Posted by admin on 30 January 2012
Now Brisbane's 2nd tallest: Aurora Tower
The latest building to claim the title of Brisbane’s tallest is nearing completion. At 74 storeys Harry Triguboff’s Meriton Developments has powered through construction of “Soleil” in the CBD’s Admiralty precinct and will soon wrap up its 464 apartments.
The tower is just up the street from the previous title-holder, Aurora, completed in 2006 at a piddly 67 storeys with 478 homes. Harry of course has his next Brisbane project well under construction, bigger and better: the 81 level, 546 apartment Infinity Tower in North Quay.
To give you some idea, the top of the new Soleil building is near enough to the height of the lookout at Mt Coot-tha. Yep, it’s that high…
We’ve written before about the evolution of “super-towers” in our CBD but one topic not often discussed is the dangers of living so high above the ground. Families with kids are a more common sight in our apartments and new changes will soon be introduced to building laws to limit accidental falls. We were recently told that one inner-Brisbane primary school has 32% of their 700 students living in apartments. It’s the little kids that need plenty of supervision and the changes will cover all windows over 2m off the ground (pretty much the second floor of any building). New buildings will need reinforced screens or window locks to prevent openings past 125mm.
The Meriton projects in Brisbane’s CBD don’t include open balconies in their designs and balconies are one hazard that might be impossible to regulate for safety. How do you prevent light furniture being pushed to the edge, a chair used as a climbing point? Does every balcony door need to meet pool fence guidelines? Are you feeling sick in the stomach too, just thinking about a child crawling near a highrise handrail?
This isn’t a new hazard and you’d have to say that reports of injury are remarkably scarce. But we are becoming more vertical as a city.
Demographer Bernard Salt called it the “Manhattan-isation” of Brisbane and it’s happening whether we want it or not, with all its challenges and opportunities. Many of the residents of these new super-towers will thrive in their homes, and we pray those with small children will take every possible care.
Posted in Brisbane CBD, architecture and renovation, trends in Brisbane property | 1 Comment »
Posted by admin on 26 December 2011
We wrote recently about the moves in the world of architecture to make Brisbane’s apartments and urban buildings less, well, urban. The move to vertical gardens is gaining lenty of interest. And here’s an extreme example from the Italians, a two building apartment development under construction in Milan. With 900 trees lining the balconies the designers say it’s the equivalent of a 1 hectare (2.5 acre) forest. So the project’s named “Bosco Verticale” or “vertical forest”. Looks bellissimo to us!
Tags: Brisbane apartments
Posted in architecture and renovation | No Comments »
Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 19 October 2011
Many home owners make the move to apartment living to get away from the maintenance of a big garden. We’re often told they love the greenery, but not the weekends of mowing and mulching. So they move into concrete buildings where they’re limited to a couple of pots on their balcony. One new trend in urban architecture could see our inner city buildings include big splashes of greenery in the least likely of places.
Vertical gardens are popping up in design magazines around the world and southern cities have a couple of notable examples already up and running. Attaching more than 4,500 plants to the side wall of a Sydney apartment building the designers at TRIO (pictured)have created a garden that’s 12 storeys high. They say the trend to vertical gardens is just starting but there are lots of benefits. Horticulturalist Phillip Johnson says as well as removing Co2 they attract birds and butterflies to their buildings. “They are also effective for insulating against heat and reducing city noise”.
And they can look great.
One South Brisbane residential tower that’s currently before Council for approval has a vertical garden proposed for its main façade – stretching 5 storeys high. It’s in a fairly urban settings with plenty of concrete around it, so it’d be a welcome addition to the neighbourhood (even if the tower itself won’t be). It’s south-facing so no doubt there’ll need to be careful plant selection and planning for maintenance.
Let’s hope this trend takes hold in Brisbane’s inner city, with designs that ensure these green walls always look as good as the artists’ impressions. Otherwise they’ll be like huge versions of those dead pot plants on balconies!
