New Home Buyers Blog

Land sales are destined to be completed by November 2016 with demand exceeding supply. This outstandingly popular estate by Stockland is typical of the community styled living environments created by Australia’s number one property developer.  Berstan Homes are a proud builder partner with Stockland and are actively building numerous homes around their Victorian estates. Berstan Homes currently have 35 homes under construction in these estates and have a similar number of homes pre sold for a build start in the next
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Forest Hill is said to derive from the name of a cottage owned by early settler Captain Bunbury and is descriptive of the district's original bushland setting.  With most homes in Forest Hill approaching 60 years plus in age it means most home owners will have major problems arising, the main being the maintenance costs are excessive and ongoing. Another is the energy rating are poor to say the least and because the rating are so low just running these
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Where and how to start a knock down rebuild? At Berstan Homes our knock down rebuild process starts with a face to face meeting with a registered building practitioner. If you are considering a knock down rebuild on your property or even contemplating buying a property with the intention of a knock down rebuild it will pay you to deal with experts. Berstan Homes have a complete team of professionals able to make the whole process easy.
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A great way to bring your room to life is the addition of some framed prints and the secret is to add similar colours through your cushions or maybe a throw.  By adding some smaller items of matching colours will bring the room together and create a winner.
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As Australia's largest timber door manufacturer, Corinthian has taken its famous brand around the world, securing an international reputation for quality, innovation and design. Corinthian is now part of the JELD-WEN family, the world's largest supplier of timber doors and windows. Established in 1942, Corinthian has showrooms and manufacturing facilities in all mainland Australian State capitals. Its major manufacturing facility occupies a 4.5 hectare site at St Marys in Sydney's west. Corinthian has worked hard and long, since its foundation
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If you are lucky enough to work from home some days it’s important to have the right environment. By placing your desk near a window is a great start and an easy way of creating a healthy home office. Natural light is also very important for a positive office feel
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Choosing a builder and building a new home is not just something you should rush into there are many questions that need to be answered, here are just a few: How long has the builder been building homes? Have the building company got display homes that you can inspect. Will you be dealing with the building practioner or just the sales staff? Who will be doing the designing? Who will check for the building to comply with the residential code?
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As a standard floor covering feature in our homes we use the Parador range from Germany and are finding this more popular than ever, a modern alternative to real wood and that can be used in place of timber hardwood floors the Parador is supplied and installed by Carpet Call.   read more...   Parador have emerged over the last 5-10 years as a real global player in the market.  They work extremely hard to deliver real quality which is all
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With many clients and Australians in general enjoying a bottle of wine, it’s becoming an often asked question can we have a wine rack incorporated in our kitchen design? A great area for a wine rack can be located above the fridge and space saving being able to store 7 bottles comfortably. Being above the fridge is also a great space high enough away from little ones.
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An Australian company, Gainsborough has achieved a pre-eminent position in the world market for more than 30 years, supplying first class porcelain and decorative door furniture and developing a succession of innovative products that have attained new levels of excellence in design, functionality, and durability. Berstan Homes are very proud to support Gainsborough with around 70% of our projects using their products.
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There's no doubt that vaulted ceilings can make a room look larger than it really is, they can also create a light and airy space. Having a vaulted ceiling is well worth contemplating and cost effective and create a great look.
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Being born in Ivanhoe helps builder Mark Bryson and his family with local knowledge of the Ivanhoe area. Mark and brother Paul were both born in the Airlie hospital Ivanhoe in the 1960s and it’s great to see the Airlie still standing.  Our family home was located in Locksley Road and the Bryson family spent many good years in that old home, until moving to the Eastern suburbs.When we lived in Ivanhoe there was a shortage of young families in
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Most home owners feel that the regulations, and processes involved with dual occupancy were all alien to them and with little assistance available many decide it’s too hard and don’t bother. Berstan Homes are able advice and take care of every aspect of the dual occupancy. Who needs the headache of dealing with councils and planning matters when a company like Berstan Homes can do the entire project. We believe that too many people are missing out on the biggest
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Many of our clients ask what type of underlay we use on our home builds. We have been using Dunlop Luxury plus underlay for years with great success without a single complaint for our clients. The Dunlop Luxury Plus underlay in a superior product to most on the market and comes standard in all ranges of our homes.
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If you’re considering developing a residential project you will need a fully professional team of experts to work with. Berstan Homes are the perfect group of professionals and will bring this professionalism and expertise to the table for your next project.  Berstan Homes specialize in dual occupancy, townhouse and knock down rebuilds in Surrey Hills and the surrounding suburbs.
