News

It's time to fold back your boundaries and start living.

Have you considered bi-fold doors or windows for your alfresco area?

Bi-folds are a great way to create visual impact, not to mention open up your home to the great outdoors!

Bi-fold windows are perfect for servery style use in the kitchen, opening up to an outdoor entertaining area (luxurious…and extremely practical).

Bi-fold doors offer the greatest potential to create one large indoor/outdoor space, leaving the largest possible open area (aside from the Cavity Sliding Door of course).

Speak to your Todd Devine Homes representative about your window and door options, or jump on the A&L website www.alwindows.com.au

Did you know Australia has the highest rate of prostate cancer in the developed world?

Or that more than 50,000 men are diagnosed with some form of cancer and nearly 22,000 die from cancer each year?

These statistics are horrifying.

But what’s more alarming is that at least one in three of these cases is preventable.

Simple lifestyle changes could potentially save thousands of lives, such as reducing alcohol intake, getting regular exercise, eating a balanced diet, and quitting smoking.

Even just knowing the symptoms of cancer, such as a lump, a nagging cough or unexplained weight loss, can be life-saving as you can detect the disease early on and have a better chance at survival.

That’s why this September, my team at Todd Devine Homes and I will be helping to shine the light on men’s cancer and Blue September – Fighting cancer in men.

Blue September is a nationwide campaign that drives awareness for all cancers that affect men – not just prostate and testicular cancer, but also bowel, lung, liver, pancreatic and other cancers, and raises vital funds for Australian Prostate Cancer Research and the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.

To help raise awareness and funds for this fantastic organisation, I have put my team to the task of raising $5,000 for Blue September. If they can complete this mission by 11:59pm Monday 29^th September 2014, I will let them turn me BLUE for an entire day! Blue face paint, blue hair, you name it!

So if like them you’d love to see me looking like a Smurf for a day, help us make a difference by donating via our Supporter Pageand help spread awareness for men’s cancer and Blue September – Fighting cancer in men.

The more the word gets out there, the more we can help to reduce these horrifying statistics by encouraging regular health checks and better lifestyle choices.

I know I for one will be heading to the doc’s this month for a check-up. Will you?

- Todd Devine

Today we keep exploring contrast and the way we use it to create depth

Colour plays a huge part with setting the mood in your home. White, grey and pale blues are among the best bedroom colours for a clean, pristine restful bedroom.

You have probably heard the saying 'Dark colours will draw in a room'.

Not necessarily.

Dark colours can also create depth and a sense of comfort. Choosing a dark carpet, for example charcoal, then pairing it with a neutral wall colour gives you the perception of depth and a calming effect.

The product we are introducing this week is the Arrow Sun Barrington Timber Range.

The Barrington is an engineered Timber floor and harvested from Barrington near Gloucester, New South Wales. They supply a beautiful range from deep Jarrah to the softness of spotted gum.

The appeal of the Barrington Range comes from the life time structural warranty they offer and an exclusive 20 year wear warranty.

For more information on this product or to see the amazing colours and textures this range has to offer, visit Russell James Carpets at 1/5 Vesper Drive, Narre Warren, Victoria, 3805 or call (03) 9796  6629.

With house prices on the rise and an ageing population, many Australian families are turning to the Granny Flat solution.

The Granny Flat(or relative unit) can offer the perfect solution for families, as it's not only cost-effective but also emotionally rewarding.

Australians are living longer and with ageing family members, the emotional stress and worry can take it's toll on many families. With a Granny Flat in the backyard, having mum or dad close by can provide peace of mind to families whilst allowing elderly parents to maintain their independence. It can also relieve some of the financial burdens for both parties.

Todd Devine Homes Granny Flats can start from as little as $54,885* and can be built within 14 - 16 weeks from signing the contract!

Find out more about our range of Granny Flats.

Related: Sylvia Pennington from The Age;weighs in on the rise in Granny Flats.

