Residential Space | Issue 1

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SPACE RESIDENTIAL

VOL 01 | ISSUE 1

25

01

www.residentialspace.com.au

FUTURE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND YOUR HOME

1 ResidentialSpace Magazine 짜

ORAN PARK

A COMMUNITY LIKE NO OTHER

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Linking communities, people, homes and technology

SECURITY

INTERCOM

SMART WIRING™

DATA

Smart homes with innovative products at your fingertips VIDEO

MUSIC

the future in home digital is ready. www.hillshomesolutions.com.au

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Smart Home. Smarter Choice.

Install Hills™ smart wiring today, it’s the smart choice… delivery and distribution of these

and value. The use of a room could

distributes data, phone, video, audio

signals. It also houses the security

change over time. A nursery now will

and TV signals using the latest in

system central controller. An ideal

become a teenager’s bedroom, and

data and TV cables from a centrally

location for the central enclosure is

possibly a study or home office in

located enclosure to any room of

a garage or utility room.

the future. In order to access or

The Hills Home Hub delivers and

your choice.

It is important to plan which

share these signals, cables along

rooms you would like to access

with wall outlets, containing

Home Hub is preferably planned at

data, phone, video, audio and TV.

standard data and TV entertainment

the same time as your electrical

This planning is important to you

points need to be installed.

wiring. The central enclosure is

now and to future owners of your

home to the devices that enable the

home later because it adds flexibility

Structured cabling using the Hills

Welcome to a day in the life of the Hills Home Hub.

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residential space

Contents VOL 01 | ISSUE 1, 2011 04

EDITOR’S LETTER

WELCOME to our summer addition of Residential Space.

Supporting you to walk you through your journey & building your dream home.

06

SMART WIRING™ WHAT IS IT?

08

The standard home wiring system that lets you combine phone & fax lines, pay TV, cabling, sound, computer and and much more.

ORAN PARK

Located in a unique new growth corridor in Sydney’s expanding ever-growing West.

Oran Park will become the geographical centre of the Camden local government area.

08

06 12

THE NEW ERA IN HYBRID HOMES

By Steve Freeth

Smart Wiring is the affordable way to wire your home to make the most of life, now and in the future.

TM

12 16

EAT & DRINK

18

Ligurian Fish Stew If you’re a lover of seafood – this fresh, aromatic dish will set the tastebuds roaring with excitement, along with our long time favourite bottle of red.

OWNER BUILDERS

By Sonja Daly

Information on how to satisfy the legal requirements of being an owner builder and how you can do it yourself.

14 DIGITAL CONNECT Showcasing the latest digital products for your home.

Future Growth of Communities and Families 4 residentialspace magazine ¥

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residential space |editor’s letter

welcome Our articles will excite you and open your mind to future possibilities for your new dream home.

elcome to our summer edition of Residential Space Magazine. I hope you enjoy reading our new publication which is filled with articles for consumers building their dream homes in new environments – new communities which are family friendly with state of the art facilities and infrastructure, great schools, shopping precincts, playgrounds and parklands for growing families.

We are here to support you and walk you through your journey, building your new home with the latest technology and services available in your fibre connect community. Technologies which were once only talked about on the Jetson’s are now part of everyday life for most of us.

Now we can move in, invite friends around, sit down and choose a movie together and download a movie for everyone to enjoy without leaving home. Our technologies will make entertaining your family and guests easier and more fun.

Residential Space will feature articles in every issue, covering everything you need to know about the innovative products for the residential market to assist you to make the right choice for your lifestyle.

Our publication is informative and aims to help consumers to be informed, educated and excited about the possibilities.

If you want more information in relation to connecting your home to the fibre, smart metering, or setting up solar power in your new home, we have a Technologies column and Life experts columnist to answer your questions.

More importantly make sure you stop to take the time out and smell the summer air. Technology can save you time and give you the space in your life for those things that are more important.

