7 tips for renovating your house on a budget

Over the past 3-4 months my husband and I have been up and down and round and round about the renovation we want to do on our house. We have limited funds for it and a house with a small footprint to try and fit everything we want in. We have learned a great deal about the renovation process and today I thought I would pass on a few tips.

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1. Don't engage an architect before you really know what you are doing

We moved in to our house over a year ago now. About one month after we moved in I knew I wanted to renovate and fix some things up. I wanted to add a new bedroom so each of our three boys would have a room of their own. We only had one bathroom and I wanted to add an ensuite and there were some other styling things I wanted to fix up as well. But so far it has taken me more than a year to try and work out exactly what we need and how best we can achieve this for our limited budget. About 3 months ago we engaged an architect and to be honest with you it was about 3 months too early. So far we have spent quite a lot of money on going back and forth with the architect, largely because my husband and I hadn't been clear on what we really wanted, or how much we really wanted to spend.

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It can be exciting to renovate and you can easily get caught up in the process. But architects are a big and expensive step in the process and I advise to not rush in to who you choose and how fast you get going. If practical it is always best to try and live in a space for a while before you renovate, especially if this is a house you are planning on renovating and living in for the longer term (3 years +). It is hugely beneficial to see how a space works for you and your family before you start renovating. You would be surprised at what you learn about it - where you might want your laundry room, how much storage you need, where the bedrooms should be placed, how the sun comes in and lights the house over the day. What kind of flooring do you want? Will carpet or floorboards be better in the bedrooms? Is the house warm in winter and cool in summer? If not, how might you approach cooling/heating? These are all the types of things you might want to consider as you plan your renovation. Getting these things wrong can cost you more money in the long run.

2. Think about your future potential buyers

Are you trying to design a family house? Or a house for young couples with no children? Are you worried about resale value and how much your house will be worth post-renovation (if not, you should be!).

When you are renovating a house for you and your family it can be easy to get caught up in the here and now. This is where so many people go wrong with renovations. They spend too much money on things they love that end up alienating their target market when they go to sell. What then happens is their house sits on the market for far longer than it should. Make sure that when you renovate you think of who you will be selling to down the track. Don't paint pink feature walls if you love pink. Instead, buy some pink throw cushions or a great artwork with splashes of pink. Not only can you take these things with you to your next house, you won't alienate half the people who might buy from you (i.e. the people who don't really want to have pink feature walls in their bedrooms!).For maximum appeal and profit down the track, keep the big things in a renovation neutral. That means kitchens, bathrooms, paint colour choice, flooring. Go crazy on your accessories though. Not only can you spend more on these as you can take them anywhere you ever move to, but they won't put buyers off and won't impact on your sale value down the track.

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3. You can achieve a lot with styling

This leads to styling. So much can be done on a budget with styling choices. If you aren't that interested in current styling trends an easy way to achieve a current look in your renovation is to copy trends you see in magazines and online (Houzz, Pinterest and Instagram). I always find looking through online house sale websites (e.g. Domain or RealEstate.com in Australia) can be great sources of inspiration for latest ideas and trends. You will get a feeling for what others are doing in their houses and no doubt find tips and tricks you can use in your own house. Check out the board I've set up on pinterest where I collect all the images and ideas for my own home renovation - like this bathroom styling that I love!

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I also use the floor plans on house sale websites to try and find good ideas for storage options, floor plan ideas and the sorts of sizes bedrooms and other rooms in the house should be. Not sure what size a main bedroom should be? Take a look at similar houses to yours online and see what kind of floor plans they have. Can you take any tips from this for your own renovation?

4. Draw your floor plan - then plan it out and see what you have

I've replanned my home renovation about 5-6 times now. I've been working on it for over year. The reason it is tricky is because we are working to a serious budget and we have a difficult floor plan to start. We also want to try and make the most of the space we have - I don't want to waste any area so I'm trying to minimise corridor/wasted space and make the house be as efficient as it can. But this is harder than it seems. I have probably drawn about 25 floor plans now. I do them up on grid paper and draw them to scale. When I think I'm getting close to a good design I cut out all my large furniture pieces to scale on the same size grid paper and I move these around the rooms. This can be a really helpful way of seeing whether my furniture will fit in the rooms/spaces I have drawn. About 20 of the designs I have drawn have been discarded at this point because I have seen that in reality the floor plans just won't work. Once the big furniture items are in (e.g. beds, couch) I can clearly see if doors don't open well, whether you can get around the foot of the bed easily etc. It's a very effective method. It can be time consuming though. In fact in the past few months most of my spare time has been taken up with drawing my little floor plans (you may have noticed my lack of posts on this blog as a result!!!).

