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Permits and approvals for decking in Perth: what you need to know in 2025

Date September 11, 2025 Category Eco Design, Landscaping

One thing that causes lots of Perth homeowners stress when trying to build or add something to their home, permits. Permits can be stressful but you need them.

So you want to build a deck and you’re wondering about permits. That’s definitely fair enough, because the rules around decking approvals in Perth have gotten a bit more complicated over the years.

Eco Carpentry deals with these types of issues all the time. The good news is most basic decks don’t need full building permits but there are definitely some traps you can fall into if you don’t know the rules.

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7 of The Latest Eco Friendly Computers

Date September 20, 2020 Category Eco Design

Eco-Friendly-Computers

If you are into sustainable living and eco friendly products, you might be interested to learn about the latest computers that all have many elements of sustainability, meaning their carbon footprints have been reduced. If you use a computer a lot you may work in web design or a related area but these days almost everyone uses a computer of some kind, be it ever so small.

  • If you work as web designer or SEO and you’re on your computer all day, you might prefer a desk top PC. You’re in luck because DELL offers the LOOP desktop PC. All the parts are recyclable and rented out. They are updated weekly so you’ll hardly ever have to buy new parts. It can be assembled in 30 seconds or less because it is screw-less.
  • So how does a computer made of paper sound? It may not seem like the strongest thing around, but have you ever tried tearing a thick sheet of cardboard? Hard, isn’t it? This little laptop is made from stacked sheets of paper. If anything breaks, you can simply replace it by more of the same and send the broken part back to be recycled. No waste means green.
  • Another laptop is solar powered, with its own solar panel that folds out to power the device. This is ideal for those on the go who tend to sit in the park or drink coffee on the sidewalk while they are using their laptop. This will be a big savings in power use, with the solar panel being able to charge the computer whether it is opened or closed.
  • Another laptop is made from starch-based polymers so the frame can be recycled as well as all the inner components. It can also shine a laser on the wall to project a screen, so you don’t really need a screen or a keyboard.

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Advantages of Eco Friendly Landscaping for Commercial Areas

Date September 16, 2018 Category Eco Design

Landscaping-for-Commercial-

Most commercial areas benefit from having landscapers craft beautiful landscaping, but it is also important these days to ensure your landscaping is environmentally friendly.

The best way to achieve this is to get advice from a professional landscaper who considers eco-friendly landscaping to be not only desirable but essential today.

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7 Eco Friendly Packaging Materials

Date February 25, 2018 Category Eco Design

Eco Friendly Packaging

Packaging comes in a range of different materials. Sometimes what is used depends on the kind of freight or goods that it needs to protect, other times it is simply a matter of what the company finds cheapest or easiest to use, or what the transport company insists on. Plastic is a much used material that has certain benefits, but it also has a downside in that it takes a long time to break down.

There are several options for eco friendly packaging materials and more are being found as the swing to sustainable practices becomes more important and more popular. Here are some of the most used sustainable packaging materials.

  • Cardboard and paper. While they both originate from trees, often it is the waste product from timber that is used. And since both can be used over and over and they break down quickly in landfill leaving no residue they can be considered sustainable. If recycled, other products can be made from them.
  • Cornstarch biodegradables. Packaging made from cornstarch break down easily and is a compostable product. It is often used for takeaway foods or made into pellets that can be used as a filler in boxes or cartons. While it does have a negative impact on the environment when in landfill, this is only for a limited time.

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How Can a Villa Holiday be Eco Friendly?

Date January 12, 2018 Category Eco Design, Sustainable Living

Eco-freindly-holiday

A report this month from holiday experts Easy Villas says if you are truly into sustainable living you may wonder if a holiday in a villa is truly an eco-friendly choice. Even though this can seem like a costly choice and therefore not so very sustainable especially if you are on a budget, you have to look at it from a different perspective. A luxury holiday like can be eco friendly if you share it. Shared holidays are usually much more fun anyway.

Suppose you choose a 3 bedroom luxury villa and took 6 people – 2 to each room. Divide the nightly rental by 6 and it suddenly becomes very affordable. At that rate, the cost of the villa that is advertised at $240 per night, drops to a mere $40 per person. This is something you would never find in Australia, especially not for luxury accommodation. Even caravan parks cost more than that per night and they certainly don’t have luxurious accommodation.

What do you get for that? A lovely villa with lots of living space and a kitchen as well as the bedrooms. Having a kitchen means you can save on the cost of bought meals, especially breakfast. You get a pool that abuts the villa so you can virtually step off the porch into the pool. Many villas have private pools so you don’t have to share with anyone other than your group of friends.

There is luxury outdoor furniture you can use in between swimming in the pool and most villas are close to restaurants, spas and other luxuries that you would enjoy on such a holiday.

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Why are Designer Garden Pots Sustainable?

Date December 19, 2017 Category Eco Design

Designer Garden Pots

Garden pots can be said to be eco friendly if making them didn’t cause pollution and if they last a long time. Sustainability experts consider garden pots to be sustainable if they are made from some natural substance that breaks down in around 5 years. But how is that sustainable?  If you are going to spend money for something like a designer garden pot that you adore the shape and colour of, it needs to last longer than that. And most do because that is what they are designed to do.

