Residential

Downsizing Queenslanders Should buy Portable Houses Instead

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:12:00 GMT

If you live in Queensland, you have likely experienced the effects of the housing crunch. Young couples who dream of starting a family in a home of their own are realising that traditional house prices are well beyond their reach. In contrast, those looking to decrease their living quarters are discovering that the rental market is too steep to join.

Recent information released by a Bankwest survey, combined with the latest Census data, indicates that medium-density buildings are becoming the residence of choice due to their affordability and the competitive rental industry. Since 2006, mortgages for townhouses, units and semi-detached houses in Queensland have increased six per cent to 38 per cent. Of the 35 regions in Queensland, 31 have experienced rapid development of medium-density dwellings. The largest impact has been felt in Redcliffe, a bustling city of 50,000 people who live along the Peninsula just 35 minutes north of Brisbane. This charming seaside town has exploded with medium-density dwellings, rising from 37 per cent to 62 per cent in just five years.

These community-living type buildings, which typically consist of 25 to 80 units, are especially popular amongst first-time homebuyers, middle-income families and baby boomers who are ready to downsize. Most medium-density units are equipped with the bare necessities – two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. Although some have backyards, all sacrifice privacy by sharing a wall with a neighbour. And the razing of single homes for terraced housing is impacting the character of Queensland’s neighbourhoods.

Panelfab’s portable homes offers Queenslanders a different style of living, their affordable prices mean that families do not have to sacrifice the lifestyle that comes with a larger home, such as privacy and individual personality. These spacious accommodations offer newlyweds, blue-collar families and the elderly an affordable alternative to traditional brick and mortar houses. Best of all families can use the money saved from buying a portable home to purchase a larger block of land.

During 35 years in business, Panelfab has successfully settled hundreds of happy families into high quality residential living quarters. Customers have their prefabricated portable homes, cabins or granny flats delivered to their property within weeks, and they can choose from a variety of floor plans and custom upgrades to personalise their space to fit their needs.

Mining and Regional Communities Need Affordable Housing

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:18:00 GMT

Controversial headlines have been sweeping media recently about the influence mining companies are having on Queensland’s housing industry.

In an effort to combat the rising casualties of the mining boom in Western Downs, where some residents are living under bridges, Mayor Ray Brown wants to earmark half the royalties received from the liquefied natural gas industry to support education programs and affordable living projects. Of the 23 cities and 99 small communities Brown’s jurisdiction encompasses, only one town has rental homes available due to the 81 energy projects that are currently in operation.

“Rents are going through the roof, people are being displaced from caravan parks and people are being evicted from their homes because rents have gone up 40 per cent,” Brown told News.com.au in late November. “We need affordable housing now." Premier Anna Bligh supports devoting the funds to education through the recently announced Mines for Minds program, which is expected to generate $1.8 billion during the next decade. This number will increase significantly if Prime Minister Julia Gillard is able to obtain approval from the lower house on a proposed 30 per cent tax hike on the booming mining industry.

However, Australia’s mining union, CFMEU Queensland secretary Jim Valery believes the focus needs to shift to “tackle the crippling rents, troubling fly-in, fly-out working practices, population imbalances and community unrest spreading across the state,”.

As state politicians debate the best way to cope with growth, portable building companies already offer affordable housing options that are ready to be delivered and installed now. Panelfab provides an extensive array of transportable homes, from cabins to granny flats to multi-room bunkhouses.

The transportable homes are available ex-factory complete and ready for transportation or can be custom-designed to fit the customer’s unique needs. In addition to using the highest quality construction materials to ensure seasonal comfort and safety, each unit is equipped with amenities such as stainless steel appliances, overhead kitchen cupboards and wall-to-wall carpeting. Whether customers are looking for a residential or commercial dwelling, Panelfab provides an immediate solution to the affordable housing crisis sweeping Queensland.

Don't Renovate: Add a Portable Granny Flat

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:25:00 GMT

Falling real estate prices and mandated moratoriums on new construction are motivating many Queenslanders to invest in their current properties rather than purchase or build new homes. Yet the renovations in this flat market are coming at a steep price.

Although investing in a current property may seem like a good idea in a down market, homeowners who choose this route risk overcapitalising the property if they splurge on items and materials that make the house more valuable than the neighbourhood. This can create a new set of financial problems when the time to sell finally comes around. In some cases, sellers are increasing their asking price as much as 10 per cent above true value just to cover renovation costs, which means their homes are sitting on the listings longer.

