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| Planning Your Perfect Home Renovation |
| an easy guide to renovating, budgeting and planning all home and apartment additions, extensions and refurbishments; buy the book and do it on time and on budget. |
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| Links to external sites I love ranging. Inspire, inform, planners, DIY ideas and more... |
| About Alex May |
| How to find the best property buys |
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| Planning Your Perfect Home Renovation is a blueprint to a stress-free, well-planned and well-budgeted renovation that improves the value of your home... |
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| Book, Planning Your Perfect Home Renovation |
| Renovation Planning |
| About Alex May |
| How to find the best property buys |
| Register for Renovation Planning: it's free! |
| Register free for unlimited access to renovationplanning.com.au, newsletters and prizes. |
| Story: 10 easy first home buyer steps |
| Want to buy your first home? Here's how to start. |
| Story: 10 ways to add value and renovate for less |
| How to renovate and improve your property with low-cost ideas to add value in any real estate market |
| Story: 11 skills every home owner needs to know |
| Tips to troubleshooting home ownership |
| Story: 12 ways to save on a renovation |
| A guide to renovating with budget efficiency |
| Story: 2008 Sydney Property Guide |
| What the experts predicted would happen to Sydney's residential property market in 2008 |
| Story: 20 Ways To Save The Planet |
| Short, simple ideas to help save the world from your lounge room. |
| Story: 3 tips to renovate without risking overcapitalising |
| How to renovate without eroding equity in your home |
| Story: 3 window ideas to save you money |
| Save energy - and the planet - with clever planning of your window treatments |
| Story: 4 renovate for profit tips |
| Why adding value by renovating is difficult and how you can plan your way around it |
| Story: 50 Hot Home Ideas |
| A quick tricks and tips story originally published October 2008 |
| Story: 5 fail-safe repairs and refurbishments to add value |
| How to improve the value of your house without splashing out a lot of cash |
| Story: 5 must-know home insulation tips |
| Insulation is easy, right? Not always ... read on |
| Story: 5 Tips to Create a Great Child's bedroom |
| Ideas for kids rooms |
| Story: 7 must-know interior style secrets |
| From furniture arranging to finding your inner colour sense, here's how to get a room just right. |
| Story: 8 ideas to save the planet |
| easy home ideas to reduce your footprint |
| Story: 9 carpet-buying tips |
| Want a cosy floor? Read this first. |
| Story: A better, greener home for less |
| The really, really, really cheap ways to make your home cost less to run ... and might even improve its value! |
| Story: A Dural Escape |
| Buying property in Dural, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain section April 2006. |
| Story: All about home automation |
| What does it mean when the technology in a house - the lights, alarms, security and AV equipment - can talk to each other? Life's easier, that's what. Originally published in Shore Living, April 2007 |
| Story: An idiot's guide to buying a house at auction |
| How to buy and bid successfully at a property auction, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain February 2005 |
| Story: An inner city garden |
| A story about a Jamie Durie designed inner city garden, originally published in The Australian Women’s Weekly, Let’s Go Outside, November 2005 |
| Story: Apartment block landscaping |
| Why landscaping apartment blocks works |
| Story: Appliance trends |
| Which appliances are making a splash in the kitchen? |
| Story: Approving renovation plans the easy way |
| A guide to getting your plans through Sydney councils, originally published in November 2006 |
| Story: A quick Christmas house makeover |
| A guide to getting your house ready for the silly season, originally published in Australian Women's Weekly December 2005. |
| Story: Architects and their own homes |
| Peeking at an architects' own renovation is worth a look, originally published in Sunday Life October 2006 |
| Story: Architecture in Surry Hills |
| A profile on Adam Haddow, originally published in Central magazine |
| Story: A real life cheap reno |
| How one Sydney woman took charge to make her renovation cost-effective |
| Story: Are boat berths the best waterfront property? |
| Story: Are you ready to buy a house? |
| A woman's guide to knowing whether she's ready to buy a house, originally published in New Woman, July 2005 |
| Story: ARMCHAIR ETHICS: A green guide to living |
| A guilt-free guide to living green, originally published in Sunday Life January 2007 |
| Story: Art, design whatever |
| A profile of Surry Hills and designers blueandbrown, originally published in Central August 2004 |
| Story: Ascot in queensland |
| Ascot: A Brisbane hot spot, originally published in Sun Herald in April 2004 |
| Story: Aspirational debt: why interest rate rises hurt even the best suburbs |
| Why Wizard's Mark Bouris says interest rates hurt some of Sydney's best suburbs. Originally published in Thursday Domain. |
| Story: A tool apprenticeship: the right tools for the job |
| Finding the right tools for renovating, originally published in the Essential section of Sydney Morning Herald December 2006 |
| Story: Attic conversions to transform roof space |
| Make the most of your roof space, originally published in the Essential section of the Sydney Morning Herald in October 2006 |
| Story: Australian Property in 2009 |
| What the experts predict will happen in the year ahead |
| Story: Avoid bad renovation |
| how to improve your property value by renovating to create heritage appeal, originally published in June 2005 |
| Story: Award-winning building projects |
