News Articles & Media Releases

24/01/10
Outdoor Perks
Writer: Paula Aubin
Publication: Homes – The Sunday Times
Section: Build under $200,000

As our love affair with outdoor living continues, alfresco areas are becoming bigger and better. Whether we’re in the market for luxury or working with a first homebuyer’s budget, this is one area of the home we’re reluctant to skimp on.

Measuring 7.3m by 3.7m, the alfresco in the Accolade by Homebuyers Centre is particularly impressive, with plenty of room for a chic outdoor lounge suite as well as a dining table and bench seats.

Jared Stone, sales and marketing manager at Homebuyers Centre, says home entertaining is popular with new owners.

“Gathering family and friends together and entertaining at home is often a big part of their future in their new home,” Jared says.

The outdoor room fits very neatly into the Accolade’s cost-effective design, which means other areas of the home don’t need to be sacrificed to stay within budget.

The dining room, family room and kitchen all wrap around the alfresco to give the home that must-have indoor/outdoor focus.

A pizza oven and built-in barbeque give buyers an idea of how they could kit out their outdoor entertaining room.

Peaceful and tranquil, befitting the display home’s Byford location, the alfresco is the perfect spot in which to relax with the weekend paper or enjoy the company of friends and family.

Underlining the Accolade’s comfortable family-orientated design, warm tones have been used in the kitchen, which has overhead cupboards, an island bench with integrated breakfast bar, stainless-steel appliances, a display shelf above the fridge/freezer and a walk-in pantry.

At the front of the home is a theatre room that can act as a comfortable daytime lounge away from the hubbub of family life.

Also overlooking the front garden is the master suite where his-and-hers walk-in wardrobes flank the entry into the ensuite bathroom with its double-sized shower.

The three minor bedrooms are zoned together with the laundry, second bathroom, linen cupboard and separate toilet.

Jared says the Accolade offers first-time buyers all the elements they need now and in the future, particularly when the time comes to sell and move on up the property ladder.

“If you buy an established home, you’re paying for all the work that someone else done,” he says. “One of the driving factors in building a house is that when it comes time to sell, you’re going to be rewarded for the work that you’ve put in.

“Yes, it’s got to suit your current lifestyle, but it’s got to be built for resale.”

A tropically inspired elevation, with a rendered finish and gatehouse-style portico, assures the Accolade will have lasting appeal.