Expensive renovations will not protect homeowners from the declining market either. However, with their portable granny flat and cabin options, Panelfab offers an affordable opportunity to add instant equity to properties. These spacious transportable homes also immediately increase the square footage of a residence.

Recent research released by the ratings company Canstar Blue reveals that nearly 73 per cent of Australians are embarking on their improvement projects without professional assistance. While most homeowners may find it relatively easy to apply a fresh coat of paint to the walls, large-scale renovations that require specific knowledge, such as updating electrical wiring, adding a room and moving plumbing lines, are best left to specialists. Inexperience can lead to a costly mistake down the road.

Panelfab can help homeowners avoid these dangerous disasters by installing temporary and semipermanent structures on their property. In addition to portable granny flats and cabins, Panelfab rent and sell teenage retreats and office transportables. Customers can choose from dozens of prefabricated designs or they can opt to customise the building to meet their individual needs.

Portable homes are constructed using the most advanced materials on the market and are equipped with kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and bedrooms, as well as stainless steel appliances, plush carpeting and overhead cupboards. Best of all, Panelfab can deliver these units to any site, and they can easily relocate the units if needed.

Buying a Holiday House

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:46:00 GMT

Spending your holiday in your own personal slice of paradise in the rolling green hills of Queensland or along the captivating coast of the Barrier Reef may seem like an unattainable dream. Buying a holiday house comes at a steep price, while cheap holiday houses, reserved sight unseen, can be a gamble.

Even if your goal is financially attainable, the process of buying a holiday house can be a hassle. However, if you are serious about settling down on an untouched beach where the only footprints are yours, or you dream about holidaying amongst the roos or koalas, then an affordable holiday house is within your reach.

Panelfab, the leading manufacturer and distributor of transportable cabins in Australia, offers a diverse line of temporary and semi-permanent structures that can be placed on any site you choose. These affordable holiday houses are readily transportable so they can be easily relocated on site if your needs change. While customisations can be made, there are 10 predesigned cabins available that will be delivered within weeks of placing an order.

One of the key advantages to purchasing a Panelfab holiday house instead of a traditional second home is that you do not have to worry about prior damage caused by termites, poor construction or old age. Each Panelfab cabin is constructed from premium insulated panels, which help maintain a comfortable climate in the most demanding conditions. The fully mobile units are inspected for perfection before being sent out and require minimal maintenance.

Panelfab cabins are also, on average, one-third of the price of traditional holiday houses currently on the market. The savings can be used to purchase your dream property so that you can have your perfect escape. We carry a large stock of ready-to-ship rental and sale units, which can be placed on any location that you choose, whether it is in the country, the desert, the vineyards or near the beach. Before settling on a location, you must research your local laws. You are required to receive Council approval before installing a portable building.

Finally, you must choose the style of home you want. Each standard Panelfab cabin is equipped with flourescent lights, an air conditioner, a smoke alarm and an aluminum-framed sliding door and glass windows, as well as a bathroom, kitchenette and living room. Cabins with an ensuite start at 6 meters by 3 meters. Two-bedroom and three-bedroom options are also available, complete with full-size bathrooms, L-shaped kitchens, spacious sitting rooms and foyer entries. The largest available preconfigured structure measures 13.2 meters by 6.9 meters.

Although we have a large inventory of in-stock rental and sale units, the flexibility of the design allows us to custom configure units to fit your unique holiday house needs.

How To Sell A House

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:45:00 GMT

Buying and selling a house requires an enormous time investment. The process is long and complicated, requiring patience, dedication, flexibility and the ability to make difficult decisions on a moment’s notice.

The first, and most crucial step in how to sell a house begins with preparation. Six weeks before putting your house on the market, inspect the interior and exterior for flaws that could impact the selling price. Applying a fresh coat of paint, trimming the lawn or greasing a squeaky door can be completed quickly and inexpensively. An inspector can identify deeper issues to avoid surprise problems at closing.

Contact a realtor once your property is in the best condition possible. Look for other properties in the neighbourhood that are for sale, and then contact the agent listed on the signage. Always ask for references when you contact an agent.

An agent will assess the house’s value based on comparable property prices in the community. They will also begin marketing the property through signage, flyers, websites and open houses. While the agent is doing their homework, you can focus on refreshing your home so that it is ready to be seen at a moment’s notice when a potential buyer expresses interest.