| A story about the Master Builders Associations awards. Originally published in Sydney Morning Herald, August 2005 |
| Story: Back to basins: renovating a bathroom |
| Bathroom renovation, originally published in July 2006. |
| Story: Balmain locals talk |
| OUT OF THE MOUTHS: what the locals love about Balmain, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald in Sept 2004 |
| Story: Bathroom Cleaning Blitz |
| How to clean the bathroom easy, green and super clean |
| Story: Bathroom, laundry and kitchen basics |
| How to renovate the hardest working rooms in the house |
| Story: Beach brands, buying coastal property with a name |
| Buying property on the NSW coast, originally published in the Sun Herald, December 2004 |
| Story: Beach house summer |
| 2009 property outlook for beach houses |
| Story: Bedbugs and how to prevent them |
| A story about the rise of bedbug infestation in homes in Australia, originally published in the Essential section of Sydney Morning Herald, January 2007 |
| Story: Best buds: flower arranging tips |
| Have a house full of flowers every day without bankrupting yourself at the florist, originally published in New Woman August 2002 |
| Story: Be wary of slick Queensland property developers |
| A story about the pitfalls of buying in Queensland |
| Story: Big ideas for small bathrooms |
| Bathroom designs to make life less squeezy |
| Story: Boomers rewrite the rules |
| A real estate trends story about how Baby Boomers will change the real estate market into the future. |
| Story: Brushing up on bathroom renovation planning |
| How to plan and design a bathroom renovation to suit your lifestyle and budget. |
| Story: Budget and beat the economy |
| A guide to drawing up your own household budget |
| Story: Budget bathroom shortcuts |
| Bathe your bathroom in luxury without breaking the bank |
| Story: Buying a family home |
| Buying an affordable family home in Sydney, originally published by Sydney Morning Herald's Domain section in July 2005 |
| Story: Buying a heritage-listed house in NSW |
| How to buy a historic house, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain in May 2005 |
| Story: Buying a holiday house, August 2004 |
| How to own a second home, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald in August 2004 |
| Story: Buying an investment unit in Queensland |
| How to buy investment apartments in Queensland, originally published in February 2005 |
| Story: Buying a quality apartment |
| Buying Sydney's Designer Apartments, originally published Sydney Morning Herald's Domain May 2004 |
| Story: Buying a washing machine or dryer |
| What you need to know: the drum on washing machines and laundry |
| Story: Buying by the beach |
| Getting a toehold in Sydney's expensive beachside market, originally published in Thursday Domain February 2004 |
| Story: Buying in leafy Warrawee |
| Upper north shore property market story, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain July 2004 |
| Story: Buying in McMahons Point |
| Three prestige properties in McMahons Point, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain July 2004 |
| Story: Buying in Newcastle |
| Buying property in Newcastle, originally published in Thursday Domain in May 2004 |
| Story: Buying in the Blue Mountains |
| How to buy in the Blue Mountains, originally published in Thursday Domain in April 2005. |
| Story: Buying on the NSW coast |
| Coastal real estate market, originally published in Thursday Domain in June 2004 |
| Story: Buying property on the northern beaches |
| Buying property on Sydney's northern beaches,originally published in May 2003 |
| Story: Buying property on the Sutherland Shire |
| A guide to Sydney's southern suburbs, originally published in Thursday Domain July 2003 |
| Story: Buying right: how to spot a renovators delight with profit potential |
| A story about the ins and outs of buying an unrenovated property |
| Story: Buying second-hand building materials |
| How to source quality second-hand building materials in Sydney, find out about demolition yards, cheap building materials and how to use them, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Thursday Domain section |
| Story: Buying Your First Home: a guide |
| How To Buy Your First Home, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain August 2004 |
| Story: Caloundra Real Estate |
| A guide to Sunshine Coast Queensland real estate, originally published Sun Herald February 2005 |
| Story: Castle Hill locals talk |
| Castle Hill residents tell us why they love it, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain in July 2004 |
| Story: Centennial Park Courts |
| Story: Cheap and cheerful Christmas table settings |
| Inspired cheap ideas for Christmas dinner settings, originally published Christmas 2008 in Woman's Day |
| Story: Cheap kitchen makeover ideas |
| Cheap ideas for those who can’t afford designer stone, steel or timber benchtops, originally published in the Essential section of Sydney Morning Herald, January 2007 |
| Story: Cheap Renovation Tactics |
| Story: Choose the right bigscreen television |
| A guide to choosing an energy efficient big TV |
| Story: Choosing outdoor furniture: what to know |
| A quick guide to buying outdoor furniture |
| Story: Choosing property that will grow in value |
| The top tips for property that outperforms |
| Story: Choosing the right design professional |
| How to decide whether an architect, building designer or draftsperson will design your renovation, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain, October 2004 |
| Story: Choosing the right light: a renovators guide |
| How to choose the right fittings and lamps for lights |
| Story: Cleaning your house in a jiffy |
| How to clean quickly, easily and professionally (without it being a drag) |
| Story: Consumption arousal, why shopping is addictive |
| Are sales really a bargain, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald’s Metropolitan section in December 2004 |