W

Until next time,

Leonie Cox, Editor. residentialspace@hills.com.au Ph: 02 9698 9698

SEND YOUR EDITORIAL REQUESTS AND PRESS RELEASES

Publisher Hills Holdings Editor Leonie Cox Deputy Editor George Salman Art Direction /Production Creativjuice Advertising Columnist Rob Knight Feature writer Stephen Freeth National Product Advisor Darren Semmens Graphic Design Webfx2 Digital Advertising Manager Leonie Cox Distribution Manager DAS Rosebery Marketing and Communications Tony Le Print Management Hills Printing Residential Space is a Quarterly Publication Cover Photo Metricon Homes Next Issue March 2011. ¥

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technical | arena

SMART WIRING WHAT IS IT?

™

BE EDUCATED, BE SMART, BE ORGANISED, BE READY “SMART WIRING™” is a term commonly used to describe home wiring that may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: • Structured telephone, data (Internet) and TV cabling (such as described in this document) • Home security — intruder detection, back-to-base monitoring or CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) • Home theatre and/or in-house audio/video distribution • Home automation — “intelligent” lighting, automatic/remote control of electrical appliances, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning), lawn/garden irrigation, etc.

• Intercom with video and audio and also may include music distribution and or CCTV. Such systems may be wired separately by different installers or may be included in a total wiring package offered by a Smart Wired builder or contractor.

However, let’s just concentrate firstly on your telephone, data and TV cabling system – your communications.

HOME DISTRIBUTION UNIT (Hills Home Hub) The HDU is the central hub of the smart wiring network of the home. Typically it is a steel cabinet installed in the garage with a lock that houses all of the passive and

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active equipment. All services enter and exit this cabinet. This allows for total flexibility for the home owner in the future. It must be of a minimum size of 405mm wide (to fit between studs), 600mm high and 112mm deep. Typically the bottom of the cabinet is mounted 1200mm above finished floor level and is recessed into the wall with bottom and top ventilation into the cavity wall.

It needs to be large enough to cater for any active device such as alarm panels, television amplifiers, data switches and 240Vac power outlets and have enough room for cable looms, IDC blocks, splitters and couplers.

It is the responsibility of the Builder/Telecommunications Contractor to provide the Smart Wiring™ and Home Distribution Unit.

refrigerators or freezers. The bottom of the HDU must be mounted at a height above floor level between 350mm and 1700mm.

CHOICES OF HOME DISTRIBUTION UNIT There are a few different types of HDUs to choose from. A basic HDU is installed by mounting the equipment on a wall and having no enclosure. Be sure to have adequate ventilation for the components and supply a 10 Amp double GPO for the Power supply and optical receiver.

Alternatively a more professional installation using a Hills Home Hub unit can deliver flexibility and can have an additional option of a security system and audio reticulation. £

MORE INFO ONLINE LOCATION OF HOME DISTRIBUTION UNIT The HDU is typically installed inside the house in an accessible location. Choose a dry, well ventilated area at least 1m away from high energy rating electrical equipment to prevent electromagnetic interference. This can include electrical switchboards, supply meters, fluorescent lights, electrical transformers, generators, ducted vacuum motors, and power tools in operation, air conditioning units,

It is not difficult if you have the general concept. If you want to know more, just ask us, drop us a line to residentialspace@hills.com.au or visit www.opticomm.com.au to download your Home Wiring Guide.

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Ethernet Optical Network Technology

Fibre to the home Home Technology Home Distribution Unit

Life Technologies

By Rob Knight

Want to ask a question in relation to home technology and don’t know who to ask?

You don’t need to wait until the next issue for your questions to be answered, simply email us at residentialspace@hills.com.au, ask your question and it will be answered within a few days.

WHY DO I NEED SOME SORT OF SMART WIRING (ALSO KNOWN AS STRUCTURED CABLING) IN MY NEW HOME? A Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network delivers multiple services via a single fibre to a dwelling and/or business. Typically the optical Network Terminal (ONT) that terminates the fibre at the premises has four Ethernet ports, one RF TV, and two telephone ports.

One of the Ethernet ports can be used to deliver Internet Broadband. The remaining three ports can be used in the future for Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), eHealth, e-Education, Smart Grid and other applications without the need to subscribe to an Internet service. To ensure a home takes full advantage of all the currently available services such as Internet, phone and TV plus the flexibility of being able to quickly and easily connect future services when they become available, a structured wiring solution is highly recommended. It is important that Category 5e or higher cable is installed in a home where Internet, phone, TV or other future services will be required along with RG6 to rooms requiring television.