No landfill destination for designer pots

Designer garden pots are not going to find their way into landfill for a very long time. And when they do they will begin to break down just like any rock does, over time – if they were made of concrete to start with. Pots that break down quickly are all very well if they are to replace those ugly black plastic pots that find their way to landfill as soon as the plant in them has been planted out into the garden.

But pots for the balcony are not like that. They are going to be used for the life of the plant and beyond, because plants often die, so you could easily be planting several different plants in your designer pots over their lifetime. In fact, they should actually last as long as you do – or longer.

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Property Renovations that are Environmentally Friendly

Date July 30, 2017 Category Eco Design

Property-Renovations

Whether you are planning a small renovation or one that will require you to call in good removalists and move out for the duration, if you were thinking of property renovations it is also wise to consider those that give you the most benefit sustainably. That is, they use environmentally friendly procedures to enhance your lifestyle. For instance, you may need to add an extra room, but is it going to create a dark space by taking away natural daylight from the room it adjoins? If so, you may want to think what you can do to prevent this.

It may be possible to get extra space by rearranging the interior of the home, or by adding a room on another side of the house. If not, can you add a skylight to the room that is left without a window? Or maybe you can repurpose the room by creating a window into the new room. This is only possible if privacy is not an issue.

There are many other ways to make sure renovations are environmentally friendly and add to your lifestyle rather than taking anything away from it.

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The Advantages of Sustainability for Fencing

Date July 5, 2017 Category Eco Design, Sustainable Living

Sustainable Fencing

Whether you’re a fan of sustainability or not, it is fairly obvious that practicing it in every area of life actually saves costs and often time, as well as the earth’s resources. For instance, sustainable fencing not only keeps you secure, but saves a lot of time in maintaining the fence and also the costs of doing so.

Fencing contractors may offer picket fence options and they do look nice, especially with certain styles of houses, but this kind of fence is not particularly sustainable because it requires regular painting to protect the timber from the weather and ensure it lasts a long time. Some people would consider it unsustainable simply because it uses timber, but timber is a natural and renewable resource that is often grown especially for such applications.

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Environmentally Friendly Kitchen Designs

Date February 13, 2017 Category Eco Design, Toxic Free

Environmentally Friendly Kitchen

If you are building a new home or renovating the kitchen in your current home there are many ways in which you can have an environmentally friendly doing so will not only help the environment; it also saves on costs and can even keep you healthier, when you remember that many products release toxic fumes that are known carcinogens. Continue reading for a list of tips that the kitchen specialists at Kitchen Professionals have put together.

Toxic building materials

If you use building materials that are both sustainable and non-toxic your kitchen – and lifestyle – will be well on the way to being a lot healthier, not to mention environmentally friendly.

Start with the kind of materials you use in the kitchen for the cupboards, the counter tops and the flooring. Many cupboards – particularly the inner parts or the back –  are made from MDF or other types of materials that are bonded together using toxic glue. This glue can release fumes into the air for many months after the product has been installed in your kitchen.

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How to be Environmentally Friendly with Equipment Hire

Date November 30, 2015 Category Eco Design, Sustainable Living

Equipment-Hire

When you need plant hire it is essential to choose the right size for the job. Should you hire equipment that is really too big, it is simply wasting money, as such equipment will be more expensive to hire than a smaller one.  In addition, it is not likely to do the job properly and can often make an unnecessary mess of the surrounding area, possibly destroying habitat that could have been saved.

Equipment hire can be unsustainable

If you choose equipment that is not large enough for the job, it will have to work much harder to accomplish what is needed, and then it will take a lot longer to get the job done. This is not sustainable either, for you or for the environment.  It will take more fuel and the equipment may even break down due to doing a job it was not meant to tackle.

So if you are interested in sustainability, it is wise to take care with your equipment hire plans so that you get only equipment appropriate for the job. If you are not sure, don’t be too proud to ask a professional for advice. Usually the ones that hire equipment will have a good idea of what is needed if you tell them a bit about the job. Be guided by their advice, since they are the experts.

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Different Types of Accessories for Your Natural Stone Walls

Date March 9, 2015 Category Eco Design

Natural-Stone-Walls

Natural stone walls make any building look unique and beautiful, but especially residential buildings. Stone has been used as a building material with applications such as stone cladding for hundreds of years and many buildings made from it are still standing today, proving its worth and durability. However, these days there are more technologically advanced ways of cutting stone so that the finish is even more attractive.

For instance, stone can be cut into blocks or bricks that make it much easier and quicker to build with as well as giving a different look and appeal from years ago. The tools that are used these days to cut stone don’t depend on muscle power like they used to and they are made of stronger materials as well, so the job of cutting stone can go ahead more quickly and efficiently, offering a cost effective solution for your building.

There are different types of accessories that can be used to enhance your natural stone walls.

  • Gothic windowsill – a favourite that will add a wonderful perspective to your walls and your home.
  • Bullnose window – the rounded convex trim enhances the window. Rounded edges prevents wearing or erosion of a sharp edge.
  • 2-course splayed corbelling – an extension of two rows of limestone bricks out from the face of the wall.

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