Hi, we received an email from Houzz about you and I thought I would introduce our business; Sydney Doors to you as we could be of service. We manufacture custom made kitchen and wardrobe doors in a raw or polyurethane finish. We also pick up and deliver and are known for our friendly, efficient service. Please contact me if we can be of assistance. Regards.

About your question about sourcing some of your own internal fittings. It is best you discuss this with the builder early on. Usually, the builder's contract will specify an allowance for particular fixtures. However, some may specify actual brand and model of fittings ie taps, toilets, sinks, etc in their quote, and they may or may not allow you to vary this. IF you are happy with those specified fixtures and you think the allowance amount is reasonable, then you can go with it. Otherwise, any changes or variances need to be discussed with builder, and it is very important this be discussed upfront and before any contract is signed. Some building contracts may also disallow some variances. In any event, carefully read the contract so you completely understand what you are agreeing to, and discuss any and all parts where you are not in agreement so these issues can be ironed out. Also, and this is my own experience and opinion, but I advise specifying in the contract the completion date AND if the build is not completed on time then what happens (consider that you may be paying interest on your mortgage, be financing a bridging mortgage, etc. and/or you may also have already sold your home and then have to pay rent until the build is finished). If you are in agreement with builder to source some of the internal fittings yourself, there are any number of suppliers and sources to investigate, and this might be a good way to keep your budget in check. There will be Houzzers who are experienced at this and can provide you with ideas. Just keep in mind that you will have to have all fittings READY and ON SITE when the tradesmen require them, otherwise you will be holding up the build and that is going to cost YOU money.

Hi Chris Just following up your request for further info between double glazing and/ or filming single glazing Etc Your more than welcome to call me direct here in Tassy for a more detailed info. that’s not possible via this comments section . But just to highlight a few things for all interested readers . Firstly , it’s important to understand the “ Technical” differences between both single & double glazing ( particularly the different types of additives/ manufacturing processes etc that’s goes into making glass that can make a difference to how they perform technically and the ability to do what you want it to do and then theirs the choice of aftermarket window films . Whether the choice of an aftermarket window film application is considered to either single or double glazing to solve one or more problems, one must understand the pros and cons as to the window film manufacturers guide lines and their recommendations as to what type of film should be used or avoided considering the different window components and the different types of glass that goes into making the final window product . Secondly ; and equally important ; one must understand the differences between radiant heat and convection heat . Unless the glass is specially treated at the glass manufacturers or has an added solar film coating applied ( such as suitable window film ) when compared to clear glass and whether as a single glazed or a double glazed unit ; will NOT stop all the direct RADIANT heat through the glazing . Double glazing , or even triple glazing , works on the same principle like a thermos flask ; to reduce / slow down the transfer of CONVECTION currents ( hot or cold air temperatures ) from one side to the other . Radiant heat and convection heat are two different things and requires different ways to solve the problems . Double glazing is designed to reduce “convection” air temperature from moving from one side to the other , of the window . Other additional manufacturing processes can improve both insulation and heat reduction abilities . You mentioned a ceramic film and the infra red ( heat component ) reduction. I was wondering why a ceramic film was mentioned compared to say either a semi or fully reflective film choice !!!! Don’t get confused with all the advertising thats on offer via sales reps pushing their product as being better than other film options unless you fully understand both the advantages and disadvantages. One must compare apples with apples when comparing any technical data as many companies don’t all stick to a common standard tech specs making it difficult for customers to compare and often confused . The two main considerations when choosing a film ; particularly when double glazing is installed ; is the :- total solar energy reduction ( SER) and secondly the amount of absorption of heat ( SEA ) into the glazing . These are the two main factors I look at when heat transmission is a problem for a customer . The SER is the amount of the overall reflected away from the glazing and the SEA is the amount that’s is absorbed into glazing ( glass ) as this will effect how much increase in the overall temperature of the glass Particularly the panel which is tinted in a double glazing application which is normally the room side . The main problem if the glass temperature increases , it will increase the chance of glass breaking due to thermal stress .( gets too hot it will eventually break ) . One also has to take into account the quality of the glass , particularly most being made in Asia now .where quality may be an issue compared to Australian made glass .!!! Basically You need high SER with the lower SEA as an ideal choice . From my experience with over 40 years in the window tinting industry here in Tasmania that the fully reflective film I often use ; particularly on double glazing ; is a number one choice ; then secondly the less reflective MEP films neutral based film either in the suggested medium grade as generally the two films the manufacturers suggest in their guide lines As single glazing goes , between the full reflective or secondly the darker neutral ( a cross between the medium neutral and full reflective films ) I’d be interested in see the data on the ceramic film choice for me to compare to out of interest . The three films I’ve mention are by no means the only choices but many other factors comes into play that need to be taken into consideration . Much more on the subject but hope this may offer some interest to discuss further . Protek window tinting & blinds (Tas)

Hydronic slab heating is fairly straightforward to install and not that expensive compared with other forms of central heating. If you try to cool the slab, it becomes a lot more complicated. First up, cooling the slab does nothing to remove humidity from the air, which is a large part of what makes you feel hot. Second, you need some way of controlling the heat pump between heating and cooling mode. Usually we use mechanical thermostats which switch on when the house gets below the set temperature, but when you change to cooling mode it needs turn on when the indoor temperature is above the set temperature, so instead of a standard central heating thermostat you instead need an electronic temperature sensor. Anything is possible, but the short answer is that having a chilled slab will be more complicated and more expensive than an air conditioner, and less effective. You'll also need to find a contractor to design the system, and because it will be a custom design if you have any issues in the future you'll need to get the same person who installed it to come and fix it, which is a problem if they move, go on holiday, or close their business.