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30th Oct 2018
Adaptable Housing: The Future Of Home Design
Read the full articleHere at AREI Designs, we are all about ensuring each and every home we design is functional along with of course, stunning in it’s design. A new wave of home design is making headway in Australia and we’re happy to report, we’ve adopted the trend and now offer Adaptable Housing in our subscription package.
An adaptable house is designed with the current and future needs of the client in mind. For example, empty nesters may seek a smaller and efficient home now but what about as they age? Will their needs change? We believe they will and an adaptable house can accommodate these changes without the need to demolish or renovate extensively.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the percentage of individuals with a disability increases significantly with age. It’s estimated more than 50% of people aged over 60 will have physical limitations. For this reason, we truly believe adaptable housing is the future of home design. Here’s why.
Adaptable Floor Plans
Mobility and declining physical capabilities can be catered for with ease with an adaptable house plan. Homes are pre-designed to include widened hallways fit for wheelchairs, lower cabinetry for easy reach and bathrooms that can be easily modified should one of the occupants require assistance bathing in the future.
Accessibility
Access is a key requirement when designing an adaptable home and each plan is equipped with easy access into the home with the inclusions of ramps, handrails and flatter surfaces. Materials used are non slip meaning the likelihood of a fall due to wet weather is minimised.
Standards
The Australian Standard AS 4299-1995, Adaptable Housing provides guidance on what qualifies as a livable house, accessible house and adaptable house. Here at AREI, we design to cater to all three sub-groups. You can access these plans once you subscribe to our database of buildable, bankable house plans.
For those of you who are not sure what the requirements are for each, we’ve outlined this below for you.
- A Liveable House is designed with the changing needs of the occupants in mind.
- An Accessible Home is designed for access and mobility with the ability to accommodate wheelchairs in all areas of the home. The design must meet Australian Standard AS 1428.1-2001
- An Adaptable Home is a liveable home which is easily adapted to become an accessible home in the future.
At AREI Designs, each of our adaptable homes have been designed to comply with the Liveable Housing Australia Guidelines.
References: http://www.yourhome.gov
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2nd Oct 2018
How An AREI Subscription Can Save You Money
Read the full articleMinimising expenses and maximising profits rank high on the priority list for most business owners. Working in a way that is lean, profitable and poised for growth is an absolute must. Which begs the question, how do you decide where to spend and where to save? What makes a smart investment and what constitutes a ‘nice to have’ but not necessary expense?
Here at AREI Designs, we work with builders to not only provide their clients with their dream home, but also to grow and scale their home building business. As designers who have worked in the industry for many years, we know what makes a build profitable.
We believe in transparency first and foremost and we’re all about getting new clients on your books. We’re all about return on investment and want you to reap the rewards when you work with us. Which is why we’ve created this piece outlining how an AREI subscription can actually save you money in the long run. For real.
1. Incredible Value
Let us break it down for you. If you’re building 5 homes or more per year, you are likely already spending upwards of $12,500 per year on house plans. Most architects charge $2,500 or more for a custom house plan. Here at AREI Designs, our Construction Package gives you 5 construction drawing sets PLUS access to over 200 buildable, bankable designs for less than what you’re paying for 5 house plans standalone.
We’re not mathematicians but when you’re looking at your top line expenses, it just makes sense to maximise your investment.
2. Pricing Sets
As builders, keeping your build within budget is paramount. When you work with us, we provide unlimited pricing sets which are downloadable for all of our website designs. These include a floor plan, dimension plan, elevations and 3D views.
This means that there’s no need to worry about the cost of preliminary drawings before your clients have signed the contract.
3. Free Custom Concept Brochures
Sometimes your client might struggle to find a plan that suits their exact requirements which is why we offer each of our subscribers 5 free custom concept brochures – including floor plan and 3 renders for you to show your client.
How many other builders have the option of presenting their clients (or potential clients) with a free custom design? We’d say not many. This subscription feature WILL save you money and will wow clients at the same time.
4. Quick Turn Around
It’s no secret, time is money. We get that your time is valuable and billable which is why we make it a goal of ours to provide you with a super speedy service. We want your work to keep flowing through the door while impressing your potential clients.
We’re really proud that our current turnaround times for plans are between 2 and 5 days meaning the wait time for you/your clients is non-existent. You won’t waste time waiting around when you work with us.
5. Help with Marketing
From talking to our builders, we know that successful marketing is one your of the greatest struggles. How do you get your name out there, improve the image of your business and generate leads, all without outlaying too much money?
We took your pain points and created a marketing guide to answer all of your burning questions. It’s available to all of our current subscribers and is packed full of actionable tips to help you achieve your business goals.
If you would like to know more, Ben or Rebecca would love to have a chat.
Ben Dye
Director
0419 786 578Rebecca Marzella
Business Development & Relationship Manager
0447 273 481Continue reading...
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18th Sep 2018
5 Reasons Why Investing In Quality House Plans Is So Important
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Sometimes, designers have great ideas
The other day I had a retiree couple who approached me for a custom house design. They had in mind a beautiful classic contemporary home on stumps – about 750mm off the ground. The one thing that had slipped their mind? They were building their ‘forever home’ – the place they would retire and grow old in, but they had only stair access.Designers don’t necessarily know exactly what you need like you do, but an experienced designer can bring some great, unique ideas to the table that you might not have thought of yourself. The icing on the cake so to speak. And sometimes, they can discourage you from making a really annoying design decision as well.-
Quality designers aren’t free
As the saying goes, nothing worthwhile in life is cheap, or easy, and it definitely isn’t free!Many homeowners can be the difference between the success and failure of the project. And even, if a project goes over or under budget.- Properly detailing exactly what YOU want on the plans, and even in a specification means that when a builder quotes he can quote exactly what you want. Reducing the uncertainty for him reduces the ‘unknown factor’ he adds in his margin, and can reduce the likelihood of being stung by expensive variations halfway through the contract.
- Designing your house right the first time can save you thousands of dollars in renovations in the future
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