Once you have done those steps and you feel you are getting close to a design the next recommendation is for you to mark out the new spaces with masking tape on the floor. This is particularly helpful for bathrooms as you can see whether the toilet and sink will work in the spaces you have planned or whether you need more/less space. You can see an attempt at this below where I was seeing whether I could fit a master and ensuite in to my second living area. I was convinced this would work but when I taped it out and walked through the space I could clearly see the bedroom area was just going to be too small, so I discarded this plan as well.

5. Steal ideas from everywhere

Obsess over Pinterst, Instagram, interior design blogs, and published magazines. You don't have to be a design genius to copy ideas you see and make them in your own homes. Get a feel for current trends and see what the fashionable architects and designers are doing with their houses and copy their ideas. Keep a notes list open on your phone and write down any ideas you see of products, paint colours, etc. when you're out and about. You might see a great pendant light that you love - jot down where you found it and take a photo of it to refer back to later. Trust me, you will forget all about it otherwise!

Here are a few pictures I've collected of ideas for my new entry hall, for example.

  

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It can be a good idea to keep a book of photos you like so that when you get to the point of engaging an architect you have some shots you can show them of things you like and the look you are going for. This can be done by cutting out clippings from magazines and keeping them in a folder, or I set up a pinterest board just for my renovation to keep all the ideas and pictures I like together in one place. Check it out here if you're interested.

6. Source products yourself

Don't fall in the trap of getting builders or trades people to source products for you. With so many online suppliers these days you can make significant savings by shopping around for products you like and buying them yourself. This might be for fixtures and fittings (e.g. taps, shower heads etc.) or appliances or furniture. The biggest retailers don't always have the cheapest prices and if you do a bit of online searching for products you love, you will be sure to find them online cheaper elsewhere.

7. Enjoy the process!

The most important thing is to try and enjoy the process of renovating. It can be a stressful time, but it doesn't need to be. If you plan well, make good design choices that will appeal to the widest possible group of people and source products yourself you are sure to end up with a great result that will not only be great to live in but will improve the value of your home over the long term.

Happy renovating - have a great day.
Clare x

Product love | Twiggargerie

A month or so ago I discovered these adorable little decorating items by Twiggargerie. At the time I was looking at some images styled by an interior stylist I love - Julia Green of Greenhouse Interiors - and saw these cute little items in situ. It isn't often that I stumble across products that I know nothing at all about and as soon as I saw these beautiful bright, um, twigs (!!) I knew I had to have some of my own. And I knew exactly the spot I would hang them. 

So after a month or so of waiting for them to be handcrafted to perfection, my little twig houses arrived today. As you can see they are looking right at home already. I just love them and the pop of colour that they bring to my otherwise monochrome lounge room.

The shot below features another of the other products in Twiggargerie's range - the cube. This shot, kindly provided to my by Julia Green to use in this post, also includes products by some of the other artists that she works closely with (including the gorgeous "Mauve your ass" print by Pru Caroline). Check them all at Greenhouse Interiors website if you get a chance!

And finally, some more shots of the gorgeous products on offer at Twiggargerie. 

If you are keen to get your hands on some of these gorgeous little products, contact Julia and her team. Details here. 

Have a great day!

Clare x

Our home renovation!

It's been a really busy time and a while since my last post, but I'm back into it now and thrilled to be announcing a new series for the blog - a series that will be following my own home renovation. I'll be starting today with how we've come to choose our architect, and bring you up dates over the coming months on the steps we go through as part of the design and build process as well as interior choices that we make.

My husband and I have been up and down over the past year about whether or not to renovate. Our house currently has 3 bedrooms, but there isn't enough space to accommodate everything we need - nor even enough for us and our three little boys to all have our own spaces. Some readers will already know that my middle son, Hugo, is disabled, and we have a serious need to 'future proof' our house with better access for him, disabled-friendly bathrooms, space for the other boys to have their own rooms, along with the ability to have a live-in carer if we need one down the track. We have also requested a master suite - capturing ocean views if we can - so it's a tricky (and expensive sounding!) brief to say the least.

But a few months ago I was reading architecture blog, Design Hunter, who was talking about her own home renovation and the architect she had used. I loved the look of her house so much that it sparked my husband and I to make contact with the architect (incidentally I wasn't the only one who loved this - the same house was also featured last week on Vogue Living). Here are a few shots - but pop over to Bourne Blue Architecture or Design Hunter to see more.

A quick look on Bourne Blue Architecture's website  and I found more amazing homes that inspired me. 

Like the alterations to this home in North Bondi, Sydney. 

Or this Cooks Hill house (you can see more pictures here)

(All images by Bourne Blue Architecture)

So we made contact with Shane from Bourne Blue Architecture and have and have been thrilled with everything so far. He has taken measurements of our house and done measured drawings and we've handed over our VERY ambitious wish list. And now we are waiting to see what comes back! It's an exciting time and we can't wait to get started.

But the start of our renovation series wouldn't be complete without a few shots of what the house looks like at the moment. Some parts don't look too bad, I know, but let's face it - the facade could definitely do with some help!

Would love to hear about any tips or ideas you have from your own renovation experiences! Get in contact and let me know. 

Have a great day! x

IKEA Gallo shelving | Design on a budget

I've been lusting after the Scandinavian design classic, "the string" (shelving system), for ages now. So you can imagine how happy I've been to fairly recently discover the IKEA equivalent - the Ekby Gallo. If you squint they look almost exactly the same!!  I'm seriously considering putting a couple of these sets together as desk spaces in the kids rooms, so have been looking around for some inspiration - and thought I would share.

First, here are a few pictures of the String, so you can see what we are comparing to.

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And the rest are the IKEA Gallo. They really do look great, especially when they are styled with all your Scandinavian bits and pieces. 

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And this is the desk type arrangement I'm considering for the kids' rooms, although I would choose white shelves probably. 

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So what do you think - would you still spend up big on the String or are you sold on the IKEA Gallo? For me, once again IKEA comes to the rescue :)

Have a great day! x

Mums in Design | Georgina Wilson

Today I'm thrilled to be presenting the second in my Mums in Design series (read the first one here), featuring an interview with Australian architect and Mum, Georgina Wilson. Georgina is the owner of the award winning practice - Georgina Wilson Architect as well as a Mum to three beautiful kids. I have to admit to having known Georgina from our previous lives as classical music students, but both of us have moved on to bigger and better things and it's been great to get back in contact after many years.

Georgina's practice specialises in high end residential and commercial design. She has had an ongoing partnership with Sydney Eye Specialist Centre and is currently working with them to complete a new project in Double Bay in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. With her team, she has been responsible for some other amazing projects that involve really creative solutions to tricky problems, some of which I will be featuring today. I absolutely love the ensuite that has been squeezed into the top of this Paddington terrace, for example. More of this project below.

Read on as Georgina tells me all about her practice, how she juggles her work and family, her design trend predictions and how she has adapted her own style for life with her little people...

Image credit: Murray Fredericks

1. Tell us a little bit about your background. What attracted you to the world of architecture and what led you to starting your own architecture practice?

I fell into architecture after a failed attempt at a musical and dance career. I have always loved maths and art and upon leaving school a friend (who was an established architect), suggested that I consider architecture as a career. As it turned out, after a few failed attempts at becoming other things I found my calling as an architect.

2. You have three kids (and a husband!) and a thriving business. How do you juggle it all?

I have a lot of help! I have a wonderful team of four architects and a financial administrator at the office. We work together on each project, each person contributes according to their particular talents. We collaborate with several related professionals on certain projects – artists, photographers, builders, various craftsmen - and this is very rewarding.

I am very fortunate to also have a lot of support at home. We live and work in the same suburb, which I love. My office is 5 minutes’ walk from home so there is no wasted commute time.

3. So far in your career you have had some big jobs. What are your favourite types of projects to work on and what have been some of your favourites so far ?

I love all of our projects for different reasons. We facilitate the creation of our Clients’ dream environments so each project has the capacity to take us somewhere quite different. We have projects on the drawing board at the moment that are very diverse and exciting, from a Spanish Hacienda, a Paddington terrace, an exotic Hawaiian tropical retreat, a beachside bungalow, a Hamptons style villa. We enjoy finding the right way to encapsulate Client’s preferences into their particular site.

Examples below are from one of Georgina's projects a residence in Oatley Road, Paddington.
Image credits: Murray Fredericks

4. How would you describe your personal design aesthetic at home? How have you had to adapt your style to accommodate little people?

I have a strong feeling that space should be logical, simple, and beautiful. The simple and beautiful part can come in many different forms, but it is important to me that spaces are rigorously functional. This becomes even more important when considered in relation to the way we live – in a house with 7 people!

Good design can literally make your world go round. The layout of our house is very well conceived and is the background to our lives. The upper level is for sleeping. The ground floor is public space. We all come together to cook meals, talk, watch tv, and play. We often have other friends or family around. We try to keep things fairly minimal – we do not have a lot of ‘stuff’.

I find it impossible to manage this if we accumulate too much. Our furniture and belongings could perhaps be described as ‘eclectic’. We have some furniture and crockery from my late grandma, Darling. This alongside a few key pieces that are relatively modern. Our massive dining table is great – we do everything at this table – kids draw, glue, eat, spill stuff.

We also rigged up a plywood table top for an old refectory table that we had and made the kids a ‘train table’ out of it. Occupies them all for hours and is brilliant as it keeps the small pieces off the floor where the babies are. Storage is essential – everything must have a place – preferably somewhere out of sight! I have come to absolutely adore timber flooring. It is just so tough, and I think it can be very beautiful.

5. What does a typical day usually involve for you?
I always try to fit some exercise into my day. I spend the day either in the office – drawing or talking with my team, or out at meetings which could be on site, with Clients or other consultants or suppliers. It is quite varied, depending upon what we have on. By 7:30, everyone is home and we all have dinner together. It is a bit chaotic, but it is important to me that we all eat as a family.

Images of Georgina and her family at home taken by Noel Mclaughlin

6. What are your top 5 design resources - across any media?

• Pinterest;
• Garance Dore;
• Google!
• Instagram
• Ted.com
• And I love walking around Sydney.

7. What are your top interior trend predictions for 2014?

• The man cave
• Communal living
• Clever and beautiful wine storage
• Lifts
• Streamlining of design due to improved technological infrastructure
• The multi-function covered outdoor space – gazebo, cabana.

8. What are your favourite design products for life with little people?

• A good pair of shoes – birkenstocks or rubber soled sneakers
• A nice refillable water bottle – Camelbak makes good ones
• A good hat – my favourite is by Helen Kaminski
• A nice light, fairly large scarf – covers you from the sun, keeps baby warm, breastfeeding cover up, shades baby while sleeping, can use as a change mat or picnic blanket.
• An indestructible buggy – we have used our bugaboo for all three kids – it’s been invaluable.
• Ikea plastic high chair
• A nice cross body bag or backpack – instead of a baby bag as such. Something you can wear and be ‘hands free’.
• Wipes;
• Tupperware;
• Timber floors;
• Polyurethane joinery – can be wiped down easily;
• Our baby jail at home has been useful for providing a safe haven for our youngest child. It is pretty ugly though.

9. Who are your favourite designers?

• Isabel Marant;
• Missoni;
• Lululemon;
• Georg Jensen;
• Petit bateau.

10. Who inspires you?
I find a lot of people I work with inspiring. People who bring huge energy to their occupation, everyday. I find my mum and dad inspiring – they maintain a very successful business and love what they do. They have a lot of energy for work, play and family. I like the fact that they always have a positive outlook, they make things look easy.

11. Tell us a little bit more about your practice and how we can contact you.
I absolutely love our team here at GWA. We currently consist of 4 staff, all of us Architects. In addition, we have a financial manager, who is involved with the Practice in a part-time capacity. We like to work as a coherent team, providing a continuum of service. We all work together in one space so there is a lot of transparency about different projects and the way the business works. Every staff member has some knowledge of each project. We can be contacted via our website Georgina Wilson Architect.