Tags: Brisbane apartments, selling an apartment Brisbane, vertical gardens
Posted in architecture and renovation, trends in Brisbane property | 2 Comments »
Posted by admin on 17 October 2011
If you’ve noticed more tradies’ trucks in your neighbourhood streets there’s an easy explanation: home renovation is on the up. New ABS stats released today show the value of “alternations and additions to residential building” rose 2.6% in the June quarter. Aussies spent a massive $1.8 billion on major renos like new kitchens, decks and media rooms.
Major alternations in a home are classified as all works over $10,000 although last time we did work on our place that was less than the price of a couple of vanity units and taps…
The Housing Industry Association says renovation works are the source of growth for their industry in 2011. New residential construction dropped 5.3% in the June quarter, the majority of the slump in apartments and other attached buildings.
It’s a regular feature of a quieter sales market. People stop building, move less and renovate like crazy. We last reported on this in December 2006 and no doubt we’ll see it again. In a way it’s great for our streets to see all that housing stock rejuvenated.
Tags: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Brisbane houses, Brisbane inner city residential building, Housing Industry Association
Posted in architecture and renovation, trends in Brisbane property | No Comments »
Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 28 September 2011
Spring Hill real estate is going up in value. We don’t mean the prices of homes that are being sold today, but rather the value of the ‘typical’ Spring Hill home. This is one of the interesting things to watch in a suburb like this: many, many homes undergo major renovations but the offical stats on local house prices are only measured on the ones that transact. If it doesn’t sell it doesn’t get counted. So the ‘typical’ Spring Hill house is changing, just below the radar of all those market commentators.
I took this shot down behind Birley Street and these are the sort of renovations that make a huge difference to the value of a home. It’s almost incorrect to call it a renovation – more a re-build. And once home-owners finish these sort of works they tend to stay in that home for a long time. Spring Hill real estate agents despair at the thought – but many home owners are here to stay!
Tags: Birley Street Spring Hill, Brisbane median home prices
Posted in Spring Hill, architecture and renovation, trends in Brisbane property | No Comments »
Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 2 September 2011
Brisbane’s inner suburbs have some of the best examples of this state’s unique timber architecture. But for such a sought-after style of house there’s almost no consensus on what we should and shouldn’t call a “Queenslander”. Real estate agents know that adding the term to an advert can spike the enquiry levels. Builders are working the word into their descriptions in fairly imaginative ways (one applies the name to brick homes with timber-gabled facades – really?)
Maybe if it’s built north of the Tweed any house can legitimately share the title. But today we thought we’d ask you to share your thoughts: what makes a Queenslander a Queenslander? Surely there’s 4 key elements: it’s elevated from the ground, has a hardwood frame and softwood linings, the main materials are timber and tin, and it has a verandah.
Looking back into our history there were plenty of practical reasons for elevating the homes: to keep residents cool in summer, to allow easy construction on sloping land, to avoid floods, and to keep the timber away from termites. Under the house used to be a place for playing out of the sun, hanging the washing and a bed for the dog (or even a not-so-welcome relative). In “modern” times we saw this as an opportunity for extra space for media rooms, studies and garages. Are these still Queenslanders?
During our early years there were plenty of variations on timber home designs. Those built from 1859 to 1901 are often called Colonials (for our time as a colony). Bungalow is the common term for the next generation of styles that were usually more elaborate and included gabled, asymmetrical facades. In the 1920’s we adopted elements of the Californian Bungalows – even way back then we were taking design cues from the USA. You’ll also hear them called “inter-war Queenslanders” and there’s a huge range of designs built through this era. Those with an eye for detail can often date a home from its verandah posts, balustrades and windows (see below). How simple was life when to keep up with the Joneses you just needed a bullnose tin sunhood?!
Not surprisingly the Great Depression saw more simplicity and conservatism in design and by 1933 bricks were considered a modern option. Fibro was first manufactured in Queensland in 1936 and its easy-care maintenance meant it quickly became a popular cladding material. We’re still ripping the toxic stuff out of homes today.
If you’d like a very thorough read on the topic try “Brisbane House Styles 1880 to 1940” by Judy Gale Rechner (1998). Maybe every real estate agent should have a copy so we can get the terminology right! There’s no doubt we’re proud of our Queenslanders and their rich history – whatever the name means to you.
courtesy: "Brisbane House Styles" Rechner, 1998
Please share your definition of “Queenslanders”.