| Story: Contracts, questions and answers |
| The nitty gritty of renovation approvals, licences and insurance |
| Story: Converting a warehouse with sauce |
| An award-winning warehouse conversion |
| Story: Cost-effective renovation ideas |
| How to renovate wisely, add value and stay sane |
| Story: Could renting be better than renovating? |
| Weighing up whether to invest in your own property and renovate - or rent your dream property instead |
| Story: Creating a beautiful bedroom |
| Interior designer Shellee Gordoun explains how to create a beautiful bedroom |
| Story: Creating a larger apartment: prestige spreads |
| Story: Dealmakers at work: how sales experts sell |
| Find out how the best sales people sell. A profile piece published in Sunday Life. |
| Story: Designer dialogue |
| Profile of blueandbrown designers, originally published in Vive magazine |
| Story: Designer schmick tips from interior experts |
| Give your pad a designer touch with these tips from interior designers, originally published in New Woman September 2002 |
| Story: Design your way into renovation |
| How to think like a designer when planning your home renovation |
| Story: De-wall to reduce reno costs |
| Why removing walls can be a great renovation option |
| Story: Do Asian-inspired homes sell well in Sydney? |
| Renovating in Asian-style - is it a fad or does it add value? Originally published in March 2006 |
| Story: Does the Prime Minister have to change before house prices grow again? |
| A theory by Residex's John Edwards that the housing market is linked to a change in federal government, originally published in Thursday Domain March 2005 |
| Story: Doorstep to heaven: island dreams |
| Buying in Queensland |
| Story: Dos and don'ts of bathrooms |
| Quick bathroom reno tips |
| Story: Easy Home Office Wallet-Savers |
| Creating a planet-friendly home office |
| Story: Easy soundproofing ideas |
| Minimal homes can make for maximum noise - here's how to beat it. |
| Story: Easy tips to clean the bathroom - quick! |
| Seven easy ways to speed up your bathroom cleaning routine. |
| Story: Eco makeovers |
| Trade Secrets: eco makeovers by neco, originally commissioned by Essential March 2007 |
| Story: Edible gardens in small spaces |
| How Garden Life owner Richard Unsworth grows vegies in the most unlikely spot |
| Story: Eeek, I have to host Christmas at my place |
| You're grown up now, so why not have Christmas at your place, originally published in New Woman, December 2002 |
| Story: Feature wall fears |
| Getting a feature wall right, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Essential section, 09th of November 2006 |
| Story: Financing renovation |
| How you finance a renovation is up to you. |
| Story: Finding a tradie the easy way |
| Q&A on the easiest way to get trades and builders to come to your home |
| Story: Finding the motivation for your finances |
| A guide to finding the inner resources to get on top of your financial problems and save or invest. |
| Story: Finding the right mortgage for your home |
| How to decide which mortgage is right for you |
| Story: Finding the right tradesperson |
| Ask an expert how to source tradespeople, originally published in the October 2005 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly |
| Story: Find what makes your old furniture shine |
| Maintaining antiques and mid-century finds so they keep their value - and their look |
| Story: Find Your Inner Decorator |
| Top tips to re-ignite your house passion. |
| Story: First homebuyer help: Abandon Loan Mortgage Insurance? |
| Banks poo-poo an idea to save first home buyers money. Originally published in Thursday Domain, April 2005 |
| Story: First home buyers beware - make sure you qualify |
| The first home buyers who have been made to pay back the government grant |
| Story: Floored! Ideas to walk all over |
| How to choose the right floors for your home |
| Story: Foot fetish: when shoes bring a couple together |
| A For Better, For Worse profile of Kerim and Melanie Van Der Looy who run Peter Sheppard Footwear, originally published in Sunday Life September 2006 |
| Story: For Better, For Worse |
| Married for four years, Simon Pilcher, 44, and Terri Pilcher, 37, work together as real estate agents. Simon regularly works 12 hour days from Monday to Saturday. Originally published in Sunday Life, August 2005 |
| Story: For better, for worse: Darth Vader meets the insomniac |
| Production manager Tristan Hanlon, 35, and her husband, Marc Lucke, 33, an online services manager, married in 1999. Tristan is an insomniac and Marc has just been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea. Originally published in Sunday Life October 2005 |
| Story: For Better, For Worse: the couple who married on television |
| Teacher Luisa Hayson, 24, and real estate agent Peter Gordon, 26, had been going out for five years when the producers of ABC-TV’s Outback House convinced them to get married on television last year. Originally published September 2005. |
| Story: For Better, For Worse: the tightwad and his bride |
| Broadcaster and film-maker Dai Le, 37, first met her bargain-hunting German husband Markus Lambert, 45, in 1991. They have been married for 13 years and have a son, Ethan, 2. Originally published in Sunday Life, September 2005 |
| Story: Forget timber or tiles, try concrete floors |
| How to resurface your old concrete floors and refinish with epoxy resin. |
| Story: Fridgey Didge Tips |
| How to improve the running of your household fridge |
| Story: From awkward geek in 1973 to Kim Cattrall |
| A Rewind profile of Sex And The City's Kim Cattrall, originally published in Sunday Life November 2006 |
| Story: From Young Talent Time to lots-of-kids time |
| A For Better, For Worse profile of former Young Talent Time star Philip Gould and singer Kate Lawson-Gould, originally published in August 2006. |
