Increasingly popular due to their insulating and noise-reducing qualities, double-glazed windows consist of two panes of glass with a layer of air or gas between them, whereas standard windows are constructed with a single pane of glass. Special treatments or…
Read moreAuthor: Adam Nobel
Oh manatee! Love your house
A newly-listed house in Florida has hit the news for a unique feature – it boasts a backyard pool filled with manatees. Fortunately, the gentle mammals are not captive, but rather have a connecting channel that opens onto the river…
Read moreHome values still creeping up
Home values and sales volumes lifted again in March, new figures show. CoreLogic’s national Home Value Index rose 0.6% in March, on par with February’s increase, taking the current upswing in housing values through its 14th straight month of growth.…
Read moreDark or light roof?
How much does the colour of its roof impact the heat levels inside your home? The question has again been raised this week following the publication in The Conversation of an article suggesting that if your house has a dark…
Read moreGrowth breaks records
Capital city growth was the highest on record last year, according to new data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The figures show that the population of Australia’s capital cities grew by a record 517,200 people…
Read moreDecorating tips for renters
It can be hard for tenants to watch renovating shows and not be able to achieve such dramatic change in their own living space. Yet it need not be impossible. We take a look at what can be done without…
Read moreHate paint smell and VOCs?
Are you considering painting a room in your home but don’t want to have to move out until the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) reduce to safe levels? If you are the homeowner and can buy VOC-free paint, great. For tenants,…
Read moreHow to recycle solar lighting
Solar lights offer a novel, environmentally-friendly way to illuminate our paths and gardens at night. But when they stop working, the least environmentally-friendly thing we could do is put them in the garbage bin, as the batteries contain lead, mercury…
Read moreRising but stable, REIA says
The December quarter of 2023 saw property prices in the Australian residential housing market increase overall, according to a report released this week by the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA). REIA’s latest Real Estate Market Facts has revealed that…
Read moreIt’s a bug’s world
If you are looking for something to entertain the kids over Easter and the school holidays, maybe you could set them to seeing how many living creatures they can find around your home and garden. Three UQ scientists who share…
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