Well if your over designing and putting in more then what is required you are just becoming a part of the problem. Because the amount of energy that has gone into manufacturing your home and each material in it. Those materials require energy to produce them..... On the other hand yes there is that question what if there is not enough can we trust government policy. I think our focus should really be how can we design homes that design for current conditions, have a zero and no carbon footprint and the costs of manufacturing do not offset this goal. So I do place my trust in the science and research from the CSIRO. And policy that has been created as a result of their research yes.

I'm lucky, nobody dares mess with my place the one that do depart immediately.... Friends dont wreck you place they treat it with respect and if they cant they you dont need them in your life..... Sounds hard but it work, People know the guidelines in my house/yard, I respect their places and if they cant respect mine, dont bother coming... Probably the worst I ever had was a nephew who was bossing the younger children and not letting them have a turn on the trampoline, woke me up I was sick in bed and I got out of bed when they woke me up and heard the language, the rest of the family were outside my bedroom. Nephew didnt know what hit him verbally, [did apologise later] and went running to mum, who told him I was the boss as it was my house and she wasnt there so couldnt comment. Didnt like me for 3 days until he wanted to come up again to ride the dirt bikes around the paddock, Was an instant when parents, grandparents etc, dropped their guard and no one was supervising....... I was one pissed off person, being woken up, bad enough having to be so ill on birthday, everyone else celebrating and kids acting up.... But we are still best friends and nothing else has happened before or after.

@Karen Hodge, I hear you!! Sometimes I think the estate agent should carry quite a bit of the blame actually. If they do their job correctly like you see in the adds on TV, they should bring these discrepancies to the attention of the sellers, stand on their morals and say if you can't get it better than this, then you'll have to find someone else to sell your home!! I know you can't make everybody "house proud" but the saying "do unto others" springs to mind. I bet if these same people bought a house not up to scratch, "a current affair" would hear about it but they don't think it wrong to simply walk out on a house that isn't being left nicely for the next family!! I have some friends that recently sold a house in Essendon, Melb and whilst the buyers were back and forth selling their own home, my friends kept watering the plants and even did things like painted out the wardrobes because of the scuff marks made over time!! They cleaned the entire two storey house from top to bottom and finished by mopping the floors as they were exiting. The buyers were so taken by the entire home, they bought it with almost all the furniture that my friends had in it!!

Tell me about it, the ones across the road were going all day and night in the front yard, including revving up a motor bike they're not allowed to ride! my hubby wears flannie shirts when he's not in work gear. He likes ripping them, that's a trend that should end. of course, all Australian flag thongs (flip flops) are made in China!