| Story: Furniture that feels good |
| A guide to choosing planet-friendly eco-furniture that oozes style and substance |
| Story: Garage days: transform your bit on the side |
| The possibilities of transforming a garage |
| Story: Garden recharge: outdoor furniture |
| TV presenter Tara Dennis talks about her love for planning the garden. Originally published in Australian Women's Weekly's Let's Go Outside supplement, November 2005. |
| Story: Generational real estate deals |
| Why the housing preferences of younger generations count. |
| Story: Getting the kitchen heights right |
| How tall should the bench top really be? And what size splashbacks look best? |
| Story: Getting timber floors right |
| How to create the best timber floors when you renovate, originally published in the Essential section of the Sydney Morning Herald in September 2006 |
| Story: Glenbrook, A Blue Mountains property hot spot |
| The love the locals have for their Blue Mountains village, originally published in December 2004 |
| Story: Good debt vs bad debt |
| A guide to finding the right debt for you |
| Story: Good Weekend: Two of Us, Valerie and Paul Parv |
| Romance novelist Valerie Parv, 53, is one of Australia’s best-selling international authors. Originally published in Good Weekend, December 2005 |
| Story: Gothic Gardening: be inspired by dark plants |
| A story about dramatic almost-black plants, originally published in the Australian Women's Weekly's Let's Go Outside supplement, November 2005 |
| Story: Great divides, buying cheaper property |
| How to buy on the right side of tracks, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald’s Domain, November 2005 |
| Story: Green Cleaning Advice |
| How to clean with the environment in mind |
| Story: Green gadgets for the home |
| Which eco gadgets will we lust after? |
| Story: Green kitchen ideas |
| Make your kitchen a favourite with the environment |
| Story: Growing vegies in tiny spaces |
| A story about making your own productive garden, even in the smallest spaces! |
| Story: Grow your own groceries |
| How to grow salad greens in pots |
| Story: Hardy Love: why the drought is good for gardens |
| Garden designer Peter Fudge explains why the drought is making gardens better, originally published in Australian Women's Weekly's Let's Go Outside supplement November 2005 |
| Story: Have a very eco Christmas |
| Christmas wishlist for the environment and your home |
| Story: Heaven sent rainwater tanks |
| How to plan rainwater tanks, originally published in Essential February 22 2007 |
| Story: Historic houses |
| A guide to buying heritage houses in Western Sydney, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain June 2004 |
| Story: Ho Ho Eco: making Christmas green |
| How to make your Christmas stress-free and super kind to the planet. |
| Story: Holiday home destinations: north or south? |
| The holiday house divide: choose whether to buy on the NSW south coast or north coast, originally published in November 2004. |
| Story: Holy solar: is it that way to go? |
| Should householders really install solar panels? |
| Story: Home contents auctions: bargains or rip-offs? |
| This alternative to a garage sale or ebay could be a great way to pick up a bargain for your home - provided you don't get carried away. |
| Story: Home repair checklist |
| Preparing your home for wetter weather, originally published in Essential March 2007 |
| Story: Home Theatre How To |
| How to install home theatre systems originally published in November 2007 |
| Story: Housekeeping hell |
| Learning to love housekeeping, cleaning and greening |
| Story: House of little horrors: termites |
| Avoiding termites, originally published in August 2006 |
| Story: How do I know if there's asbestos in my house? |
| A safety checklist for renovators worried about asbestos |
| Story: How to avoid kitchen renovation budget blowouts |
| A little planning and thought can save big bucks |
| Story: How to be a great house guest |
| Renovators may need to bum a night at a friend's house to avoid the dust - here's how to do it well. |
| Story: How to be a heating prude |
| Reduce your heating bills with these efficient ideas |
| Story: How to buy a renovators delight |
| Want to buy a house to renovate? This story shows you what to look for when buying handyman specials, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain 2004 |
| Story: How to choose the best materials for your renovation |
| A guide to making the best environmental choice when renovating or improving your home |
| Story: How to decorate with the television in the room |
| Story: How to detox your home |
| Story: How to find a great tradesperson |
| How to find quality tradespeople, originally published in November 2006 |
| Story: How to get a free green loan |
| Register now to take advantage of the no-interest green loan scheme |
| Story: How to insulate your home |
| Why insulation is worth it |
| Story: How to keep building costs down |
| A guide to the hidden reasons behind building cost increases in Australia in 2004 |
| Story: How to know when to buy, build or renovate |
| The dilemmas of owning a home |
| Story: How to make your house cost nothing to run |
| All about passive design techniques to reduce energy costs |
| Story: How to pay nothing for electricity |
| Cut your household bills and be kinder to the environment by learning how to turn your house into a net energy producer. |
| Story: How to store wine |
| Easy tips to keep wine well |
| Story: How to tame tradesman: 5 tactics you need to know |
| A story detailing top tips on dealing with trades and sub-contractors during renovation and building. |
| Story: Implications of 2004 land tax changes in NSW |
| Should property investors worry about land tax changes, originally published inApril 2004 |
| Story: Ins and outs of a Balmain house sale |
| Buyers and sellers talk about their house sale, originally published in Sun Herald in Sept 2004 |
