ATTIX
PERTH (08) 9371 8525
SYDNEY (02) 8580 4411
Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category
Dodgy Bros – Buyer Beware!
‘No worries, and I’ll do a great job if you pay cash’…
Caveat Emptor- Buyer Beware!
Every industry has its leaders, they base their business on integrity, professionalism and they ‘stick to the rules’ the rules being professional qualifications, building registrations, structural engineers, council approvals and licenses etc.
Unfortunately, every industry also has the ‘Fred and his Ute’ type fellows who tell you, nah, you don’t need to tell the council and if you make it cash I can do you a great/cheap roof conversion. Quite often you’ll see these guys featured on A Current Affair or Today Tonight for ripping people off, taking their money and doing a ‘dodgy’ job.
Let me fill you in on something that you need to know- you cannot get a cheap/ripper job when doing a roof conversion. It’s mutually exclusive; you can get a great job, OR a cheap job, but it won’t be a great/cheap job because it’s impossible.
The plan may look ok scribbled on a bit of paper, but what happens after a couple of years when all your ceilings start to sag because the weight of the room in your roof is too great for the ceiling joists? AND the dodgy renovator has gone out of business? Yep, you’ll have to rip it all out and replace all of your ceiling joists and a new ceiling- Doh!
Or worse, what happens when the whole ceiling collapses when fat aunty Margaret and her two delightful chubby kids come over for a week and stay ‘upstairs’?
Here’s the truth: You DO need to have a structural engineer inspect and draw up plans for your new roof space addition or conversion. You DO need to get local Council planning and building permission for any habitable area within your roof, YES you do need building licenses, you DO need to use a company that has been licensed by the Builders Registration Board of WA and you DO need a licensed builder to supervise the project and you absolutely NEED Home Owners Indemnity Insurance for the project.
If you don’t have ALL of these vitally important things you will have paid good money for something called an ‘Illegal Build’. This means that when you come to sell your home, and you don’t have all the necessary documentation, in all probability you will be A) Prosecuted and B) be given Orders to replace the space to what it was before you started the project. C) Maybe, they’ll give you retrospective approval…Maybe.
And believe me, you don’t want any of those scenarios to take place- it will be damned expensive and time consuming.
You get what you pay for, and if you get a quote from a reputable, professional roof-space conversion company and a quote for half the amount from Fred and his van, why do you think the amounts will differ? You don’t need a degree in rocket-science to work that one out. Cheap materials and dodgy workmanship!
There are a lot of ways you can get the in-roof conversion you’ve always wanted and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of up-front cash to do it. We offer finance options. We send out a professional finance broker, they do the numbers and it may be that by refinancing your home, you’ll get a better deal AND have the cost of your in-roof conversion for a very small additional amount.
So if you’re thinking about converting wasted space in your roof into a new bedroom, studio, games room, home theatre – whatever, make sure you get a quote from a WA company that is registered with the Builders Registration Board of WA, it does have a licensed builder on staff and they follow all the rules and regulations and you’ll end up with something that you love, it’s legal and it adds a lot of value to your home.
Pip-Pip!
Tony Walton
General Manager -Attix
Posted in Articles | No Comments »
Roof Ventilation for Your Storage Area
Ok, so if you live in Southern Tasmania where the climate is really mild (read brass monkey weather) you probably don’t need a ventilation system for your roof storage, but if you live anywhere in Western Australia, you will need it because it gets hotter than… well it gets damned hot in Summer. When temperatures get over 30° C it can get up to 45° C in your roof space.
Depending on what you have planned to store in your roof space, it’s probably a good idea to think about ventilating the area to reduce the temperature inside your room.
We stock the Edmonds clear, Perspex turbo ventilator and we stock it for a few very good reasons:-
Posted in Articles, Attix Guides | Comments Off
Storage Space Innovations for Your Attic
Let’s talk about storage ba-by… mmm sexy little song and absolutely nothing to do with you constantly pulling out your hair cause you have way too much ‘stuff’ and nowhere to put it.
It’s a disease of the 21st century, called the ‘fartoomuchcrap’ syndrome… Yes all the stuff that’s too good to chuck out, but where the hell do you put it?
Did you know that up to 30% of the volume within your building structure is in the roof-space… and this is a fantastic (and doh! – obvious) storage space to put it.
Now, just for a moment don’t think about the spiders and other creepy crawleys up there; we’ll get to that later.
First things first – you are going to need some storage space up there, preferably enough space to climb into and be able to put down some flooring for the storage area.
So the best thing is to grab the ladder and a torch and go have a look, I’ll wait for you to come back… go on. (more…)
Posted in Articles, Attix Guides | Comments Off
Storage Solutions and the Human Race – Part 1
A True-ish story.
OK, let’s face it. In the entire history of mankind we have never had so much ‘stuff’ and nowhere to put it! It’s become a 21st century disease called ‘waytoomuchcrapos’.
Take my teenage daughters (I wish someone would) they have between them more shoes than an established emporium, more handbags, clothes, books and magazines, hats and not to mention large fluffy stuffed ‘things’ than they know what to do with.
I remember one Sunday morning I was inspired to take all of the ‘stuff’ out of our spare room which had sadly, somehow, become the general storage girl junk and shoe room. I had an inspiration that I could create a ‘Dad only’ reading and music room.
I remember grabbing armfuls of fluffy pink, green and yellow things ready for the local charity shop (I think they had been breeding in there) when daughters 1 and 2 were away one weekend. Just when I was about to (more…)
Posted in Articles, Attix Guides | Comments Off
Roof Ladders – Access Your Roof Space
Let’s talk about ladders!
So you want to access your roof space to create some attic storage? The first thing to ascertain is the measurement between your floor to ceiling. This will determine the model and size of the roof ladder you will need for your attic storage project.
There are a number of things to take into account before you decide on the right roof ladder for your roof access storage system. The first questions are, how often will you be using the ladder, and what will you be taking up and down the ladder?
Some people may be using their roof ladder only occasionally, and storing things like empty luggage, or the Christmas tree. For this kind of usage, a roof ladder with a weight-bearing load of 120 kilograms would be fine. Of course you have to remember to take into account your own body weight!
If you are going to be using the roof ladder on a regular basis, and will be utilising your attic space for the storing of heavier items, or even if you’re undertaking a loft conversion, you will want a heavier weight-bearing capacity ladder. A ladder with a full-length handrail is desirable for safety reasons.
Another major factor in choosing an attic access ladder is the incline angle (or how steep the ladder is to climb). It is harder to climb a straight and vertical ladder than to climb a roof ladder with a gentle incline, particularly when carrying something. The best angle for incline is between 55 and 60 degrees. Cheaper varieties of roof ladders are often set at a 45degree angle and very few have safe handrails, making it difficult to climb the ladder whilst carrying things meant for storage. At Attix we carry a full range of attic stairs and roof access systems.
Posted in Attix Guides | Comments Off
Loft Conversions
You can create anything, as long as you have the space and budget...
Ok, so you’ve got some room between your ceiling and your roof, as most people do – so what can you do with it?
There are two simple strategies, one is to convert this space into a storage area, and the other is to convert the space into a usable, habitable room such as an additional bedroom, studio, office, home theatre, or maybe even a teenager, or parent retreat.
This article is about the basic steps you need to take to convert usable space within your roof to a habitable, additional room. At Attix, we have a checklist, which we have developed for performing successful loft conversions. (more…)
Posted in Attix Guides | No Comments »
