When it comes to showrooms, you'd naturally assume the home of a professional builder is the perfect example. When Adelaide builder Mile Pavić decided to add a LYSAGHT LIVING® verandah to his suburban home, he naturally took an advanced approach to the process.
When Mile and his family moved to Seaton, a suburb of Adelaide, in 2014, he naturally took a renovator’s approach to the purchase. “We have a three-bedroom home and have been really happy here,” Mile says. “When I renovated the home, I knocked down three walls and converted it into a more open-plan design.” One of the final elements of the renovation was replacing a steel, skillion roof verandah. “It was only around 2 ½ metres high,” Mile says. “I have plenty of friends, mate, and we love to have a party!” Where the former aged structure stood, now stands a 14.5m x 5.5m verandah with soaring 3m high ceilings.
Here are Mile’s best tips for building a verandah with both practicality and pizzazz!
QUALITY IS KING (AND QUEEN…ETC.!)
“The thing I look for is quality - first in the product, then of course, the quality of the build,” Mile says. “I like the quality of each LYSAGHT LIVING® component. In particular, design features like no gaps in-between the rafters, which intersect at 90 degrees. If there are gaps, birds can get in, leave their droppings and cause damage.”
LIGHT UP THE NORTH
“When your roof is primarily facing north, you’ll want to use as light a colour as possible because it faces the sun,” Mile advises. His hip gable roof comprises of COLORBOND® steel in the fresh white Surfmist® shade. “On a really hot day it’s actually cooler in here than it is inside the house.”
HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN
On the topic of light, nothing beats the beauty of natural sunlight. In addition to using segments of translucent sheeting on the roof, Mile also let the sunshine flood in, through his own more unorthodox customisation. “I like to use a translucent sheeting for the gable end, to let the sun flow in.”
CONTRACT IS KING
Mile’s tip for every building project he undertakes? “There are to be no variations on either end, once the contract is signed,” he says. “Once drawings are completed and the contract is signed, I build to those standards.” As Mile further explains, “if I make a mistake in building what’s on the drawing, I wear that - and if the customer wants any additions, then they do. It helps when everything is black and white”.
To get a quote on your next patio, pergola or verandah, click here.