Tags: Brisbane history, Brisbane houses, Brisbane real estate agents, real estate advertising, training for Brisbane real estate agents
Posted in architecture and renovation, real estate marketing, trends in Brisbane property | 2 Comments »
Posted by admin on 15 June 2011
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve surveyed tenants living in Brisbane’s inner city, asking them to rate the importance of 22 features of rental homes. Tenants were reminded that extra features in a home do cost them more in rent, so the survey responses are a collective ‘shopping list’ – the items they’d like to have as their budget affords. It gives landlords a better insight into buying and improving their investment properties.
The most important item in a rental home:
Outdoor living space. Even with a dose of cold weather during the survey tenants say they want an area to get outside. Balconies, decks and courtyards are a bit hard to retro-fit in your rental property but it’s food for thought when you’re buying your next one. And it follows that improvements you make to those outdoor areas, for example adding a roof over a deck or even some simple privacy screening, would be welcomed by your tenants.
Clean and modern:
You’d expect tenants to want a modern home and they do. Three of the top 7 features they seek relate to the condition of the home with “a modern home or one in great condition” scoring a close 2nd on their overall list. Tenants are prepared to put their hand in their pocket to have modern fittings. We regularly hear tenant feedback that rental homes need fresh paint, new carpets and other simple updates. As a landlord it can be hard to keep an eye on these things but they have a clear impact on your rental return.
And the features tenants won’t pay to have:
The wooden spoon goes to gymnasiums, closely followed by swimming pools. Those of you forking over big body corp fees to maintain these items might be feeling a little frustrated with this finding but it didn’t surprise us. We’ve been surveying tenants since the late 1990’s and both items consistently rate amongst the least important in a rental home. Buyers and re-sale interest in them might be another story.
If you’d like a copy of our full report for landlords just email info@beesnees.com.au and we’ll forward it on. How tenants choose their rental home’s location and plenty more info is included. Keep in mind the surveyed tenants mostly live in apartments in suburbs within a 5 kilometer radius of the CBD so the findings should be read in that context.
Tags: Brisbane property manager, Brisbane rentals, home renovations Brisbane, property management Brisbane, tenant marketing Brisbane, tenants Brisbane
Posted in Brisbane landlords, Brisbane's rental market, architecture and renovation, real estate marketing | No Comments »
Posted by admin on 24 March 2011
Council looks set to approve a 52 apartment development for Victoria Street, with the design adapted to new interim planning rules following January’s flood. Until the full findings on the flood cause are known BCC has asked developers to raise their lowest habitable areas, clearing 500mm above the offical January flood height of 6.33m AHD.
If full Council approval follows this week’s Planning Committee nod the Victoria Street project will rise 7 storeys with a 2 level basement. The basement’s entry has also been raised to 6.7m. Victoria Street was flood-effected but this site appears to be right at the edge of where the water came to.
It’ll be interesting to see public reaction to the plan given past local resistance to greater heights along the Montague Road precinct. We’d suggest the small height increase is a smart move, giving buyers greater comfort that, should the unimaginable happen and we do get another freak flood event, the apartments will be well above the 2011 levels.
Of course the biggest issue other local apartment buildings have faced has been the sensitive infrastructure they have in their basements – electrical, lifts and ventilation motors to name a few. Some that were nowhere near the river and had no surface water flooding, had basement inundation due to backed-up storm water lines. This new project’s solutions to those challenges will be its real test.
Tags: Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Development, Brisbane floods 2011, development at West End, new Brisbane apartment projects
Posted in Brisbane's sales market, West End, architecture and renovation | No Comments »
Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 22 March 2011
New listing - 6 bedroom apartment!
Sounds like an easy question doesn’t it? As real estate agents we walk into dozens of homes and apartments each week but we sometimes struggle with this one. “How hard can it be?” you’re asking. Surely a bedroom’s just a place big enough for a bed. We’ve all been to an open home where some enthusiastic salesperson has nominated the study or a broom cupboard as a third bedroom.
