The HIA Home Ideas Show...

Today we headed into the city for the Home Ideas Show. We had a list of items we wanted to check out... decking, plantation shutters, water tanks, and pergolas/outdoor blinds.

1. Modwood Decking.

We dont want to do any paving at all, rather we'll use decking around the front entry, and our large entertaining area along the north side of the house off the dining room. We assumed we would use timber, but after today are considering the Modwood Decking alternative. Modwood is manufactured from recycled plastic milk bottles and reclaimed pine waste. It is designed not to warp, crack or splinter, and requires a lot less maintenance than timber. Check out the site www.modwood.com.au. Below is an image of the timber look (on the left is the smooth finish, on the right is the brushed finish).

2. Plantation Shutters

We decided previously that we would use plantation shutters throughout the whole house, even bi-fold plantation shutters over our sliding door off the dining room. There wasn't a great amount of info available at the show, but we picked up a few brochures.

3. Underground Water Storage

Aaron previously got prices from Reece for underground water tanks. Today we found a system that can be taylor made to suit the shape or size of the area we want to put it. It is even strong enough to be installed underneath our driveway. The system is basically made up of modules made from recycled materials. They arrive flat packed, and are assembled on site. I could ramble on about it, but you could just visit the site http://www.undergroundwaterstorage.com.au/ below is an image of the modules used to create the storage system.

4. Pergolas/Outdoor blinds

We plan to construct a pergola off the north side of the house, directly outside the dining room, and stretching almost the entire length of the house, from the garage to the family room. Fielders had the look we're after, a pitched, or dutch gable pergola, with room for ceiling fans for when it's hot in summer (we've learnt this lesson from 5 1/2 years on a rental property with a north facing pergola with a low roof - it's sometimes way too hot to sit underneath). Check out their info at http://www.fielders.com.au/. Stratco also had a good range of the style of pergola we're after. You can check out http://www.lifestylecontructions.com.au/ Below are some pics of what we're after, including some outdoor blinds.