Wednesday 17 December 2014

How Cool is it ?

How cool is it?
to live in a well designed house during these stinking hot days ?  Aren't we lucky?
But if your sitting there with sweat dripping from the hairs under your armpits and cursing under your breath, here's a few hints to help cool your house down a bit further:

1/.  Keep the north facing curtains drawn from first thing in the morning till midday or even all day.
I know you all have awnings over the windows to protect you from direct sun exposure but there's still a huge effect from the radiant heat especially if the north part of your house is close to the ground or exposed to the roof of your neighbour.

2/. Keep the north and east facing windows closed too, at least until it becomes stuffy, often around 11am or midday.  Usually by then the breeze has picked up and it'll cool your house naturally and dry up those droplets.

3/. Keep a few windows open to the south.  That'll help circulate the air and reduce the stuffiness.

4/. Open all windows in the late afternoon, say 4pm, if they aren't open already, and it'll cool your house down quicker getting rid of all the stored heat out of your walls.

5/. Keep that western sun out!  The best way is to have external blinds or screens so the sun doesn't get in at all.  If you don't have these, use internal blinds as the next best thing.

6/. Grab a cool drink and chill out on the day bed.

You can learn more about what we do and see samples of my designs on our website http://www.willcollinsdesign.com.au   and http://www.goldcoastbuildingdesigners.com.au
or our business facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/WillCollinsDesign   and  https://www.facebook.com/Goldcoastbuildingdesigners or follow us on Instagram  Gold Coast Building Designers.



#Designersofresidentialarchitecture#luxurysustainablehomes
#apartmentcomplex's#ecoresorts#spiritualresorts#wellnesscentres
#houseadditions#renovations#housealterations#duplex's#townhouses
#ecovillages#lightindustrial#commercial#industrialstyledwellings
#ruralstylehouses#resortstylehomes#steeplandspecialist#draftingservices#
pavilionhouses#slopingblockdesigns#openplan#ecodesigns#dreamhomedesigns

Saturday 6 December 2014

Does size really matter ?

Does size really matter ? What makes a luxury house design ?
How big is yours ?
Mine's not big I must admit, in fact it's relatively small compared to a lot around the place.
But it performs really well (or at least I think so :)
So what makes a luxury house?  Does it need to be huge?  It seems the majority of people think so, but it's not true.  A house can be very luxurious, yet small - or it can be medium or even huge.  But one things for sure, just because it's big doesn't mean it's a luxury house.  Take a look at this pile of dung below:  It's huge - but is it well designed? I know design is an objective thing, but to me this place is butt ugly.



And not only that, it's been done to death!  Is it a luxury to have a house that looks the same as a house down the road ?
NO - YOU want a house that says something about YOU.  A house that is individual, a house that reflects your personality not everyone else's.

I can also tell that this house design has lousy cross flow ventilation, doesn't get winter sunshine into the back rooms and it probably has very little natural light.  Yeah sure, they can always turn on the aircon you might say - but who wants to live with all the windows closed all the time? Is that the way to live?  I don't call that luxury house design, I call that a jail.  Anybody can design a house that resembles a jail, but it takes a very good house designer to design a house that's cool in summer, warm in winter, has natural daylight and looks really cool, individual - something that excites you.
There are other factors too.  Is it designed for the future? Does it allow for further family expansion ?Does it allow for reduction ? Is it disabled friendly, child friendly?  How far is it from the garage to the kitchen?  Do you need to lift weights to be fit enough to carry the groceries to the kitchen? Is there a place to hang the washing ?  Do you have to race from the lounge to the washing line every time it rains because there's no undercover washing line?  Or do you just flick the dryer on adding to that power bill?  Is it living in luxury if you have a massive power bill?  Or is it more luxurious to be receiving a cheque from the power company every quarter?

So a real luxury house design needs to look individual, have style, be comfortable to live in, have natural light and airflow and have a few mod con's maybe:  Power points in the right place, enough power points, TV located in the right spot, a decent oven, a durable and good looking kitchen counter top, a well designed kitchen that's comfortable for people to gather around, a house that takes advantage of the views, and the list goes on.....

Below is a sample of house design that I did that fits that bill.  Not everyone's taste of course, that's another thing, a good designer will be able to design to suit the owners taste in materials, colours and budget (not their own!).



Call Will Collins Design on 07 55987337 to design your next luxury house on the Gold Coast, in Brisbane or anywhere for that matter.  We will fly anywhere in Australia for an interesting project.

You can learn more about what we do and see samples of my designs on our website http://www.willcollinsdesign.com.au   and http://www.goldcoastbuildingdesigners.com.au
or our business facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/WillCollinsDesign   and  https://www.facebook.com/Goldcoastbuildingdesigners or follow us on Instagram  Gold Coast Building Designers.



#Designersofresidentialarchitecture#luxurysustainablehomes
#apartmentcomplex's#ecoresorts#spiritualresorts#wellnesscentres
#houseadditions#renovations#housealterations#duplex's#townhouses
#ecovillages#lightindustrial#commercial#industrialstyledwellings
#ruralstylehouses#resortstylehomes#steeplandspecialist#draftingservices#
pavilionhouses#slopingblockdesigns#openplan#ecodesigns#dreamhomedesigns