DOES THE BUILDER INSTALL THE SMART WIRING? The OptiComm FTTP network boundary is the ONT, i.e. the unit that converts the fibre optic interface to copper cabling installed on the outside of the dwelling. All in-house wiring including the smart wiring enclosure and termination blocks are the responsibility of the builder and/or home owner.

WHAT IS OPTICAL FIBRE?

Hills Home Hub Allows you to connect to the internet and access your family’s favourite music, movies and entertainment downloads.

WARNING! All customer cabling work MUST be performed by a registered cabler. If a cabler is registered, they will have a card which proves that they can legally perform cabling work.

Optical fibre is an advanced cabling solution used to transport digital and analogue information. One single strand of fibre cable can transmit many hundreds of Gigabits of data over distances of tens of kilometres. The optical fibres within the cable are made of silica (glass) and light is used to transport the information along the fibre strand.

The outer layer of the optical fibre has a different refractive index to the core of the fibre and act like a mirror to reflect the signal along the cable.

Multiple wavelengths of light (colours) can be used to transport multiple signals on a single fibre strand that can significantly increase the data capacity of a cable. £

¥

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feature|story

Oran Park

A COMMUNITY LIKE NO OTHER

“Oran Park Town will become the cornerstone of all things; educational, business, service and entertainment in the south west of Sydney.”

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feature|story

LOCATED IN A VERY UNIQUE new growth corridor in Sydney’s ever growing West. The town centre of Oran Park will become the geographical centre of the Camden local government area and its growing population.

Adjacent to the prestigious Harrington Park and Harrington Grove and the soon to be developed Gregory Hills area, Oran Park Town will become the cornerstone of all things; educational, business, service and entertainment in the south west of Sydney.

Following the launch in March this year, over 200 families have decided to make their dream home of the future at Oran Park Town.

Ensuring the development remains on track, as responsible long term developers, both Greenfields Development Company and Landcom are working closely with Camden Council in developing the new modern town and community facilities.

The first parts of the new town - the seniors living area, the first school and the first of three new sports grounds are now well underway. And to meet the overwhelming demand, new residential areas are being developed as quickly as possible.

Relevant to all ages and stages of life, Oran Park

ÆCont. Pg 10

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in Oran Park Display Village

Home Builders

Space Iss1/Dec 2010

Town will be a great place to call home for a broad community of families, first homebuyers, self-employed professionals and seniors, for many future generations.

The dream of a town built for the future is fast becoming a reality. Eventually home to 25,000 people, Oran Park Town residents will have a modern lifestyle with the latest in home design and sustainability.

It will offer the benefits of contemporary amenities with both mall and main street shopping, civic facilities complemented by a town square that will be the energy source of this new community.

Oran Park Town has been carefully master-planned to maximise lifestyle and family activities with plenty of open spaces such as parks, playgrounds and sports fields, including: • 43 hectares of open space • 12 children’s playgrounds, local parks and recreation areas • Plenty of sports fields and reserves Photos: Circus Group, Advertising and Design

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• 40 hectares of re-vegetated riparian corridor area • Water features with walking tracks, viewing decks and boardwalks • 9km of cycle ways within open space • 22km off road local cycle ways (within road reserve footpath area) • Schools - currently provision for two K12 private/independent schools • Retail shops The town square will cater for residents of all ages, day and night offering an array of food and specialty shops, restaurants, department stores, leisure and recreational facilities including a pool, civic buildings, apartments and offices, a medical centre, emergency services, indoor shopping and retail strips, cafes and restaurants.

The Town also offers a number of sustainability features. A walkable town, with pedestrian friendly streets and cycle ways will reduce reliance on cars, thus

Allworth Homes AVJennings Barrington Homes Beechwood Homes Champion Homes Clarendon Homes Eagle Homes Eden Brae Homes Firstyle Homes Fowler Homes Huxley Homes Lily Homes Masterton Homes McDonald Jones Homes Nu Era Pro Corp Wisdom Homes

reducing emissions. Landscaping which is sympathetic to the local environment reduces water consumption and promotes longevity of plants and trees. Brand new homes with the latest designs help to reduce energy needs due to clever sun orientation, insulation and other design initiatives.

Oran Park Town with technology and infrastructure, allows consumers to have connectivity to services and entertainment which is second to none. Allowing connection for family and friends with reliable super fast speed.

