Top Tips To Help Future Proof Your Home In Australia

The following contribution is from another author.

Many Australians who will build their homes this year and who have built in the past, didn’t really think about that far ahead in the future when they were figuring out the house plans and how they would like their property to look. This is a mistake because as we get older, our circumstances change and it may be that our family grows or retirement comes along and so the layout of our property is not ideal for us. This is why it makes sense to try to future-proof your home when you are building it so that it is still liveable in 30 to 40 years from now.

When it comes to flooring choices, many homeowners go for the typical carpet flooring but once again, they are not thinking about the future because this is something that they will have to pull up time and time again and it is going to play havoc with allergies as the years pass by. One way to future-proof your floor is to invest in solid timber flooring because this is something that will last you a lifetime and will still be on the property looking fantastic many years after you have left this planet. As well as choosing the right kind of floor, the following are just some other ways to future-proof your Australian home.

1. Always choose quality appliances – A fridge freezer, dishwasher or television may be on offer at an excellent price but is it a brand that you can trust? Just because an electrical appliance is cheap to buy, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to cost you a fortune in energy bills. Always try to invest in energy-efficient appliances whenever possible so that they save you money over the coming years and if you go for brands that are known for durability then you will still be using them 10 years from now.
2. Make expansion plans now – If it is your intention to try to encourage your kids to return to the family home and to live with you as one group then you need to start making the changes now so that there is enough space for everyone. Moving to a new property is not the right decision for many Australians because you love the area in which you live and so expanding the current area makes a lot more sense. Trust me when I tell you that making expansion plans 15 to 20 years from now is going to cost a lot more money.

If you currently live in a two-storey property then you might want to start making changes on the ground floor so that it can accommodate you and your partner when you are much older and it is difficult to get around. You might be able to climb your stairs now but what about in 30 years from now when it becomes something that you have to do every single day and you just don’t have the energy to do so? One other change that is certainly essential is to add some kind of home security to protect both you and your other family members.