Tuesday 31 March 2020

Building A Home That Grows With Your Family!

Whether you're working from home or just trying to cope with the situation, hope you're all well in these uncertain and extraordinary times. I thought I'd put together an article to take your mind off the stress and anxiety of COVID-19. The following article is about getting the foundations and fundamentals right when building or creating your forever home, something positive to dream about till normal life returns and you can actually start working on the dream.

With research revealing Australians to be holding onto and staying in their homes for longer, increasing this ownership period by a third since 2005, homeowners are looking to build properties that are versatile, adaptable and dynamic in both design and functionality. These homes are built for the future, with flexibility at the forefront of mind and an understanding of the need to grow with a modern family and their ever-changing needs as opposed to the family outgrowing the home itself.

Creating a ‘forever home’ takes careful forward-planning and thought. Whilst a room may be initially designed to meet a specific performance requirement at that time, it may not serve that same purpose a few years. Those with young families require durable play and activity spaces, which could be re-purposed into a home office, guest room or media room as children grow. Alternatively, a home office may need to transform into a baby’s nursery, or second living space transformed into an Air Bnb space. It is important you work closely with your builder to develop strategies and solutions that facilitates and welcomes versatility in a ‘forever home’ from the foundations.

Sound it Out
Every contemporary home needs a versatile living space for occupants to do just that; live. Playing video games, play dates with friends, toy rooms and even practicing musical instruments, these living or rumpus rooms are ideal for modern day families made up of varying personalities and interests. However, they need to be both durable and sound resistant to ensure the whole household isn’t involved in the process. CSR Gyprock ®Superchek™is a fantastic choice for plasterboard, reducing noise transfer within your home as well as effectively resisting damage caused by soft and hard impact.

The sound reducing and durable characteristics of the plasterboard make them easily repurposed as your family needs change. An entertainment hub is the ultimate relaxation zone and on many home-owners’ wish-lists.

However, modern sound systems have the potential to noise-pollute the entire house. Walls lined with Superchek™ provide a 15% reduction in perceived loudness compared to standard plasterboard, meaning you can keep noise in its place whilst enjoying your favourite blockbuster.

Multipurpose the new Open Plan
Embracing and enhancing free-flowing spaces has been a hot trend in recent years with the adoption of the open plan format. However, 2020 and 2021 will see this trend evolve into a more multipurpose style of living, allowing homeowners to maximise their space more practically. Whilst common open plan layouts are kitchen and dining rooms, those who entertain frequently may look to expand this further to incorporate outdoor areas. Seamless transitions can be achieved through the use of a continuous wall from the inside, out. Gyprock Aquachek™, a moisture resistant plasterboard, is ideal for use on walls and ceilings in these areas. The core, face and back of Gyprock Aquachek™ are treated to make it resistant to moisture and humidity without compromising integrity, making it perfect for kitchens and protected external ceilings such as verandas.

Another multipurpose room trend emerging is the on-flow from living areas into bedrooms, especially in smaller houses. Adaptability and flexibility are achieved through the use of folding walls and doors, allowing rooms to be opened up for additional meters, or closed off for privacy. Superchek™ plasterboard on walls dividing living and bedroom areas boasts strength and sound reduction, making the most of a dynamic floorplan.

Protect Walls in Growth Spurts
Quality walls are durable, but in high-traffic areas, like living rooms, family rooms and hallways, the susceptibility to knocks and bumps is higher, requiring a stronger product to withstand the bumps of everyday living. Whether it’s coming through the front door with the shopping, children’s indoor play or pushing the pram down the hallway, walls may come under some scrapes and nicks.

With its reinforced core, Gyprock Superchek™ makes maintaining that new-home interior and keeping up appearances easier. Whilst holding the soundproofing characteristics of Soundchek™, this superstar premium plasterboard also blends the qualities of the strong, highly- durable Impactchek™, including the heavy-duty paper liner which increases density and board strength to improve the level of durability of walls against knocks and scrapes or more serious damage much more than a standard 10mm plasterboard. Investing in Superchek™ during the building phase will allow your home to withstand the growth spurts of your family, staying stronger and fresher for longer and keeping maintenance, down.

I'll be posting more updates on what to consider when building your forever home on the blog and I'll be posting daily updates on Instagram. If you are on Insta, follow me (@raniengineer) and drop me a DM so that I can follow you back. Let's connect!

Till next time... stay home, stay safe and stay connected!

xox
Rani

For more information about Gyprock, visit www.gyprock.com.au.
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