How to Build a Low-Maintenance Home
Whether you’re building your family home, a holiday home or an Airbnb investment home at Panorama Portarlington, you don’t want to spend hours maintaining it. Luckily, there are materials, features, finishes and landscaping options you can select to minimise the amount of maintenance required by your home and garden, so you can spend more time enjoying your ideal coastal lifestyle.
Here are our top tips and considerations for building a low-maintenance home.
1. Avoid natural timber
When it comes to selecting a low-maintenance material for your home’s cladding, decking and window frames, it’s best to avoid timber. This is because timber is a natural material that shows signs of wear or damage when it’s exposed to the elements over long periods of time. As a result, it requires regular oiling and staining.
Some low-maintenance alternatives include:
Cladding
Colorbond® – featuring a corrosion resistant steel base, Colorbond cladding is weather tight and extremely durable; providing resistance to paint chipping, flaking and blistering.
Weathertex – to achieve a Hamptons looking home with a durable, lower-maintenance material, Weathertex boards are guaranteed up to 25 years without cracking, rotting or splitting.
Decking
Composite decking – get all the benefits of a natural wood appearance without the hassle of maintaining it. For an eco-conscious solution, select composite decking boards that are made from a combination of reclaimed timber and recycled plastic.
Window frames
Aluminium windows – these window frames combine strength and lightness to provide a lifetime of durability and aesthetic, with virtually no upkeep.
2. Opt for downlights as the primary source of lighting
By choosing downlights as the primary source of lighting around your home, you’ll eliminate the need for dusting intricate light fittings.
3. Consider your blinds and shutters
Roller blinds are considered the lowest-maintenance of all window coverings because they attract minimal dust and are easy to clean.
4. Screen-less showers
By building a tiled, walk-in shower with no glass, you’ll eliminate the need to regularly and painstakingly clean the shower screen.
5. Opt for a gas fireplace
The warmth and comfort of a fireplace is second to none, but gathering the firewood, loading the fireplace, sweeping the chimney and cleaning up soot and ash is never any fun. This is where a gas fireplace comes in handy; providing the same cosy atmosphere with virtually no upkeep.
6. Select plants that require minimal attention
The best way to ensure you’re not spending hours in the garden (unless you’re a passionate green thumb) is to select low-maintenance plants that require minimal attention. Generally, these include native plants that naturally occur within the local ecosystem and thrive all year round. Other low-maintenance landscaping options can include:
Artificial turf
Installing a weed mat
Installing an automated irrigation system
To discover more landscaping ideas, read our blogs:
We hope you find these tips and considerations helpful as you plan your new home. You can find more inspiration and updates on our News page.
