SAB Building Solutions

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 5 June 2018

It is so encouraging to see so many grass root organisations, community based that are forging ahead with sustainable projects and education. From co-operative food markets, embracing garden to plate, to Landcare groups working towards drought tolerant gardens and protecting biodiversity, designers and architects endeavouring to future proof homes to homeowners creating inspiring sustainable homes. However, I lament the construction industry in Perth won’t be flying the sustainable banner today. The industry has seen quite an economical downturn this past two years as its growth had been highly dependent on a past buoyant market fuelled by wages from the mining sector. They say you should turn a crisis into opportunity. Even if the media are reporting that the economy is back on track, it shouldn’t be the business as usual model. That is taking a conservative and regressive path. Building resilience in the industry should be encouraging innovation and creativity, looking to see what it can contribute to a more sustainable future. Promoting products that contain a recycled content element not only is a plus for the environment with reducing what goes to landfill but would contribute to new growth in the industry. So today, keep in mind that building a home with some recycled content, specifying things that can save you in energy costs and maybe a little energy and water independence are not necessarily going to break the bank but will go a long way to securing a sustainable home and better for the environment. Take a moment to value our environment and make a difference to your home’s environmental footprint.

If there is one thing that is so confusing and causes angst with homeowners is the issue of Builder’s margins.
Builders welcome variations to selections generally because, at the time of securing the contract, they have keenly priced items to gain your business. Competitive pressures here in Perth have forced builders to strip their margins down to the barest percentage for survival.
Be guaranteed if a builder drops their price to win your work, they will be looking to make it up with applying the Builder’s Margin to any changes you make.
Keep in mind with a lower volume of builds; they might not be securing the volume discounts they enjoyed beforehand.
Contracts feature the term Prime Costs (PC) which is an allowance for an item that commonly is selected after the signing of the contract at the Prestart process. For example, personal selection of sinks, tapware, tiles and the kitchen appliances. These are the items that add the gloss or glamour to your home and with some homework beforehand and specifying them in the Schedule of finishes that go with the contract you can save a lot of heartache and dollars.
At the time of signing the contract, you usually are focused on the contract price and not items like the builder’s margin on variations or interest due on overdue amounts. “Everything is negotiable” so sit down with the builder and come to a compromise on the higher cost items.

The HIA National Greensmart Awards were announced yesterday.
As one of the judges for the Western Australian submissions, it was rewarding to see one proactive sustainable focused building company, here in Perth, take out two awards.
More to the point, the award for Water Efficiency is a winner not just for the HIA Greensmart Awards but for the owners.
They have future-proofed their home for Perth’s drying climate and hot summers. Perth’s water sources are very dependent on our climate and there is a heavy reliance on quite finite resources of our dams and groundwater. And even though everyone here in Perth welcomed the warm sun today, we do know that the winter rainfall is well below average.
This very contemporary new home in one of Perth’s leafy streets has not been compromised at all by installing 2 x 7000 litre tanks under the garage slab. Some nifty technology and the owners have a water-efficient lifestyle for the next decade and beyond.
Whatever magazine you open nowadays, you cannot miss articles on sustainable housing be it the host of popular television housing shows such as Grand Design. Awareness to rising energy costs, environmental issues together with industry initiatives and legislation has highlighted the importance of water and energy efficiency into the construction of homes.
The builders who enter the awards demonstrate to the community there is a sustainable approach to the environment when building a home. And you can measure the success of sustainability initiates from a financial perspective like minimum water and power bills.
It makes economic sense to embrace a sustainable focus to your home build. We don’t have a choice about our hotter summers or rising power bills so we need to manage change and build smarter. “Future proofing “ it is called.

I was asked for my opinion of the benefits of polystyrene or EPS (expanded polystyrene) panels versus the entrenched building mode of double brick utilised here in Perth.
My opinion FAST STRONG SUSTAINABLE
The building industry needs to innovate to provide more sustainable options.
We won’t get into politics here. It is a well- known fact that the current construction building model utilised in West Australia is double brick principally because the dominant players have interests in the manufacture of bricks.
The new panels provide significant energy and resource savings.

As energy is the heartbeat of a building and is intertwined with the affordability factor to own and run a house, your choice of external walling is important.
If you check out the information furnished by the Australian Government to a guide to environmentally sustainable homes, and the correct choice of building materials, double brick construction is indicated as providing poor thermal resistance with corresponding poor insulation values.
Australian Government. Your Home: Australia’s guide to environmentally sustainable homes. http://www.yourhome.gov.au/energy
One of the other benefits is the speed in it which it can be installed compared to with conventional double brick builds. This saving is reflected in your build cost.
And the insulation is built in!
What about fire resistance? Manufacturers usually incorporate flame retardants to the foam. Polystyrene does not burn or fuel fire. Toxins released when it melts in no worse than burning wood.
This construction method in no way comprises on building quality and one of the few products that have the least possible environmental impacts.
The home building industry is evolving concerning materials and processes. And that is a good thing!