Building Your Perfect Home – 5 Ways To Add Value From The Ground Up

Building your own home is really the only way you’re guaranteed to get exactly what you want. You can make sure everything is done to suit your lifestyle, instead of living with someone else’s idea of what a dream home should look like.

It’s true that building a house may be more expensive than buying one – in the short term at least – but you do have the blissful peace of mind of knowing you’re getting exactly what you’ve always dreamed of. And of course, there’s the added advantage of not having to worry about pricey renovations for a very long time.

That is, of course, if you build it right.

Having spent a significant amount of money on your stand, the temptation is undoubtedly there to cut a few corners when it comes to actually building your home. Many home builders make the short-sighted mistake of choosing inferior fixtures and fittings to save money, only to be bitterly disappointed with the final quality, look and functionality of the product.

So, if you’re about to start building your dream home, here are five key ways you can add value – and avoid disappointment -– simply by choosing wisely right at the very start.

Kitchens And Bathrooms

Any estate agent or property developer will tell you that kitchens and bathrooms are ultimately what sell a house. They also add the most resale value. In fact, a beautiful kitchen accounts for five percent of the total value of the house – the highest of any room. The master bathroom comes in a close second, at four percent. In addition, kitchens and bathrooms recoup about 60 percent of their cost at sale time.

So, it’s really worth spending a little extra ensuring you have the best quality fittings and fixtures when building your kitchen and bathrooms. Bathrooms, in particular, require special attention because of the heat and moisture they are subjected to every day. It’s vitally important to use high quality, corrosion-resistant materials to ensure your bathroom still looks new-house beautiful many years from now.

This is one of the key reasons why aluminium shower doors are so popular with homeowners and contractors alike. Aluminium does not rust and requires very little maintenance to stay looking as good as new. It’s also available in a variety of custom paint finishes.

Adore Your Doors

We all love eating and socialising outside, which is why houses with a great indoor-outdoor flow are always so lovely to live in, and popular when it comes to resale. But there’s nothing worse than sliding or folding doors that warp and stick, forcing you to fight with them instead of effortlessly sliding them open every time you want to go outside.

Aluminium sliding doorshave so many advantages over other types of doors. Aluminium is 43 times stronger than wood, and over three times stronger than vinyl. Its high strength-to-weight ratio means you need less of it to hold the glass in place, giving you narrower frame profiles, slimmer, sleeker lines, and a more streamlined aesthetic overall.

Love The Light

South Africa has an abundance of bright sunshine. When you’re building your own home, you want to include as many windows as you can into your design. But it’s once again extremely important to choose the right materials for the frames so that they stay looking good for years to come. You also want them to open and close effortlessly – all of which are great reasons to choose aluminium sliding and casement windows. Aluminium windows also offer far greater thermal efficiency than wood or uPVC alternatives – both of which are more expensive. Heat gain and loss are often improved by up to 60%, which can mean energy savings of up to three times that of producing the frames – in just 12 months! Imagine what that could mean for your energy bills – especially if you live in a particularly cold or hot area – over the life of your home?

Minimal Maintenance

Aluminium is exceptionally tough, and can easily withstand extended exposure to bright sunlight, rain and UV rays without warping, cracking, rusting, rotting, bending or discolouring. This makes it ideal for South Africa’s harsh climatic conditions. It also makes it the ideal material for your new home’s window and door frames. Most high-end aluminium windows and door frames have a sleek, powder coat finish for exceptional longevity. They never need painting, sanding or varnishing – just a little cleaning every now and then to keep them looking like new.

Fantastic Front Door

Your front door is part of the important first impression people have of your home. It also has very real functional attributes too and has to provide a secure, weatherproof entrance to your home. Aluminium front door frames are anodised, meaning they are immune to the effects of moisture and wear and tear. They are also far lighter than conventional door frames, making them much easier to install.

If you’re about to build a house, come and chat with the experts at Origin Aluminium. We are a leading manufacturer of aluminium doors, windows and shower doors. Our SAFIERA Energy Rating Certifications for our Origin Patio Door and Origin 340 Casement Window means homeowners, architects and builders are assured of optimal energy efficiency and high mechanical performance. We’d love to help you turn your new house into your dream home.