Playing a key role in the new town, is Sydney’s first major optical fibre community that will replace traditional phone, TV and broadband wiring, providing the fastest residential broadband in Australia and the highest quality free to air TV. Oran Park is helping you live your dream, the perfect environment to raise your growing family. £

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technical | life

THE NEW ERA IN HYBRID HOMES Our homes are filling up with smart gadgets, but as Steve Freeth* says it all works best using a mix of technology.

According to the latest surveys the average urban Australian home now has about four web-connected devices, everything from laptops, televisions, blu-ray players, games consoles, set top boxes, internet radios and now smart phones and with lots more on the way.

It’s a trend that’s here to stay as the internet seeps into every corner of our lives and gets added to nearly everything we use.

Not only is it now central to how we socialize and communicate, but increasingly underpins how we shop, work, relax and just plain live at home. What’s more, everyone in the family’s on board.

Most of this home connectivity either happens fairly haphazardly without much planning or worse, gets presented as a stark choice between wireless or wired. The reality is that most of us are already relying on a sensible mix of the two in what I like to call the new ‘hybrid home’.

While each technology has its fierce advocates, the truth is they both have their benefits and drawbacks. Cabled connectivity is undeniably a lot more stable-often handling the higher speeds, bigger digital material and whole house networking much more reliably-while wireless is more convenient and easier to install.

And like all things technological they’re both getting better at what they do, as well as smarter and less costly over time. Just this

year technology company Alcatel Lucent pushed much bigger speeds over cables than had ever been thought possible before at the same time that lots more products are being embedded with wireless.

Does it matter? Yes it does. Not only will most Australian homes get optic fibre at their front doors over the next decade-with its promise of blistering internet rates-but how we live at home will increasingly

depend on how well our homes handle technology.

For a start, home entertainment which helped lead the digital revolution will soon be driven completely online through streamed movies, television and music, and increasingly come in 3D, High Definition or even Ultra High Definition formats. Add in videoconferencing, smart appliances, energy management, ework and ehealth-to name just a few emerging trends-and you get a real glimpse of the future.

Modern homes no longer need to choose between being either plugged or unplugged when putting them together really brings everyone-and everything-up to speed. £

“Cabled connectivity is undeniably a lot more stable-often handling the higher speeds.”

*Steve Freeth is an independent contributing writer/ technology commentator and can be contacted at republik@ozemail.com.au. | Photo: Metricon Homes.

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STYLE HAS A NEW NAME

W H Y M E T R I C O N I S O N E O F A U S T R A L I A’ S L E A D I N G H O M E B U I L D E R S Celebrating over 35 years of home building

An excellent home building experience

Our Quality Assurance Program

18 week build time guarantee

D I S P L AY L O C AT I O N S Middleton Grange (Liverpool) 27 – 31 Broadbent Avenue Middleton Grange,UBD 267 F3 PH: 02 9731 7777

NEW Carnes Hill (Freemans Ridge Estate) 1110 – 1114 Pioneer Drive Carnes Hill,UBD 267 F10 PH: 02 8783 0444

Award winning designs

Your customised home

Open everyday 10am – 5pm (Mon 12pm – 5pm)

Kellyville Ridge

Fern Bay

(The Ponds) 6 – 14 The Ponds Boulevard Kellyville Ridge, UBD 148 N8 PH: 02 8805 7444

(Newcastle) 13 Seaside Boulevard Fern Bay, UBD 118 J6 PH: 02 4908 9000

Chisholm-Thornton (Waterford County Estate) 144 – 147 Whitetip Street Chisholm , UBD 52 K11 PH: 02 8887 9091

All photographs are for illustrative purposes only and may contain items that are not included in the Metricon standard specification. Metricon makes no warranties about the accuracy or completeness of information and reserves the right to alter these without notice. For more information go to www.metricon.com.au

MET0240_ResdientialSpaceMagazine_OranPark.indd 1

MET_N0241

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product | technology

DIGITAL CONNECT

Are you looking for products for in and around your home or just wanting the latest gadgets to make life a little easier.

