwater tanks means you family can use pure water free from the many contaminants and additives that may be present in public supply. Consider the optimum location for tanks and wastewater systems, and integrate them with the initial design to avoid having them look like an ‘add-on’ later on.
Leave space for an outdoor washing line and also think about the best place for rubbish bins, recycling bins, worm farms or compost bins.
Use a mix of paving and planting, as too much concreting or paving can result in pooling of water and drainage problems. Consider ‘permeable’ paving that allows rain to filter down to the soil underneath.
When planting trees, take care to place them so the roots won’t cause damage to walls or footings.

If you want to see some great home designs, visit Bush and Beach.