Roller shutters and outdoor blinds in Floreat

Mining work accounts for 7.8% of employed Floreat residents, above the 6.6% across Greater Perth. Read it as a proxy for fly-in fly-out rosters only; the census does not ask about them. 15.6% of residents are 65 or over, just under the Greater Perth figure of 15.8%, and 45.7% of homes are owned outright.

When the house is empty, motorised shutters do the opening and closing for you. Set a schedule so they move at fixed times, close the lot from a remote on the way out, and with WiFi control run them from your phone. With hardwired motors, Somfy's Chronis remote has a built-in timer that can hold up to 6 time slots a day. Separately, WA Police holiday advice is to set your alarm and put timers on lights and electronics.

Power cuts are the other question when nobody is home. Somfy's CSI motor for hardwired shutters has a manual override, so the shutter can still be operated when the power is out.

Most of Floreat is in the Town of Cambridge, with a smaller part in the City of Nedlands. For a single house, the state planning exemption usually covers shutters: no development approval is needed when the R-Codes apply, the works comply with the deemed-to-comply provisions and the house is not heritage protected.

The exceptions are worth checking. Places on the Town's Heritage List need planning approval for demolition and most development works. The Town's exemption policy notes that approval may still be required on land in a heritage area, special control area or bushfire prone area, and that in most cases a building permit is needed before construction starts, even for exempt development. Homes in the Nedlands part of the suburb should check with the City of Nedlands.