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Dining chairs that invite you to linger at the table, like the Maine Mk2 dining chair from Domayne, are proving popular for dining in, domayne.com.au.

From self-isolating to opening up your home for a small number of visitors, COVID-19 has been a process of managing health concerns and fears while trying to maintain order at home.

Never has there been so much focus on the home front, with parents working from home while homeschooling and everyone having more time to hang out together. Every room in the house is in high demand, with formal rooms seconded as makeshift studies and the kitchen acting as the communal playground. The dining room, which had given way to the convenience of the breakfast bar, is now back in the spotlight.

Great Dane founder Anton Assaad says the pandemic has definitely changed the way we live, with the dining room going through a renaissance.

“It has opened our eyes to what is possible at home,” he says. “How can we create a home that is a place of safety and comfort, as well as finding places to hide from each other during lockdown?”

The soft curves and moulded seat of the DC09 chair from Great Dane ensures everyone is sitting comfortably, greatdanefurniture.com.

Anton says the breakfast bar is not a replacement for the dining table, where everyone can talk while facing each other.

“I sat down with my three kids on Sunday night at the table — I couldn’t bear another meal served on the bench,” he says.

“My youngest is often trying to drag me and the other two kids to the table. I think she feels it’s a place where we can sit together and share a laugh.”

When entertaining, he says it’s important to take the time to create a good dining experience.

“This includes good quality alcohol, great company and good food — in that order.”

The sturdy Abbey dining table from Oz Design Furniture is ideal for families. Built-in seating easily allows for extra guests at the table, ozdesignfurniture.com.au

With open plan living popular in new builds and renovations of older properties, it can be challenge to create an intimate dining setting. Having guests look into a messy kitchen is not ideal.

“This is a challenge,” says Anton. “We have all felt this need to have one giant open space, a sign of a successful design.”

Instead, to create a sense of warmth, Anton suggests using dimmable lights and overhead pendant, floor and table lights to create intimacy.

“Stay away from downlights — they are ugly and throw harsh, unflattering light on the table and your guests,” he says.

Softer lighting makes dining in more intimate. This casually elegant dining setting is from the Royal Doulton, called Maze Grey, royaldoulton.com.au.

Senior interior designer at Home by Belle Alexandra Bradley has also noticed a distinctive shift in how clients feel about their dining rooms.

“We can’t travel at the moment so people are investing in the place they’re spending the most amount of time,” she says. “They are looking at how to better use the space available to them.”

Ditch the formality with a round dining table, like the Hudson marble topped table and Tansy chairs from GlobeWest, globewest.com.au.

Interestingly, in the lead-up to COVID-19, dining room trends favoured soft furnishings and larger, comfortable chairs.

“Rather than the straight-back etiquette at the dining table, we’ve seen chairs that are more relaxed,” Alexandra says. “This soft furniture is perfect if you’re claiming the dining room as your office right now.”

Looking forward, Alexandra says open plan living and dining spaces suit lighter colours, while separate dining spaces benefit from darker, moody tones to create a more intimate feel.

More: homebybelle.com.au

The post Why the dining room has become an important space in the house again appeared first on realestate.com.au.

6 Jake Court, Bonogin.

Imagine waking up every day inside your own hinterland hotel.

A space where the chatter of native birds is the first sound you hear upon waking while the hum of cicadas takes over as the sun descends behind the trees.

Nestled in Mudgeeraba Forest, the inner city acreage known as Carinya is the closest thing to a year-round holiday in the hills.

6 Jake Court, Bonogin.

The newly constructed residence has all the appeal of a hotel-style retreat — a spacious master suite enjoys privacy and peace in one wing while at the opposite end, two junior suites and a guest bedroom each have their own ensuites and leafy green views.

Open plan living, dining and kitchen zones occupy the heart the home, flowing freely onto expansive timber decks where the surrounding forest makes it feel like your own private sanctuary.

6 Jake Court, Bonogin.

The striking design is the work of Gold Coast builder Paul Tidmarsh, of PT Pole Homes, whose distinctive pole homes are highly regarded in Bonogin.

The Jake Court residence is the twentieth pole home Mr Tidmarsh has built on the Gold Coast in 15 years, with up to 15 of those in Mudgeeraba Forest.

The pole-style home provided a practical and economical solution for the sloping 4327 sqm block, with the elevated, lightweight timber construction eliminating the need for a concrete slab.