*Excludes site costs, connection of services and curtains.

Land owners in bushfire prone areas will have a particular interest in these proposed changes to Victoria’s bushfire planning regulations.

STREAMLINED BUSHFIRE REGULATIONS ARE A VICTORY FOR COMMON SENSE

If you need any assistance regarding bushfire regulations for your project, please don’t hesitate to call us on (03) 9720 1686.

Looking for the perfect doors to open up your alfresco area?

The ultimate solution for 2014 has to be the Cavity Sliding Door.

Cavity Sliding Doors allow the panels to be pushed right back into the wall, maximizing the connection between inside and out. A&L’s cavity sliding doors are made using their Boutique Platform Series, so even when closed the solid, quality frames create an ultra-modern aesthetic.

Check out A&L Windows video on Cavity Sliding Doors here.

The zoning system used for all land in Victoria is about to get a major shake-up, with existing Residential zones 1, 2 and 3 being deleted and replaced with the ‘General residential’ zone, ‘Residential Growth’ Zone and the ‘Neighbourhood residential’ zone.

Local councils have until the 1^st of July to implement the new zones, with The City of Glen Eira and The City of Greater Dandenong having already implemented the zones.

The effect of the new zones is to create clearly defined areas for development and to restrict development in areas not desired by council. In real terms residential development will become more difficult to realise because of an anticipated overuse of the ‘Neighbourhood residential’ zone. Development in this zone is restricted to single dwellings and dual occupancies. Building height is also restricted at 8m. At the other end of the spectrum is the ‘Residential Growth’ zone which gives clear preference to medium density developments and increased housing. Developments of up to 4 storeys or 13.5m are likely to be supported and certain applications may be denied a permit because of perceived under-development. Land earmarked for the ‘Residential Growth’ zone is likely to be restricted to activity centres, close to train stations and the like.

You can find more information on changes to residential zones at

Reformed residential zones

So picking carpet this week?

Let’s Talk COLOUR

We all love a splash of color but let’s find a way to use it to your advantage. Solid colours I know can be a bit daunting but it’s all comes together when using a little trick called CONTRASTS. Over the next couple of weeks we will explore the use of colour and applying contrast to achieve harmony in any room.

Each week we have a featured product and give you a brief description on the specifications of that product.

So any questions please come on down to our newly renovated show room for a chat!

www.russelljamescarpets.com

In short, hell yes! The glass in your windows can account for up to 40% of heat loss during winter and heat gain during summer. Choosing to stick with standard single glazing is a bit like using an esky, but keeping the lid slightly open, it will still do the job… just not very well.

Australia is somewhat behind in the glazing department, with most of Europe and the US utilizing double or even triple glazing as standard. We are picking up some serious momentum down under though, which makes selecting double glazing a smart move – not only for your own comfort, but also for the resale value of your home.

L’s double glazing solution has the added benefit of argon gas, which is injected between the 2 pieces of glass, for further insulation.

www.alwindows.com.au

What a relief to see the development of over 55 Lifestyle Villages here in Victoria. Their progress over the last 8 years has been nothing short of amazing, largely due to a company called Lifestyle Communities.

Lifestyle Communities currently have 8 villages in progress; the facilities on each development are first class. They include things such as bowling greens, tennis courts, heated indoor swimming pools, spas, gymnasiums, libraries, pool tables and table tennis tables, the list is truly endless.

I was walking though the village at Cranbourne just prior to Christmas and had a chat with a gentleman living there and during our conversation, he made mention that his GP believes that his move into the village had added 10 years to his life. He now plays golf once a week with the other residents, he grabs the paper each morning and reads it in the community centre with a coffee and he’s always got someone to have a chat with, what a way to start your day!

What has always struck me to be one of the most fantastic things about Lifestyle Communities, is the passion in which the founding directors always insist that any decisions which may affect their residents, is made with their residents as their number 1 priority.

Do yourself a favour, go on their websiteand see for yourself!