So how do you define a bedroom? Unfortunately there is no simple answer! The Building Code of Australia sets the requirements (along with a myriad of state legislation) and when you build a new dwelling the criteria are fairly clear. A bedroom is considered a “Habitable Room”, along with living rooms, kitchens, studies, rumpus and dining rooms. You have to comply with a long list of rules before you can use a room for these purposes. Note that a bathroom, laundry, pantry, hallway and “other spaces occupied neither frequently nor for extended purposes” are outside those rules.
Whether you’re in a house (Class 1A dwelling) or an apartment (Class 2), sufficient ventilation is a key requirement for habitable rooms. You need “natural air exchange” and natural light into the room and Brisbane’s location in Zone 2 means these differ from frost-laden Taswegian homes for example. If you have fans and/or evaporative airconditioning that changes things too. Oh, you can sometimes “borrow” ventilation from an adjoining room too…. but not bathrooms.
And don’t forget height. A habitable room must have minimum 2.4m ceilings (7’ 10.5”) except kitchens which can be 2.1m. So those rooms under the house with beds and rumpus furniture in them, just that bit low in height? They’re “utility rooms” and usually can’t legally be used as bedrooms or living rooms. And if you “know a friend” who rents out their utility rooms as a granny flat maybe they should have a solid read of their insurance policy. It’s hard to imagine Council suddenly policing these rules but a fire or other incident might cause problems.
Of course older homes might still be okay where they pre-date the modern requirements and are “deemed to comply”. There’s sound reasons for all these rules – safety, health and sustainability. But they do mean that your average real estate agent can really not answer the most simple of questions with 100% confidence. Building certifiers can interpret the Code for you and a pre-sale check might be worthwhile if you’re unsure.
That third bedroom might make a big difference to your sale price. But not if it’s really just a broom cupboard.
Tags: Brisbane houses, Brisbane real estate agents, building certifiers, Building Code of Australia, home renovations Brisbane, real estate advertising, training for Brisbane real estate agents
Posted in architecture and renovation, real estate marketing | No Comments »
Posted by admin on 2 March 2011
“And of course the house has this wonderful aluminum siding so there’s no painting needed, ever! When I bought it the salesman told me it would really improve the value of my home.”
We’ve heard this tale too many times over the years: A home improvement undertaken in the belief it would increase the home’s price, a salesperson justifying the cost with an often misleading promise of gains.
Right now Brisbane home owners are busy doing and planning renovations, with many of our suburbs about to witness their biggest ‘face-lifts’ in decades. The floods have mandated the work for some while for others the cooler sales market has encouraged them to make improvements rather than trade-up. And while we love to see a home’s full potential realised can we offer these suggestions?
One dollar of renovation cost doesn’t usually add one dollar of value. In some cases it might add very little at all. One of our team last year carried out a $140,000 new bathrooms, new carpets, new lots of things reno and their home’s valuation rose less than $80,000. If you’re renovating to stay and enjoy the home yourself (or your insurer is paying) then go for it. If you’re doing it to increase the value of your home please be careful.
Choose appropriate items for your home and try some good value alternatives. Unless you’re in a high end market most home buyers don’t really care what brand your kitchen appliances are. Carpets, tapware and toilets can be similar – provided the quality is okay your end sale price will likely be very similar. Location and space are far more important than fittings.
We’ve all heard the dangers of overcapitalising. If your apartment building has a grotty entry with dead plants and cigarette butts you might be wise to join the committee and deal with that before you start putting in a new kitchen.
The dearer the home, the smaller the market when you go to sell. While we’d all love to buy a fully renovated home the hard reality of budgets means most of us can’t afford to. The real estate ads that have the biggest response? Unrenovated cheapies.
And the aluminum cladding? Most buyers just worry about what’s underneath that they can’t see. That door to door salesman was the only one to profit from it.
We’d love to hear your renovation stories.
Tags: home renovations Brisbane, selling a house Brisbane, selling an apartment Brisbane
Posted in architecture and renovation | 2 Comments »