NEW OWL, WIRELESS ENERGY DEVICE OWL is proud to announce the next generation wireless electricity monitor which keeps all the existing energy saving features of the original OWL monitor with a brand new ‘track and store’ feature. Monitor your electricity usage, produce live and historical charts via your PC at a time to suit you via the supplied USB cable and software supplied.

With a superior memory capability, ultra fast download speed, OWL +USB makes it even easier for you to track and save money. It’s the ideal monitor for anyone who wants to be able to see a visible reduction in their consumption and cost of electricity. Appealing to anyone who wants to reduce their household impact on the environment, the use of an OWL+USB is a vital tool in the fight against climate change.

OWL +USB Wireless Electricity Monitor, provides up to the second information on the amount of electricity you are using in terms of power, cost and your carbon footprint. This means you can see in real time the benefits of turning off electrical devices at home. Visit www.hills.com.au.

KOCOM KCV- D374 The latest model in the Successful KCV intercoms series is out now.

The KCV – D374 is the larger of the 4 wire communications products with a larger 7” display and intercom feature. This will provide a complete aesthetic solution for all intercom install combinations, and is compatible with the Hills ComNav® for integration with the Reliance® range of alarm panels. With its stylish good looks and advanced

HILLS HOME HUB

functionality, the Kocom 357 intercom is a technological standout.

Visit www.das.com.au for more information.

Hills Smart Wiring. Build a smart home that’s connected.

Install Hills Smart Wiring to ensure your home is cabled for your future entertainment and home office requirements. Pre-wired data points to selected rooms will allow you to connect to the internet and access your family’s favourite music, movies and entertainment downloads. Build a home that’s wired for technology.

Install Hills Smart Wiring today home integration for tomorrow.

Visit us at www.hillshomehub.com.au.

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HILLS VOICENAV Connecting homes and families with ease.

• Added Access Control features including REX, DOTL and Forced Door for improved security.

• Auto Partial Arm by Area allows the premises to automatically secure the perimeter of any area by a preset time while still allowing free movement.

• Disable Bypass for Force Arm Zones can provide greater security to prevent force arm zones from being automatically bypassed.

For more information visit www.hills.com.au.

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product | technology

CRYSTAL FORCE CENTRALLY DUCTED VACUUM SYSTEM Hills ‘Crystal Force’ Centrally ducted vacuum systems offer exceptional features for built-in performance. Following on from the hugely successful HCV range, the Crystal Force, in addition to the healthy living benefits of a centrally Ducted system offers the following outstanding performance features: • Cyclonic Operation • Aesthetic Design

COMNAV The Hills ComNav is an intuitive interface module that may be added to your Hills Reliance security system. It allows authorised users to remotely access and control the security system from any off site touch-tone telephone, web browser or via WiFi using a powerful iPhone application.

When accessing the ComNav via a touch-tone phone, the inbuilt PVG (Personal Voice Guide) offers users a friendly, easy to operate interface to their security system. The PVG allows new users to access the full power of their Hills Reliance security system without having to refer to their manual. You can dial in and check the status of your security system, change a users pin number, enter a new alarm phone number or simply arm your system with easy to follow voice prompts.

• Powerful 240VAC 1600W Twin Turbine Fan Cooled Motor • High Efficiency Particle Air filter (HEPA) Filtration • 25 litre Dust Collection Bucket with Integral Carry

BEOLIVING - ULTIMATE IN HOME CINEMA EXPERIENCE Imagine your living space transforming into the most stylish cinema in the world right before your eyes. Just press a single button to turn on the screen, close the curtains, dim the lights, lock the door, and fire up the popcorn machine! BeoLiving makes your dream possible.

The intelligent home has become

Handles • ABS Construction

increasingly popular among many core

• Peripheral Bypass exhaust

Bang & Olufsen customers to whom

• 210 Cu/mH Airflow

simplicity and ease-of-operation are of

• 608 Air Watts

prime importance. Experience it at

• 100% Duty cycle

www.bang-olufsen.com/beoliving.

SMOOTH SOUNDS OF B&W ZEPPELIN SPEAKER Bowers and Wilkins or B&W is a posh British audio company best known for creating seriously smooth hi-fi equipment. The company produced the speakers that sit inside the Abbey Road studios, so it's fair to say that they're rather good at the old tweeterand-woofer jive.