| Story: Ins and outs of a property deal at Stanwell Park |
| Buyers and sellers tell their story of a house sale, originally published in Sun Herald September 2004 |
| Story: Ins and outs of a Riverview house sale |
| Ins and outs of a house sale, originally published in Sun Herald August 2004 |
| Story: Ins and outs of a Turramurra house sale |
| Property owners talk about their home transaction, originally published in Sun Herald in August 2004 |
| Story: Inside architect's houses |
| A glimpse into the way architects renovate their own homes, originally published in Sunday Life (Sun Herald) in October 2006 |
| Story: Insulation rebate leads to black market |
| Why home owners need to check where their insulation is coming from |
| Story: Island Life Going Cheap |
| Luxury Aussie islands for sale at bargain prices |
| Story: Is property investment dead in June 2008? |
| The general state of Australia's residential property investmenet makret |
| Story: Kangaroo Valley |
| Three of the best houses in Kangaroo Valley, originally published in 2004 |
| Story: Keeping your cool for less |
| Reduce your cooling bills with these eco-efficient ideas |
| Story: Keep the noise down: a soundproof home |
| How to renovate with acoustics in mind |
| Story: KIPPERS: Kids In Parents Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings |
| A short story about the phenomenon of children living at home longer, originally published in Good Weekend. |
| Story: Kitchen and bathroom space-savers |
| Nab more space in the hardest working rooms in the house with these ideas |
| Story: Kitchen renovation dos and don'ts |
| Quick tips for kitchen renovations |
| Story: Kitchen Zen: easy cleaning tips |
| Cooking up better cleaning ideas for the kitchen. |
| Story: Last Words: Ginger and Smart |
| A profile on two sisters who set up a fashion label, originally published in Vive magazine, October 2005 |
| Story: Launch your own backyard blitz |
| Renovating your backyard, originally published in October 2006 |
| Story: Leafy St Ives village |
| A story about the village of St Ives in Sydney's north shore, originally published in Shore Living |
| Story: Leather furniture love |
| How to keep your leather furniture shining |
| Story: Light right |
| A guide to lighting a room with style |
| Story: Light Right: choose the right bulb for you |
| How to decipher the best lighting choices to reduce energy costs |
| Story: Lights! Big screen! Action: A guide to home theatre |
| How to plan and create a home theatre system to suit your taste and budget, originally published in Shore Living, April 2007 |
| Story: Lilyfield locals talk |
| Residents explain why they love their suburb, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain August 2004 |
| Story: Live in style, without even trying |
| Quick style tips, originally published in New Woman, July 2002 |
| Story: Locals talk about Manly Vale |
| Why the residents love this suburb on the northern beaches of Sydney, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain, July 2004 |
| Story: Love is in the air |
| Alex Brooks is sent on a Valentine's Day mission for Sunday Life magazine |
| Story: Lovely Laundry Tips |
| How to make your laundry clean and green |
| Story: Loving your work |
| The brother of actor Toni Pearen has always loved travelling - now he makes a living out of it. |
| Story: Luxury apartments aspire to hotel quality |
| A story about top end apartment design, originally published in Pinnacle magazine 2008 |
| Story: Magical housekeeping - yeah right! |
| How to start greening your housekeeping regime |
| Story: Maintain the value of your home |
| How to preserve the value of your largest asset - keeping your house in tip top shape. |
| Story: Make a great home office |
| How to create a dream home office, originally published in September 2006 |
| Story: Makeover your home and add value NOW |
| Story: Make your home a movie star |
| Proud home owners can make up to $10,000 a day by renting out their abodes to film production companies, originally published in Sunday Life July 2006. |
| Story: Making Money from the 1950s |
| A passion for nostalgia rules people's love of the 1950s, originally published in the Sunday Telegraph's Sunday magazine |
| Story: Making more space |
| Improving the amount of storage and banishing clutter, a story originally published in the Essential section of Sydney Morning Herald January 2007 |
| Story: Market Round Up Reports |
| A weekly precis of Sydney's residential property market between May and June 2008 |
| Story: Maximise your floorspace without renovating |
| Plan your space better before spending on renovations, originally published in Essential March 2007 |
| Story: Me! Old? How to make your house last longer than you |
| A story about adaptable houses and universal design to ensure older and disabled people can stay in their homes as long as possible. |
| Story: Millionaires Road |
| Discover the most expensive street in Sydney |
| Story: Model Partners: profile of ModelCo founder Shelley Barrett and Sophie Baker |
| What happens when a model agent creates a burgeoning global make-up empire? She calls on a longtime friend and marketing guru to act as her international marketing director and ModelCo takes on the world. Originally published in Vive. |
| Story: Motherhood: just an opinion, of course |
| Opinion piece on motherhood, originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2001 |
| Story: Moving to the country: read this first |
| Profiles and tips from people who sold up in the city and moved to the country |
| Story: Nature twist: floral artist Alison Coates |
| This florist is more artist and sculptor than bouquets and baby's breath. Originally published in Australian Women's Weekly's Let's Go Outside supplement, November 2005. |
| Story: Nifty kitchen ideas |
| How to renovate your kitchen without really renovating |