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Last year we had some issues on our projects with water meter thieving. Would you believe somebody would steel a water meter? There is about 3 dollars of brass in them and what an inconvenience it causes to everyone. We were building in one particular estate and they stole every meter in the Street costing every builder a small fortune. The trades are also disadvantaged with not having any water costing them time and money. I saw an interesting way
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A commercial size kitchen makes the Santorini25 by Berstan Homes stand out from the rest. The kitchen has a huge island bench with easy open plan living dining leading to the covered alfresco area for year round entertaining.  A centrally designed lounge leaves an area for quiet time. The four bedrooms are generous size and all have ample cupboard space built in. The Santorini25 would suit a lot size 14.5 w x 30m.
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Balwyn named after the 1858 vineyard and rural retreat of the then Age editor Andrew Murray. The retreat was located on Balwyn Road and according to Mr Murray the name was Gaelic for "wine-house". Many homes in Balwyn are at the high end of maintenance and are of old design that just won’t work for the modern family. The best way to achieve your perfect dream home is a knockdown rebuild in the Balwyn area. Berstan Homes are the knock
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Berstan Homes are stocking a full range of Ambassador Stone at our new display selection centre. We have been using plenty of Ambassador Stone in our homes lately with amazing results from their product.  We find Ambassador Stone to be top quality with a large range of unique colours and styles to choose from. Many ask about the cost? And yes of course they vary, but as a guide the standard size kitchen would be $2800 extra.
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The Florence51 by Berstan Homes is a French provincial master piece of design and opulence. The grand entrance staircase with wrought iron feature balustrading and gentle curve sets the tone for the home. Guests are catered for with a fully serviced guest suite on the ground floor. There are five living areas including a very well-proportioned alfresco with ornate columns surrounding. The first floor has three minor bedrooms and a grand master suite with a luxury ensuite and a suitable
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Wondering how to get a new home for free and in most cases this is possible. Why not have a free assessment from Berstan Homes for a dual occupancy building on your land. With Berstan Homes by your side, you can choose how exactly you would like to approach dual occupancy. There are several ways of achieving a dual occupancy on your land. You can sub-divide your block and create a dual occupancy, or alternatively you can add a new house
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Berstan Homes are encouraging their clients to mix and match tiling for some amazing results. Many bathrooms have all the same coloured tiles and can have a very boring effect. Bold statements with tiles can be very successful and can give the room a special feel of elegance. Mixing light with dark can have outstanding results and add definite wow factor to your wet areas.
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Looking for a wow factor well have a good hard look at Bamboo flooring!There are so many different amazing styles and colours to choose from with matt finishes to high gloss. There are also matt finished planks with stressed areas making them not only able to create interest but practical for a growing family environment. We have experienced high demand for this product lately and I feel as our clients see the sustainable and environmental benefits of this product we
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The name Pascoe Vale resinated from the suburb being purchased, settled and named "Pascoeville" by John Pascoe Fawkner after Pascoville Farm, where he lived from 1842. With most homes in the Pascoe Vale area being well over the 70 year mark it leaves them with many problems.  Just some of the problems are the energy ratings are extremely poor making them very expensive to heat and cool due to there being nothing to stop the energy leaving the home. Bad
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If you’re in the market for a home builder in the Templestowe area contact Berstan Homes for an informative chat about your project. Berstan Homes are capable of providing a very varied collection of builds from smaller unit size home builds to larger custom designed home builds. Berstan Homes also offer multiple categories of home standards from entry level Cat 1 to middle range Cat 2 builds and our Cat 3 high end builds all three Categories are currently on
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Dual occupancy Balwyn North enquiries have increased significantly, lately with our main line of enquiry for our newly designed duel occupancy dwelling. The design has four spacious bedrooms with a master bedroom being located on the ground and first floors both having their own ensuite. Call Berstan Homes today and let a team member discuss your options.
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The age of the homes in Vermont are starting be an issue for maintenance and costing their owners plenty. A cost effective alternative for the home owners in Vermont would be a dual occupancy or evening building a second home in the backyard for investment or sale. The costs for the development are usually covered by the sale of the second property or rent the property out for a passive income solution. Berstan Homes offer a complete service from start
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The Humphrey18 by Berstan Homes has an alfresco area of 3.6 x 3m, we separated the area from the side fence with the use of decorative panels. The panels are readily available at Bunnings or Mitre10 and cost around $100 each they also come in many different designs. We found the panels were easy to work with and created a degree of privacy and they look great. Brick walls in alfresco areas can become a little plain so the inclusion
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The Tiana 17C is an outstanding home offering modern open plan living areas. A generous size island bench in the kitchen with breakfast bar and a good size workable laundry are just two of the many features this cleverly designed home boasts. The bedrooms are of good size and come with built in robes. A stylishly appointed master bedroom with walk in robe and ensuite. Another convenient feature is the internal access from the garage to the home. In summary
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Many homes in the Warrandyte area are now requiring plenty of upkeep and its costing the owners plenty. In some cases it could be worth their owners contemplating a knock down rebuild. Berstan Homes are only too willing to help with the pros and cons processes with a knock down new build. Berstan Homes offer a complete planning and building alternative in lieu of all that work running around finding all the parties involved in a knock down new build.
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