Construction
Why downlights are making you colder and your split system less effective
Ever felt like the air-conditioner only pushes around cold air in winter? It may take climbing up into the attic and having a look around to find out why that is.
- by Jim Malo
Latest
‘Every day is like a paradise’: Sydney family’s tree-change transformation
They bought a run-down Northern Rivers block and turned it into a resort that’s now a multi-generational love affair.
- by Carmen Forward
Opinion
Opinion
Time for a reckoning over WA’s Nicheliving and construction crisis
This government overcooked the property market with millions of stimulus dollars in 2020, leading hundreds of ordinary West Australians into a nightmare.
- by Gary Adshead
WA opposition demands action on Nicheliving as customers lay bare ‘horror’ home builds
When Kathy Ellis signed a contract with Nicheliving for a new home in December 2020, she believed she had marked the beginning of a new chapter for her family. She is now living in a camper trailer with her two teenagers.
- by Jesinta Burton
Exclusive
Building insurance
Building insurance to increase by 65 per cent for new homes
Home building insurance is increasing after a string of companies collapsed over the past year, leaving thousands of homes unfinished and the state-backed insurance agency making record payments.
- by Kieran Rooney
The neighbours desperate to stop building being demolished for luxury apartments
The battle over this building is seen as a landmark in the struggle between residents and developers over the future of Kings Cross, Elizabeth Bay and Potts Point and its continued gentrification.
- by Sue Williams
Their ‘paradise’ keeps flooding, but some can’t afford a solution
Rising water has become a constant threat in coastal Florida, but many residents in this suburb cannot afford to elevate their homes or move.
- by Patricia Mazzei
Why the Australian housing market is worse than our overseas peers
While building more homes is a part of the solution, experts say there are other measures that could bring property prices down.
- by Jemimah Clegg
Exclusive
Skills shortage
Bridge too far: Yoga teachers say migration need is a stretch
Jobs and Skills Australia has defended placing yoga instructors on its draft core skills migration list, while several building trades don’t make the cut.
- by Angus Thompson
Property values dropping for homes facing the greatest risk of bushfire, flooding
More than 32,000 Australian homes face a high risk of bushfire, while 141,000 homes are at risk of flooding. The risks will push insurance costs up and home values down.
- by Elizabeth Redman
Exclusive
Skills shortage
Yoga teachers make draft core skills visa list, but not tradies
Despite the nation’s housing crisis, yogis, martial artists and dog handlers are among the occupations to have beaten construction trades to a spot on a draft priority skills list.
- by Angus Thompson