Common Roadblocks at Closing
Once a buyer is located, both parties will have a tremendous amount of paperwork to complete. If you are selling the home on your own, contact a lawyer who is familiar with the legal issues in your area.

How long it takes to sell a house depends on many factors, but an average of 65 days is typical. Geographic location and the local job market, as well as the condition of the home, the competitiveness of the asking price and the availability of nearby foreclosures all impact how long it takes to sell a house. The buyer’s credit history, liens on the property’s title, bank requirements, low appraisals and mistakes in paperwork are also common culprits in delaying the sale of a home.

Finding Your Next Home
Moving is one of the most stressful aspects of selling a home. Perfectly timing the transition between places to live is rarely easy and you could find yourself without a home for weeks or months. Carrying two mortgages is financially burdensome, while rental properties often require a contract commitment.

Why not take the pressure off, by considering an alternative low cost residence while you are searching or waiting for your new home? If you have access to land or even a large backyard, then a Panelfab prefabricated home provides the perfect solution for temporary or even permanent housing needs.

Panelfab also offers an incredible selection of affordable residential accommodations. These structures are equipped with all the standard amenities, including stainless steel appliances, wall-to-wall carpeting, kitchen cupboards and plumbing. We provide ex factory complete homes that are delivery and crane-ready, as well as a comprehensive list of optional upgrades.

The buying, delivery and installation process takes just a few weeks, and, best of all, we invite our customers to visit our factory anytime to view the construction progress.

Expanding your Family and Home

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:43:00 GMT

Is your home getting a little crowded? Expanding families can quickly crowd even larger houses. An ex factory or fully installed home extension from Panelfab is the perfect solution to the increasing lack of space in your home.

It’s amazing how fast a family grows. One minute your child is walking for the first time, taking tentative steps across the floor while Dad hovers with a video camera and Mum waits with outstretched arms. The next minute they are asking to borrow the keys to the car.

No Need To Move Or Renovate

Not only do growing kids take up a lot more space, they have a ton of clothes, toys, games, sporting equipment, bikes, school projects and more. What do you do? Should you move to a larger house? Maybe you should renovate your current home?

With the current state of the economy, many families are choosing to stay in their current house and simply add home extensions. Adding on to a house is much less stress and hassle than moving or renovating. Our transportables easily create room for family expansions.

A Panelfab home extension lets you add a bedroom, playroom, kitchen, and extra storage. We have a wide variety of floor plans including several options that include wardrobes and linen cupboards.

Ready To Go

Panelfab transportables are the fastest, simplest, most inexpensive way to gain more room for family. Our buildings arrive ready to be installed. For example, all plumbing to the floor level is ready to be connected on-site. The central power point is prepared and standing by for service. The whole building is set for site crane lifting when it arrives at your home. We can even provide a fully installed option that includes council approvals for services hook-ups.

You’ll appreciate the workmanship we put into each building. For example, if you opt to add a kitchen area, you’ll find ours comes complete with overhead cupboards, full carpeting, and stainless steel appliances. All doors are insulated internally. Options include insulated external doors or glass sliding doors. Choose electric or gas stoves. Stainless steel sinks come standard with mixer taps.

We place the utmost importance on safety, especially important with kids involved. Electrical fittings throughout are constructed with double power points. An RCD safety switch is included in each unit. Smoke detectors are added as laid out in the plans and are wired directly to the power supply. No other company pays as much attention to the safety and reliability of their units.

Room To Breathe

With a Panelfab transportable on your property, you gain the breathing room you need. Now the kids have a place of their own to play, work on school projects or hang with friends. With so much more room, you open up tremendous possibilities. For instance, some of our customers move their home office into the transportable, freeing up space in the main house for a kids playroom or other use. It is completely up to you.

Panelfab home extensions are built solid for years of service. Each wall and roof panel is fully insulated. The floor is secured on a steel frame base with timber sheeting. Bathrooms come with a builder’s range of choices for vanity basins, towel rails, mirrors, tapware and more. Hot water is supplied with our instantaneous gas heater.

Adding on to a house has never been easier. We’ve made family expansions more affordable than ever. We invite you to join our extended family of satisfied customers. In fact, after you place an order you are welcome to come out to the factory for regular visits to see your very own transportable being made.

Give one of our consultants a call today to see how you can quickly, and easily, get more room for your growing family.

Alternatives to Kit Homes

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:32:00 GMT

Kit homes are fantastic for the adventurous type who have a generous budget and enjoy complex ‘do it yourself’ projects, or are in touch with an excellent builder. For those in need of accommodation in a shorter time frame, with tighter budgets, or are uninterested in construction the solution will most likely lay in an alternative to kit homes such as transportable buildings.