| Story: No Drear Here: the art of bright colours in the home |
| A quick homes story originally published in Woman's Day November 2008 |
| Story: North Shore bargains |
| A guide to buying on the north shore, originally published in Thursday Domain March 2003 |
| Story: Order in the house: top storage tricks |
| Neat space-giving tricks |
| Story: Organising your digital life |
| All those computers, email accounts and passwords are enough to drive you to distraction - here's how to sync and swim. |
| Story: Painting colour tips |
| More stuff to know about paint |
| Story: Patience and maintenance: the easy way to spruce up your home |
| A guide to maintaining your home in cooler weather |
| Story: Play with a full deck |
| Everything you need to know about building an outdoor deck, originally published in Essential February 2007 |
| Story: Prestige property records set before the fall |
| Story: Property market predictions for 2006 |
| A story outlining analysts predictions for the real estate market in 2006, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald |
| Story: Property Round-up: brief stories from Alex Brooks's column in Thursday Domain |
| Snippets and news about property, renovation and home design, originally published in Thursday Domain, March and April 2005 |
| Story: Queensland and Sunshine Coast property |
| A guide to Sunshine Coast property, original published in Sun Herald September 2004. |
| Story: Queensland property boom |
| Picking the Queensland hot spots, originally published in Sun Herald April 2004 |
| Story: Queensland property in Townsville and Magnetic Island |
| A guide to northern Queensland's booming property market, originally published in Sun Herald Oct 2004 |
| Story: Queensland property market overview 2004 |
| A story about the Queensland property market, originally published in the Sun Herald in April 2004 |
| Story: Queensland's bumpy 2005 market |
| State of Queensland property market, originally published in the Sun Herald in February 2005 |
| Story: Quick and easy dinner party ideas |
| Impress your guests before you put dinner on the table (which could be a good thing), originally published in New Woman |
| Story: Quick painting tips |
| Helpful painting information, commissioned by Australian Women's Weekly 2006 |
| Story: Redfern hot spot |
| Village life in inner city Redfern, originally published in the Sun Herald in Sept 2004 |
| Story: Reduce energy bills easily |
| How to run your home efficiently, with lower energy bills and less greenhouse emissions |
| Story: Reduce your home's carbon footprint |
| A guide to making your home as carbon neutral as possible |
| Story: Regard your yard |
| How to turn your garden into a haven of green goodness |
| Story: Removing renovation rubbish the cheap way |
| How to remove renovation and construction waste in the cheapest and most environmentally friendly way |
| Story: Renovate and harvest rainwater |
| How to overhaul your garden with a bit of rainwater tank planning |
| Story: Renovate and save money at the same time |
| Find easy ways to make your house cost less |
| Story: Renovate the right way: choose a property that will grow |
| A guide to finding a quality property that will grow in value rather than risk over-capitalising |
| Story: Renovate your home habits to live greener |
| How to change behavior at home to improve sustainability |
| Story: Renovating to remove rising damp |
| A quick how-to guide to get rid of rising damp |
| Story: Renovating with a design professional |
| How to source the right design professional for you: an architect, building designer, draftsman, originally published in June 2004 |
| Story: Renovation crime: Don't do anything you can't undo |
| A story about renovating to add value and outlast faddish trends, originally published in the Essential section of the Sydney Morning Herald in November 2006 |
| Story: Renovation Planning Tips |
| Easy advice to start on your renovation ideas |
| Story: Renovation regrets: what real life renovators wish they'd never done |
| A story outlining the things renovators would do if they had the chance to start again, originally published in Inside Out. |
| Story: Renovations to add value in a sliding property market |
| A story about the best approach to renovation in a poor property market |
| Story: Repair or replace: how to know when to splurge and when to save |
| When to cough up for a new one, and when to fix it |
| Story: Restoring Heritage Houses |
| The best way to renovate a historic house, originally published in June 2005 |
| Story: Rewind: Ferran Adria, the Spanish Chef |
| Spain's guru of gastronomy recalls a childhood photo of him and his brother. |
| Story: Roof renovation options |
| What happens when your roof leaks or sags? Should you splurge on a new roof or save with a repair? |
| Story: Rules for pools |
| Create a pool without raping the environment |
| Story: Safe asbestos removal |
| A story about how renovators can remove and safely handle asbestos, originally published in the Essential section of Sydney Morning Herald. |
| Story: Save energy – and the world |
| A story on the best way to reduce energy demand, originally published in the Essential section of Sydney Morning Herald, January 2007 |
| Story: Save money and install the kitchen yourself |
| Lead Me Into Installation originally published in the Essential section of the Sydney Morning Herald in September 2006 |
| Story: Saving energy and water in apartments |
| A story about BASIX controls for highrise apartments, originally published in Thursday Domain. |
| Story: Saving money on plumbing |
| Make the most of when a plumber comes to visit, originally published in Essential April 2007 |
| Story: Selling property in Spring |
| A guide to selling your house in spring, originally published in August 2003 |
| Story: Shocking truths about electricity |
| All about wiring and powering your house, originally published in the Essential section of the Sydney Morning Herald in October 2006 |