“To put a 640 sqm house on a sloping block on a slab would be a crazy cost,” said Mr Tidmarsh, who “married into” building pole homes by learning the ropes from father-in-law Jeff Dray.

6 Jake Court, Bonogin.

There’s currently a two-year wait for a PT Pole home, with each project taking up to eight months to complete.

Materials were moved uphill by hand to the Jake Court site, with raw finishes such as Western red cedar cladding, Southern Beech flooring, an extra long Blackbutt kitchen benchtop and corrugated iron ceilings adding to the rustic appeal of the home.

“The good thing about the tin is that once you put it up you don’t have to paint it or maintain it down the track,” Mr Tidmarsh said. “It also ties the inside with the outside.”

6 Jake Court, Bonogin.

The project was commissioned by
LJ Hooker Robina Group director David Manby and wife Blanche, who purchased the block in April 2019 with a view to building.

It’s the second pole home project the Manbys have completed in Mudgeeraba Forest, with a five-bedroom residence at 31 Beau Parade sold in May last year.

LJ Hooker Property Hub agents Roberto Scartozzi and Lisa Psaras are leading the campaign to auction on 13 September.

6 Jake Court, Bonogin.

Ms
Psaras said the concept of an inner-city acreage was highly appealing.

“You’re still within 15 minutes from everything in Bonogin – schools, shopping centres, hospital and the M1,” she said.

“You’ve then got that hinterland treescape experience. Everybody who has been through the property is blown away by the scope of the home and the setting.”

The post Two year wait for unique timber pole homes appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Pet grooming stations, high speed lifts, bocce lawns and now Australia’s first sky garage – luxury apartment living has hit a whole new level on the Gold Coast.

Plans for The Monaco residential apartment tower on MacArthur Parade in Main Beach were given the green light by council this week, paving the way for would-be residents to drive into a personal car elevator stopping inside their apartments.

An artist’s impression of a sky garage inside The Monaco, Main Beach.

Designed by Rothelowman architects, marketing for the $108 million Ignite Projects development describes the sky garage as the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

“A rare privilege, this will make you one of just a few apartment owners in the whole world who can enjoy this luxury,” the brochure reads.

An artist’s impression of The Monaco, Main Beach.

Prized pooches will be taken care in a pet grooming station while residents can also partake in a round of virtual golf, visit an onsite wellness studio with gym, steam and treatment rooms, and workout in a 24m lap pool.

The opulent 23-level tower, with 360-degree views, comprises eight half floor sky villas, 16 full floor sky villas and one double storey penthouse, ranging in price from $1.8 million to $4.9 million.

An artist’s impression of the view from The Monaco, Main Beach.

While the sales campaign officially kicks off next month, NPA Projects Director of Project Marketing Andrew Erwin said interest was already high among Gold Coast downsizers.

“There is an appetite for this level of luxury on the Gold Coast particularly among locals who want to upgrade in Main Beach,” he said.

Elysian Broadbeach

An artist’s impression of Elysian at Broadbeach.

In nearby Broadbeach, residents of the near complete $79 million Elysian apartments will soon be lapping up the luxury of an automated carparking system.

The state-of-the-art technology, said to be a first for a Gold Coast development, parks and retrieves residents’ cars while an intelligent ‘My Butler’ 24/7 virtual concierge system allows

residents to book onsite facilities and local services, including transport, cleaners and car washes.

Cannes

An artist’s impression of the rooftop lounge and firelit at Cannes, Surfers Paradise.

Morning workouts come with a riverfront view at Cannes, Surfers Paradise.

The 96-apartment Cannes building, taking shape on the water in Surfers Paradise, counts a riverside bocce lawn, sunset bar and 25m lap pool among its luxury inclusions.

The rooftop will showcase panoramic hinterland, river, city skyline and ocean views that can be taken in from a pavilion with a fire pit, private dining and board room, billiards room and library, alongside a wellness centre, gym, hydrotherapy shower, spa and treatment rooms.

Signature Broadbeach

An artist’s impression of the 50m infinity edge pool at Signature Broadbeach.

Construction has commenced on $210 million Signature Broadbeach which boasts a 50m infinity edge pool, marketed as the first of its kind for the Gold Coast.

