News

Up to 12,000 decks across Australia are at risk of collapse, according to a recent estimate from Archicentre, a subsidiary of the Australian Institute of Architects (www.abcnews.com.au ). This report follows the death of a baby boy this March in Niagara Park, NSW, when a sheet iron balustrade gave way, causing the mother and baby to fall 6 metres onto the concrete below. In 2010, a seven-week-old baby girl died in Queensland, when a father’s foot went through a rotten veranda causing him to lose hold of her. More recently, five people were injured in Lancelin on the bank holiday weekend, when a balcony collapsed and they fell 3 meters to the ground.

 

Once known as a ‘sleepy city’, Perth has undergone major developments in recent years and is now transforming into a bustling, contemporary and highly sought after place to live.

Good news for Perth’s residential builders, as WA building approvals rose by nearly 7 per cent in January, seasonally adjusted. After a period of uncertainty and decline, the economy is showing signs of getting stronger and the RBA states it “should strengthen by mid 2014”. The mining boom may be over, but residential construction is getting stronger and economists expect it to boost economic growth this year (www.abc.net.au).  St George economist Janu Chan stated that approvals are at their highest level since 1983 (www.abc.net.au). 

The Hamptons, situated north of New York, is where the wealthy escape to the beach for summer. Hamptons style is defined as casual, relaxed beach living but done in a classic and very elegant way. The look is bright and sophisticated, featuring plain white walls, timber floors and a lot of vertical lines and columns. Traditionally, the balustrade on a Hampton house is made of timber and painted white.