| Story: Shopping secrets for renovators |
| A guide to shops and services for renovators in NSW, Vic and other states, originally published in Inside Out. |
| Story: Should I do it myself? |
| A quick guide to deciding which big jobs you can tackle DIY - and which ones to leave to the pros. |
| Story: Should you install an air conditioner |
| A guide to the ins and outs of cooling your home to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions |
| Story: Silence is golden: soundproof your home |
| A guide to improving interior acoustics |
| Story: Simple choices for hard floors |
| A guide to the surfaces for durable floors |
| Story: Sir Terence Conran looks back to 1954 |
| A Rewind profile of interior design entrepreneur Sir Terence Conran, originally published in Sunday Life October 2006. |
| Story: Sky's the limits: gardens on the roof |
| Why it makes sense to green the urban jungle |
| Story: Slip, slop, slap painting |
| How to paint properly, originally published in the Essential section in the Sydney Morning Herald in August 2006 |
| Story: Sofa, So Good: how to choose a great sofa |
| A guide to buying a couch |
| Story: Solar power: what you want to know |
| If you'd like your own solar panels, read this first |
| Story: Solid ground: land values around Sydney |
| Why land is in short supply around Sydney, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald’s Domain, November 2005 |
| Story: Southern highlands property focus |
| State of the Southern Highlands Property Market, originally published in Thursday Domain September 2004 |
| Story: Speed Clean Your Home In Half The Time |
| How to get the very best from your housekeeping efforts |
| Story: State of residential property in 2006 |
| Commissioned in 2006 as a news piece for the property expo section |
| Story: Stay or go: real estate and retirement |
| How to plan your sea change. |
| Story: Stepping into a bathroom renovation |
| A basic rundown of a bathroom reno |
| Story: Stingy Style Secrets |
| How to make over your house for free, originally published in October 2008 |
| Story: Stop the small space squeeze |
| Big ideas for small spaces |
| Story: Straight Up: vertical gardens |
| Space saving and energy smart vertical gardens are perfect for the city. |
| Story: Strata changes to highrise apartment owners |
| A story about new strata amendments in NSW, originally published in Thursday Domain April 2005 |
| Story: Sustainable furnishings - making your house planet-friendly |
| What makes furniture better for the environment? |
| Story: Sutherland Shire Appeal |
| A story about the attraction to the Sutherland Shire, originally published in Thursday Domain |
| Story: Sydney celebrities and family homes |
| What high-profile Sydneysiders love about where they live, originally published Sydney Morning Herald's Domain |
| Story: Sydney property gloom |
| From boom to gloom, when Sydney's market turns bad, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain section May 2003 |
| Story: Sydney Property in 2009 |
| A region-by-region look at what agents and experts predict will happen to Sydney property during 2009. |
| Story: Sydney's Secret Suburbs |
| Finding affordable homes in the suburbs you never heard of |
| Story: Sydney's waterfront shacks |
| Buying property on the waterfront, originally published in May 2004 |
| Story: Tales of Sydney Suburbs |
| Profiles of suburbs in and around Sydney |
| Story: Taming the remote controls |
| How to orchestrate your electronics, originally published in Essential march 2007. |
| Story: The apartment quality checklist |
| How to buy a quality apartment, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain August 2005 |
| Story: The art of getting kids outside |
| How to get kids off the couch and active in the garden, originally published in Australian Women's Weekly's Let's Go Outside supplement, November 2005 |
| Story: The baby boomers big appetite for kitchen renovations |
| Over-55 spending on kitchens, originally published in the Sun Herald, June 2005. |
| Story: The best Sydney suburbs in 2004 |
| A spring property guide to NSW in 2004 |
| Story: The best views in Sydney |
| Suburbs with tranquil, leafy water views, , originally published in the Sun Herald March 2005 |
| Story: The Brazilian meets the Australian chef on the high seas |
| For Better, For Worse profile of Patricia Nunes and Greg Anderson who own Sugaroom restaurant, originally published in Sunday Life July 2006 |
| Story: The cost of things we covet: finding value |
| Price tags are strange things. What makes someone pay $2000 for a toy that was a freebie in a chocolate or $40,000 for a piece of a propeller? Originally published in Sunday Life, February 2006. |
| Story: The future of Sydney's housing market, June 2005 |
| Predictions of the property market, originally published in June 2005 |
| Story: The future of waterwise washing |
| Laundries of the future |
| Story: The grand designs of Marion Hall Best |
| Marion Hall Best story originally published in in June 2005 |
| Story: The great beach house sell off |
| As the 2008 financial crisis bites, the wealthy sell off their beach houses. A similar story was commissioned by the Sun Herald. |
| Story: The green triangle: Killara |
| Three of the best in Killara, originally published in Domain April 2006 |
| Story: The heritage hoo-ha over Wollongong's Regent Theatre |
| A story about the theatre designed by Marion Hall Best, originally published in Thursday Domain. |
| Story: The ins and outs of buying an historic home |
| How to buy a house in the historic suburbs of Sydney, the best heritage house bargains and more, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain, May 2005 |
| Story: The investment property cycle |
| Examining the property cycle before you invest, originally published by Sun Herald Oct 2005 |
| Story: The Jamie Durie Indicator |