Residents will also have access to a lounge and private dining area, private theatre, steam room, sauna and spa as well as an expansive lawn area with barbecue and teppanyaki grill.

Ocean

An artist’s impression of Ocean in Surfers Paradise.

Standing at 252 metres tall and 76 levels, the Surfers Paradise super tower named Ocean will be the city’s highest residential apartments once complete around mid-2022.

It’s appropriate then that the building will boast five state-of-the-art high-speed smart lifts which will travel at seven metres per second.

Other lifestyle facilities at 84 The Esplanade will include a beach club precinct, indoor pool, gym, sauna, covered alfresco eateries and restaurants facing the ocean.

Flow Residences

An artist’s impression of Flow Residences in Rainbow Bay.

An artist’s impression of the amenities on offer at Flow Residences.

Custom designed for surfers and beach lovers, Flow Residences in Rainbow Bay provides personal surfboard locker rooms and a prep area to make it super easy for residents to go to and from the beach.

A gym and fitness centre, teppanyaki barbecue area, formal dining room, entertainment room and climate controlled wine storage are among the shared amenities.

The post Luxury living hits new heights with garages in the sky appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Seamus and Ali Kay with their kids, Olivia,14, and Liam, 16, at the knockdown property in Gordon Park they have purchased. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

SIX Brisbane suburbs have been identified where savvy home hunters can instantly pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars by building rather than buying their dream home.

Buying a knockdown property and rebuilding on the site is emerging as a trend among owner-occupiers wanting to find a home and turn a profit straight away in the current market conditions.

But buyer’s agents warn the strategy could go horribly wrong unless the right locations are chosen.

BEFORE: The original house at 49 Power St, Wavell Heights, sold for $642,000.

AFTER: This new-build at 49 Power St, Wavell Heights, sold for $1.65m.

Streamline Property Buyers managing director Melinda Jennison said the lack of property listings, rise in interstate enquiry and difficulty in finding the right home were contributing to the trend.

Mrs Jennison said she knew of more than 20 sales across six prime suburbs in recent months, where clients had bought a knockdown, demolished it and rebuilt on the site, creating between $100,000 and $530,000 in equity.

In the inner north suburb of Wavell Heights, an owner-occupier recently paid $642,000 for a knockdown at 49 Power Street, spent $650,000 building a new home on the site and ended up with a property worth $1.65 million — giving them $358,000 in instant equity.

The buyer of a knockdown home at 102 Fingal St, Tarragindi, recently pocketed $422,500 in equity after buying the site for $527,500 and paying $650,000 for the build.

“When you actually run the numbers, the tactic makes sense, but location is crucial otherwise you’ll be left out of pocket,” Mrs Jennison said.

“It really is a case of destruction, plus construction, equals profit.”

BEFORE: This post-war home at 102 Fingal St, Tarragindi, sold for $527,500.

AFTER: This new-build on the same site at 102 Fingal St, Tarragindi, sold for $1.6m.

Mrs Jennison said the key to the strategy’s success was identifying specific suburbs and

individual property characteristics.

“You firstly need to find near-city locations where it’s easy to demolish an existing home and

create a clean slate,” she said.

“But the suburb must also have wide price disparity between new and existing homes,

gentrification, strong family-buyer demand and desirable attributes such as views.

“It’s the magic formula that makes the figures work.”

Mrs Jennison said the COVID-19 pandemic had created ideal conditions for inner-Brisbane home builders.

“Property listings have fallen dramatically in the shadow of the crisis,” she said.

“As such, there’s hot competition among buyers, with high-quality homes being snapped up quickly at surprisingly high prices.”

BEFORE: This original home at 263 Ferguson Rd, Seven Hills, sold for $640,000.

AFTER: This new home built on the site at 263 Ferguson Rd, Seven Hills, sold for $1.65m.

Mrs Jennison said the COVID crisis had also increased southeast Queensland’s appeal among

southern buyers, and many interstate relocaters would look to embrace this strategy.

“We were seeing strong net interstate migration prior to the crisis,” she said.

“While this momentum has slowed due to border restrictions, there’s no doubt once they’re lifted, huge numbers of southerners will make Brisbane their new home.”

Buyer’s agent and Cohen Handler Queensland general manager Jordan Navybox said he had also noticed an increase in clients looking for post-war homes to demolish so that they could build on the site.