The black-clad speaker is sleek and imposing, its heft and lack of buttons adding up to one fine-lookin' piece of audio not to mention the mere shape of it.

Compared to other iPod docks, the Zeppelin sounds fantastic. Songs are rich, full and meaty. Experience it first hand at www.bowers-wilkins.com.

PRODIGY Prodigy by Crestron, a most respected and trusted name in home automation, Prodigy is control without compromise. Far more than just another universal remote control, the Prodigy range offers affordable, simplified control of your home and entertainment from any room in your house or any place on the planet, even from your iPad or iPhone! Installed in more homes worldwide than all other brands combined, Crestron is the global standard in luxury homes.

Backed by Crestron quality, expertise and support, Prodigy provides the power and scalability you’d expect at a price you can afford. Now every house can be a Crestron home with Prodigy. Visit www.crestron.com.au.

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eat |drink

Cacciucco: Ligurian Fish Stew Considering Italy's many thousands of miles of coastline, lakes, and waterways it's no surprise that Italians should enjoy fish very much, and be enthusiastic consumers of all sorts of fish soups.

Accompany with Taylors Juraman 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon.

SENSATIONAL

Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

SEAFOOD Ingredients: 1/2

1 to 2 pounds of mixed fish (see list below) A half a medium onion, minced 2 cloves garlic A bunch of parsley, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 pound sliced fresh or canned plum tomatoes (if they're fresh, blanch and peel them) 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar diluted in 3/4 cup of water Salt and crumbled or minced hot red pepper to taste

16 residentialspace magazine ÂĽ

Toasted Italian bread rubbed with garlic Preparation: The Fish: Whatever is in season (it needn't be expensive), for example, sole, mullet, catfish, dogfish, goby, squid, octopus, fresh shellfish and shrimp. Chop the large fish, but leave the small ones whole.

Procedure: SautĂŠ the onion, parsley, and garlic in the oil in a deep bottomed pot. Once the onion has turned translucent, stir in the chopped tomatoes and season the mixture to taste.

This is one of the few hot North Italian

SERVES

4-6

dishes, so don't feel you must be sparing with the red pepper. When the tomatoes are done, stir in the water and vinegar. Simmer for a few more minutes and remove the garlic. Blend the sauce and return it to the fire with the fish, and, if you wish, sprinkle another tablespoon or two of olive oil into the pot. Simmer the cacciucco until the fish is done, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, toast several slices of bread and rub them with a crushed clove of garlic.

Once the fish is done, line the bottoms of your bowls with the toasted bread, ladle the cacciucco over them, and serve.

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home|construction

ENERGY EFFICIENT HOME BUILDING

by Leonie Cox Water, Power & Materials…

There is much talk about energy efficient homes and much to consider especially if building your new dream home. The major things to consider are research, financial impact, practicality and product design investment and return.

Many consumers spend copious amount of time researching, reading magazines, searching the internet and talking to expects only to end up very confused.

• If building a new home three easy things to implement without much of an impact on your pocket or time are in areas of water heating, storage, power and materials, definitely worth the research.

WATER STORAGE & HEATING Heating your household water is the major consumer of energy in most homes. This energy is mainly produced from coal fired generators which is inefficient and expensive.

The sun provides a limitless source of free non polluting energy every day and Hills Solar has developed one of the most advanced solar hot water systems available in Australia. Hills Solar hot water systems enables you to harness the power of the sun, generating affordable hot water for the home. With a Hills Solar Evacuated Tube solar hot water system you can efficiently capture this free energy and save up to 90% on your hot water heating costs.

The energy savings achieved from installing a Hills Solar hot water system will also reduce your family's carbon footprint and assist in the preservation of the Australian environment.

POWER

INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS

How solar photovoltaic (PV) systems work Flat solar modules are mounted on your roof and convert energy from sunlight into direct current (DC) energy. A device called an inverter then changes the DC energy into alternating current (AC) electricity.

This can be used to power your household appliances. A grid-connected system can feed excess energy into the electricity network (grid), while a stand alone system needs a battery to store excess energy.

When planning your home design, it is just as important as the products and materials. Have you considered Solar Power?. It is relatively easy to compare price, product and installation to assist in the purchase of solar panels.

The popularity of solar panels, which can be fixed to your roof to generate electricity, has grown significantly in recent years.