Panelfab – a Queensland based transportable building manufacturer – revealed a case study of a client who had purchased a kit home and abandoned the project after years of construction. The main issues were a lack of time, budget, and knowledge.

The project began excellently; however, the kit home soon began impending on work schedules and time management became an issue. Another problem the client faced was budget, as each step of the project was completed the next step required new materials, and the project was put on hold again. Finally a lack of knowledge to do with carpentry and electrical work meant that the client had to wait to contract a carpenter and electrician before the home could be complete.

After realising kit homes may not be for her she purchased a transportable building. It was designed, manufactured, delivered, and installed by professionals within weeks, not months or years.

Unfortunately this case is quite common, with buyers being unaware of the commitment necessary for the setup of a kit home – they are not for the faint hearted!

Another issue kit home buyer’s face is termite infestation. Log kit homes or kit homes with wooden frames should be entirely and thoroughly treated to combat the possible invasion.

Fortunately transportable buildings are manufactured with heavy duty steel base frames which are 100 per cent termite proof!

Other issues to beware of when deciding between a kit home or an alternative to kit homes is currently the Queensland office of fair trading is investigating some of the larger kit home companies in Australia due to several complaints of homes not being delivered within reasonable time frames.

Kit home buyers are also warned about an interstate investigation into a kit home trader who has committed fraudulent acts in Queensland, Darwin, and is now believed to be in Victoria.

Kit homes are a fantastic idea for those who are aware of the complex nature of kit homes, have the budget, and want a challenge! Those who need accommodation in a hassle free, time efficient manner should look at alternatives to kit homes such as transportable buildings.

Live On-Site While Renovating

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:15:00 GMT

Home renovations generally mean at least one room of your home is inaccessible or has lost its primary function. Therefore you need to consider how this will impact on your daily life and where you will live while renovating. There are several solutions available, such as living with family, staying in a hotel, camping in the backyard, or attempting to live on-site– but just how realistic are they? There is another solution: portable accommodation.

Some things to consider are,

If you are renovating your kitchen this cost can easily sky rocket if your family eat at restaurants instead of eating at home.

Pets need to be taken into consideration, as it is not recommended to leave your companions in care facilities such as kennels for months.

You may need to remove furniture or other belongings from rooms that are being renovated. If they cannot be relocated to another room in the house, storage facilities are an option. However you will also have to organise removalists to pack up your furniture and transport it to a facility.

If your bathroom is being renovated, showering will become complicated. You can invest in an outdoor shower from a camping store which is quite inexpensive; however, hot water will not be an option.

Possible solutions,

Staying with family means you will be able to save money, and catch up with your loved ones; however, it may become cramped with two families or couples under one roof. The stress of renovating a home is also renowned, and could have a negative effect on your relationship with your family.

Staying in a hotel will allow you the freedom and space to live comfortably; however, it can become very expensive, especially if the renovation stretches over a few months.

Camping in the backyard is a possibility for those to love the outdoors, although while children will love the novelty of sleeping outside for a night or two this may become troublesome after weeks or months. Also camping while you are renovating will only work if your kitchen and bathrooms are operational.

Living on-site in your home keeps you close by for organisation purposes, and it is possible to cook on a veranda or deck if you have a gas stove or electric fry pan. This option is quite stressful for some people, as there is no escape from the noise, clutter, and frustration of renovation.

These options are all viable however they can often be stressful, expensive, cramped, and just plain uncomfortable. The best solution to where to live while renovating is simple: portable accommodation.

Transportable homes and cabins are available with several layout designs and additional features, such as air conditioning, car ports, extra power outlets and more. They can be delivered and installed within weeks not months and once set up on your property they allow you to be close to your project, but still offer a retreat for you to relax.

Buy or rent - the option is yours! Portable homes for sale are affordable, and once you own the home you have an asset which you can use as an investment and earn rental income once your home is complete. You are also able to re-sell the portable unit which hold their value, and if kept in good condition, actually increase in value!

Renting a portable home allows you to pay no upfront costs, keep the home as long as necessary, and have it picked up and removed as soon as it is no longer needed.

Having your own space, being able to use a kitchen, and having a functioning bathroom all while staying close to your project will alleviate the stress from your home renovation – give Panelfab a call today they are the leaders in portable accommodation!