Tips for building a new home

There’s nothing quite like the excitement of renovating a home. It’s the time where you finally get to put all of your dreams into action and turn your vision into reality. It’s not all fun and excitement though, you have to carefully manage the project and a big part of that management is figuring out where you’re going to put all of your things while renovating. Storage is the best option for renovators, but if you’re going to put your
read more

Most builders install power points into the side of a kitchen bench. Even though this is easier and simpler to fix, it can prove to be a big mistake. A power point fixed to the side of a kitchen bench is at eye level for children, where it is tempting for them to play with. Creating a possibility for them to pull an appliance onto their head or worse, to play with the power point and electrocute themselves. To avoid
read more

With so many homes being built fast and cheaply these days, we are often spotting design oversights that can really effect the quality of a home. For example Standalone baths look fantastic but can take up a lot of room. Many builders solve this problem by building the baths very close to walls. It might make the bathroom look bigger but they are nearly impossible to clean behind, especially a water spillage. Any water that is not removed will ultimately
read more

Did you know waterproofing wet areas is one of the largest problems home builders face and can be the single most common area for problems down the track. How do Berstan Homes over come this? Simply by constructing wet areas properly the first time, avoiding issues and expensive problems for the owner in years to come. We have a process that uses a combination of Mapei products, waterproofing, adhesive and epoxy grout. The Mapei epoxy grout has many standout features
read more

Having double glazing installed is one of the key ways of achieving cheaper energy bills. Double glazing not only reduces your energy bills but also provides a more comfortable and quieter home with fewer condensation problems and heightened security. As much as 50% of the heat lost from your home is through windows. This could cost you hundreds of extra dollars every year in heating and cooling bills. Double glazing is extremely energy efficient, cutting these heat losses by up
read more

Had enough of paying too much for your mortgage? It’s now time to do something about it! Berstan Homes use a select group of mortgage brokers that are focused on reducing the amount our customers pay. Our specialist brokers are able to save most of our clients and existing home owners heaps of money. Some existing home owners have been saved over 1% off their current home loan interest rate. By saving 1% off an average home loan of $400k
read more

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.
read more

Berstan Homes have been experiencing dumping on many projects across Melbourne and our clients are really feeling the costs for removal. The costs are running at around $350 per ton for mixed rubbish.  With this particular site the bill was $3000 a cost that should never have been and only due to thoughtless people taking advantage of a vacant lot very unfair! If you ever see anyone looking like they are dumping please call your local council or even take some
read more

A new product to make laying tiles level is on the market and watching one of our tilers the other day with a tiling aid. The aid is a levelling clip and what a great idea they have been around since 2014 known as the Tuscan Seam clip and what a system it is. When butting the tiles up you place a clip under the tile and then press the clip together, this then forces the tiles to become even
read more

Berstan Homes have currently been asked by many clients for fire pits. A fire pit can easily be made from Austral retaining wall blocks which are the perfect shape.  Bunnings and Masters also sell metal fire pits and cost around $90 upwards so they are not an expensive item and will lead to hours of enjoyment.
read more