“Definitely more recently because there is such a lack of stock when it comes to the finished product,” Mr Navybox said.

“The reason people are doing it is it’s cheaper to buy a post-war home and build than it is to buy the finished product in certain suburbs.”

BEFORE: This original home at 21 Glebe St, Gordon Park, sold for $669,500.

AFTER: This home built on the same site at 21 Glebe St, Gordon Park, sold for $1.535m.

Mr Navybox said the most popular suburbs for his clients looking to knockdown and rebuild were Camp Hill, Coorparoo, Bardon and Grange.

“We have so many clients asking for Grange, and when they can’t find what they’re looking for, they move on to Gordon Park,” he said.

But Mr Navybox said the strategy was not for every buyer.

“It’s a time thing,” he said. “You have to rent in the meantime and once you’ve committed to buying the land and building, you’re then paying mortgage repayments on a home you’re not even living in, plus rent.”

He said well-priced post-war homes in city fringe suburbs were also hard to find.

“You want to pay as close to land value as possible,” he said.

BEFORE: This original site at 69 Alderley Rd, Alderley, sold for $540,000.

AFTER: This new-build on the site at 69 Alderley Rd, Alderley, sold for $1.315m.

Ali and Seamus Kay have just started demolishing a knockdown home they bought offmarket in Gordon Park.

Mrs Kay said they never intended to build, but could not find a home on the market that ticked all their boxes.

“We never would have contemplated in our wildest dreams building new on a block of land in Gordon Park,” Mrs Kay said.

“But definitely this is a much more affordable option for us.

“With what we would have been looking at, we wouldn’t have gotten as much house as we’re getting now, and we’d have had to pay a few thousand more to get what we really wanted. This way, we’re saving money and getting exactly what we want.”

The original home on the site in Gordon Park that Seamus and Ali Kay are demolishing to build a new home on.

Mrs Kay said the only downside was having to wait up to 12 months for the house to be built.

“But we’re prepared to wait to get the value for money for this, as opposed to settling for something that wasn’t ticking all the boxes,” she said.

Mrs Jennison, who bought the property for the Kays on their behalf, said they would lock in at least $200,000 in equity based on comparative sales in the area.

SIX BRISBANE SUBURBS WHERE YOU SHOULD BUY A KNOCKDOWN

1. Wavell Heights

Just nine kilometres north of Brisbane’s CBD and dominated by homes on big blocks, Wavell Heights appeals to families.

With a median price of $742,500, according to CoreLogic, the suburb has a huge price difference between existing and new homes.

Wavell Heights is also the first suburb north of the CBD with limited numbers of character

protected homes, which means most older dwellings can be knocked down.

2. Seven Hills

With a median value of $943,750, Seven Hills is only five kilometres from the CBD and is the first suburb on the southeast side of town that is not dominated by demolition-protected character residential.

The entry price for an old house in the suburb is about $750,000.

Its small size means supply is limited, which helps keep end values high, and it is also elevated

Price disparity is also significant, making it easier to create instant equity from a new build.

3. Tarragindi

This southside suburb often flies under the statistical radar because it shares a postcode

with Holland Park.

But its big blocks and demolishable housing are presenting opportunities nine kilometres

south of the CBD.

New-build gentrification and proximity to the new metro infrastructure coming to Brisbane is driving up price disparity.

The buy-in price for an older home in Tarragindi is $650,000, providing excellent upside for new builds.

4. Alderley

With a median house price of $850,000, Alderley’s mix of facilities and family-friendly appeal

are key to its new-build potential.

The suburb, just 7km from the CBD, has an array of different sized blocks, solid retail facilities and great public

transport options.

Most properties are not demolition protected.

5. Corinda

Corinda’s elevated streets — some with city views — and scarce character-home protection make it appealing for building new homes.

Demand for the suburb feeds off its highly desirable neighbours of Chelmer, Graceville and

Sherwood, which are areas with predominantly character protected homes.

Blocks of about 600 sqm are achieving prices of about $650,000, but the median value of

homes in the suburb is $850,000.

6. Gordon Park

Gordon Park has proportionally more character housing than the other suburbs, but there

are pockets of demolishable homes with excellent buy/build/sell price disparity.

The suburb is close to infrastructure and services, Kedron Brook, and retail hubs such as Lutwyche shopping centre.

The parkland lifestyle also attracts family buyers, which is bolstering the value of newly built

homes relative to older stock.