| How Jamie Durie and The Block became a pin-up boy for property analysts. Originally published in Thursday Domain. |
| Story: The load on laundry |
| Easy ways to keep laundry, fresh, green and clean |
| Story: The open ensuite bathroom: good idea or not? |
| Too close for comfort, a story about bathrooms originally published in Essential, October 26 2006. |
| Story: The outlook for Australian residential property |
| A region-by-region guide to what the economists are saying will happen to property |
| Story: The paint paradox: VOCs, what's that? |
| A story about making the most environmentally friendly paint choice, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Essential section, April 2007 |
| Story: The Slackers Guide to Easy Cleaning |
| A guide to quick and easy green cleaning in the house |
| Story: The slowchange trend |
| Moving to the country, originally published in Thursday Domain May 2003 |
| Story: The soccer champion meets the television host |
| A For Better, For Worse profile of Nick and Marnie Meredith, originally published in Sunday Life May 2006 |
| Story: The value-add a kitchen can make |
| Easy update ideas that won't break the bank |
| Story: The yoga guru who sleeps three hours a night |
| A Rewind profile of television yoga star Swami Sarasvati, originally published in Sunday Life October 2006. |
| Story: Three Things To Know About Flower Arranging |
| A guide to arranging flowers in your home |
| Story: Timber: the natural flooring material |
| Making the most of timber for flooring. |
| Story: Time out: why time is worth more than money |
| Time has become so precious that advertisers are now trying to sell it to us. Originally published in Sunday Life August 2006. |
| Story: Timing the property market - when to sell |
| Picking the right time to sell, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain section July 2004 |
| Story: Tin or tile: what's best in roofs |
| What’s up top really does matter. Alex Brooks looks at which roofing material reigns supreme on high. |
| Story: Title Deeds, by Alex Brooks |
| Alex Brooks filled in for Jonathan Chancellor writing Sun Herald Title Deeds in June 2008. |
| Story: To furnish with finesse |
| Planning where to put the furniture ain't as easy as it seems |
| Story: Toni Collette sells her south coast hideaway |
| What is it like inside singer and actor Toni Collette's home? |
| Story: Tools to renovate with |
| Which tools are necessary, and which are not: a guide to tools |
| Story: Top 5 home improvements |
| Which renovations the real estate experts say will increase the value of your property, originally published in Sydney Morning Herald's Domain, November 2006 |
| Story: Top Floor Tips |
| How to choose a sustainable flooring material |
| Story: Top Tips For A Seamlessly Streamlined Kitchen |
| Keep the kitchen organised |
| Story: Top tips for entertaining at home |
| A guide to throwing great parties |
| Story: Top tips for the disorganised household |
| 9 easy ways to tackle household clutter |
| Story: To renovate or not to renovate: how to answer that question |
| A guide to weighing up the benefits of renovation |
| Story: Trades and Renovation Costs 2009 |
| Just how much does it cost to call out a contractor? |
| Story: Train change |
| Why buying property near train stations ain't such a bad idea. |
| Story: Two of Us: two sisters tell their story in Good Weekend |
| Designer and post-graduate student Tricia Hanlon, 67, is the oldest of seven children, including twin Zohl de Ishtar, 53, a peace activist and research fellow at the University of Queensland. Originally published in Good Weekend. |
| Story: Two of Us, Wilson da Silva and Dr Alan Finkel could be the first Australians in space. |
| A profile originally published in Good Weekend. |
| Story: Untangling Electronics |
| How to tame the tangle of remote controls in our home theatre systems |
| Story: Want a new bed? Read this. |
| A guide to buying a great bed |
| Story: Want your own spa? |
| A story about the rise of outdoor spa pools in Australia, originally published in February 2007 |
| Story: Waste not: could grey water be better than rain water tanks? |
| A story originally published in the Essential section of Sydney Morning Herald detailing better grey water re-use and harvesting strategies. |
| Story: Waste, water and energy smart homes |
| An easy guide to home sustainability |
| Story: Weekend property blitz - get your house spick and span in a weekend |
| How to get your house ready for sale, originally published by Sydney Morning Herald August 2004 |
| Story: What do nutritionists find nutritious? |
| Alex Brooks discovers what Catherine Saxelby, Dr Sandra Cabot and Dr John Tickell eat to stay healthy. |
| Story: What is GreenPower |
| The ins and outs of GreenPower |
| Story: What's an Emissions Trading Scheme |
| A rundown of what Emissions Trading is |
| Story: What's better: grass or paving? |
| Weighing up whether to pave or leave a garden green. |
| Story: When multiple sclerosis enters a motorcycle marriage |
| A For Better, For Worse profile of Mark and Sarah-Jane Whitfield originally published in Sunday Life June 2006 |
| Story: Which Sydney suburbs first home buyers should invest in |
| An experts guide to the best first home suburbs for long term growth |
| Story: Why insulation is a great renovation |
| Insulating the house is the home improvement that keeps paying you back |
| Story: Why moving to the country isn't always a dream |
| Moving to the country makes treechangers change their mind about rural life |
| Story: Why the recession could be good for renovators and builders |
| Costs are likely to fall as the Great Recession bites |
| Story: Window to the future: what's in in glass |
| Windows ain't what they used to be. Find out why. |
| Story: Working with stone in the home |
| CaesarStone and all, originally published in the November 2005 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly |
