Buying a low-maintenance home

While many Australians are more than happy to maintain an older home on a quarter-acre block and spend weekends weeding, mowing and repainting in exchange for space for the kids to run around, such homes no longer suit a large proportion of the population.

For many singles and professional couples, the perfect Sunday morning is spent relaxing with friends or reading the newspaper over brunch at their favourite local café; not dusting, mopping, weeding and mowing at home. For older people, simply keeping up with home maintenance can be problematic due to less mobility, or they would rather be out on the golf course than doing the housework.

Choosing durable materials

A low-maintenance home should be designed to require little regular upkeep and have inbuilt durability in the materials used, so they rarely, or never, require repainting or other maintenance. Look for tiled roofs, non-timber durable cladding, solid-brick or concrete-block construction and aluminium timber-look decking for low-maintenance living.

Inside, the use of hard flooring such as timber or tiles reduces housework, as does flush, built-in storage that doesn’t allow dust to collect on shelving. A central vacuum system or automated vacuum cleaner can further reduce time and energy spent on house cleaning. Appliances such as a self-cleaning pyrolytic oven or an automatic defrost refrigerator further free up time that would otherwise be spent on household chores.

Easy outdoor spaces

A small courtyard or terrace can be used to enjoy the outdoors while remaining virtually maintenance-free if plants such as succulents, drought-resistant Australian natives or a slow-growing grass variety are planted.

Low-maintenance living need not mean downsizing to an apartment or townhouse; the amount of upkeep and maintenance required even in larger family homes can be considerably decreased by following the same principles of using durable materials, incorporating easy-to-clean elements and landscaping the garden so it is designed to virtually look after itself.

In the long term, a low-maintenance home not only frees up much of your spare time on weekends and makes day-to-day organising a breeze, but it can also save you considerable sums of money because there will be no need to repaint weatherboards, re-stain decking or replace rusted tin roofing.

Passive design

Whether you are building, renovating or buying, keep passive design in the back of your mind. Passive design eliminates the need for heating or cooling by using clever design and nature to do the work for you. If your home is passive you won’t have to worry so much about the temperature or your bills. This can save you money and also make your home more comfortable no matter what season it is.

If you are in the market for a new home, and the idea of low-maintenance living appeals to you, start by making a checklist of your requirements that will reduce the amount of time you spend on housework and garden maintenance. Then look forward to spending your extra free time on the things you enjoy in life.