(Source: Buyer’s agent Melinda Jennison)

The post The six Brisbane suburbs where it’s better to build than buy appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Short, sharp auction campaigns are proving effective on the Gold Coast where a hot market is seeing impatient buyers move on quickly.

A sunny top-floor apartment in a three-storey brick walk-up at 133 Old Burleigh Road, Broadbeach sold for $570,000 under the hammer on Sunday.

The 17-day campaign attracted more than 100 inspections ahead of the onsite auction where 22 bidders registered for a tilt at the beachside abode.

The highest of 33 bids came from a Broadbeach couple with plans to renovate and move into the two-bedroom residence.

9/133 Old Burleigh Road, Broadbeach sold for $570,000 under the hammer.

Professionals – John Henderson agent Luke Henderson, who led the marketing push with Matt Maguire, said the level of pre-auction interest exceeded all expectations.

“We had a lot of young people looking at it, many first home buyers, due to the location being close to all the conveniences of Broadbeach, having a glimpse of the ocean and two car parks,” he said.

Mr Henderson said the traditional one-month auction campaign was trimmed in order to retain buyer interest.

“What we’re finding is that buyers who are ready to go want to buy today,” he said.

“If we do 16-20 days buyers will stick with the property rather than look elsewhere.”

46/173 Old Burleigh Road, Broadbeach fetched $1.777 million at auction this week.

On Tuesday, a Brisbane buyer placed the winning $1.777 million bid on a designer apartment on the 19th floor of residents-only Verve in Broadbeach.

Ray White’s Mark Stafford and Andrew Rouse led the campaign which saw 58 inspections, 218,748 people reached on social media and 2000 REA views.

Over in Miami, five bidders registered for a crack at a coastal-style new build at 103 Chainey Ave which sold for street record of $1.3 million under the hammer last Sunday.

The three-week pre-auction marketing push was led by Brad Payne and Jarrard Lemming of Ray White CG – Broadbeach.

103 Chainey Ave, Miami sets a new street record of $1.3 million at auction.

The Miami sale was among the top three auction results on the Gold Coast last week.

An east-facing four-bedroom home on wide water at 4 Vevey St, Mermaid Waters sold for $1.45 million under the hammer while 302/13-25 Garfield Tce, Surfers Paradise fetched $1.42 million.

Reslestate.com.au recorded the city’s auction clearance rate was 48 percent for the week ending August 25, down 2 percent on last month.

Out of 39 reported auctions, 19 properties sold under the hammer, 19 were passed in and one was withdrawn.

The post Fast campaigns raise the heat in the auction arena appeared first on realestate.com.au.

A DARWIN real estate agent believes recently revealed plans for a $1 billion gas pipeline to be built in the NT will boost confidence in the Top End property market.

Central Petroleum Ltd, the NT’s largest onshore gas producer, last week revealed a proposal to build a 950km pipeline for transporting gas from the Amadeus gas basin to a number of east coast markets — a project that could create hundreds of new jobs.

A memorandum of understanding has recently been signed, with construction expected to begin in 2022 and first gas delivery in 2024.

Raine & Horne Darwin general manager Glenn Grantham said the proposed project would bolster already surging buyer demand for real estate in the Territory.

“This project which will deliver more jobs to Darwin is excellent news, particularly given consumer confidence in this city is already relatively robust after weathering the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

Raine & Horne Darwin general manager Glenn Grantham. Picture: Keri Megelus

“The Territory’s low infection rates allowed life in Darwin to return to normal much faster than in other capital cities, and this has translated to real estate market confidence.

“Second and third-time buyers are actively seeking properties priced between $600,000 and $800,000 in premium suburbs and this upgrader demand had driven up prices by as much as 5-10 per cent, since April when COVID-19 lockdowns were enforced.”

Real Estate Institute of the NT chief executive Quentin Kilian said private sector investment was critical to real estate confidence in the NT.

“It is important that we have this economic activity because that is the only thing that’s going to lead to jobs growth, and jobs growth will lead to major activity in the real estate market,” he said.

“If we have these first private sector projects taking that leap of faith to invest in the Territory, then others will follow.”

For more real estate news, see the NT News real estate liftout inside Saturday’s issue of the paper.

The post Major gas project full of promise for Top End property market appeared first on realestate.com.au.