Flat solar modules are mounted on your roof and convert energy from sunlight into direct current (DC) energy. A device called an inverter then changes the DC energy into alternating current (AC) electricity. This can be used to power your household appliances. A grid-connected system can feed excess energy into the electricity network (grid), while a standalone system needs a battery to store excess energy. £

HELPFUL WEBSITES www.choice.com.au www.hillssolar.com.au

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legal |home owners

What’s the Difference for Owner Builders

The course outlines

an understanding of your responsibilities as an owner builder.

by Sonja Daly

Photo: Burbank Homes.

owner builder gives the same promises as a builder who entered into a building contract with someone to carry out work.

Legal Requirements for Owner Builders This article refers to the Home Building Act 1989 (NSW) and the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal in NSW. An owner builder is someone who is involved in coordinating or supervising work, or carries out any work involved in: the construction of a dwelling; alterations or additions to a dwelling; or repair, renovation, decoration or protective treatment of a dwelling.

The Home Building Act places obligations on owner builders to: • Be licensed at the time of the proposed works. That is they need to have an

owner builder permit if the reasonable market cost of the labour and materials exceed $5,000 inclusive of GST. If you carry on as an owner builder without a licence you can be fined.

• Obtain home warranty insurance if you sell the property up to six years after the work was done. If you do not carry this insurance at time of sale you can be fined.

The promises include: • that the work was performed in a proper and workmanlike manner.

• that all materials supplied are good and suitable for the purpose for which they are used and that, unless otherwise stated, the materials were new when used.

• that the work was done in accordance with and complied with the law in place at the time of building.

• that the work has resulted in a dwelling that is reasonably fit for occupation.

• that the work and any materials used in doing the work will be reasonably fit for the specified purpose or result, if the person for whom the work is done expressly makes the purpose or result known to the contractor, so as to show that the owner relies on the contractors skill and judgment. £

MORE INFO ONLINE STATUTORY WARRANTIES If an owner builder sells the property that the work was carried out on within six years of the work being completed then the purchaser is entitled to the benefit of the statutory warranties (promises) in the Home Building Act in relation to the work. The

If you require any further information see Australian Owner Builder Courses Online prior to making your decision. For further information on how to satisfy legal requirements of being an owner builder and how you can do it yourself visit www.ownerbuildercourses.com.au

Note: The information provided above is for convenient reference only. Hills and Watkins and Tapsell provide this information on the basis that it is not to be relied upon in any or all cases, as the circumstances in each matter are specific. Accordingly, we provide this information for general reference only, but we advise you to take no action without first seeking independent legal advice from a qualified legal professional. AOBCO is a Registered Training Organisation Provider, Lic Number 36662.

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See it. Touch it. Hear it.

The Hills Reliance VoiceNav sets the benchmark in latest global security intercoms. It becomes an essential part of your home with its complementary features that suit any home decor.

Architecturally designed - the security code pad with innovative design features makes this easy to use.

Designed to give your family peace of mind and protection anywhere at home with family or friends.

Features include: • Advanced Touch Interface • Voice Check Status Key • Modern Architectural Design • Intercom Functionality • Easy to use Menus • Interactive Personal Voice Guide • Customised Voice Recording

TOTAL SECURITY IN ANY ROOM At the touch of a finger

Connecting homes and families with ease.

Available in horizontal.

The security code pad that appeals to your senses.

For more information ask your builder or go to www.hills.com.au

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EAGLE HOMES STYLE & FUNCTIONALITY

(optional ultra mediterranean facade shown)

PRICED FROM

“OWL SERIES 1”

$

.00*

164,240

YOUR BEST VALUE BUILDER SINCE 1984 Housing Displays (Sales Hotline 02 9600 8100) Freemans Ridge Ph: 02 9607 9488 | Shell Cove Ph: 02 4237 5980 Homeworld IV Ph: 02 9629 7594 | Mt Annan Ph: 02 4647 9475 | Goulburn Ph: 02 4822 5722 Newcastle Ph: 02 4950 1511 | Oran Park Town Ph: 02 9043 5980

www.eaglehomes.com.au *Conditions apply, Sydney basic price – excludes site costs. Eagle Home reserves the right to change prices/conditions and promotional offers without notice. E&OE.