Renovations

There are two types of people in this world… people want new so the sell up and buy something better or those that like to put in the work and reap the reward at the end, this is where renovations come in. They can range in scale from just one room to a renovation that involves several rooms or even the entire build (Interior and Exterior).

From the beginning, you need to have a goal in mind of what you are trying to achieve, something you can always refer back to and determine what is necessary and not in terms of upgrades and changes.

Are you trying to increase the value of the property as much as possible for sale? Here you would have to look at the key aspects of a home buyer, look for a what aspects make the biggest impact. For example, open plan living areas are what many people focus on, with the kitchen being described as the heart of the home this needs to feel relaxed and ease into the flow of the entire living areas.

Or are you trying to achieve a home that is more suitable for your particular lifestyle and taste? In this instance, you will have more freedom to pick and choose areas to focus on as the home has to work for you. Perhaps this may be a great outdoor dining and entertaining area, or upgrading bathrooms to have large double showers or a relaxed bathtub – things that are not necessarily important when renovating a house for on sale.

For example, Beatty street was originally owned as a rental property and was to be renovated to a standard acceptable to sell but to also to achieve maximum buy price through a point of difference in the neighbourhood. Therefore every design decision was brought back to whether or not it was necessary to increase the property value come auction day.

Divide your renovation into interior vs exterior projects, this will help you create a timeline of what needs to be achieved and when especially helpful if you are living at the property whilst renovating.

At Beatty Street the entire exterior was painted, including separate garage and fences, a deck was built, pavers placed and new landscaping completed. By choosing the exterior colour scheme first this then flows into other colour choices and in turn the interior. A lick of paint always revives an older building, especially when new modern colours are chosen.

Inside we decided the kitchen was the hub, but in its current state was run down and the upstand on one side of the kitchen divided the two living spaces, hence this was the main focus on the interior renovation and where a large chunk of the money was spent.

We also moved the laundry from the centre living of the house into a cupboard in the kitchen next to the backdoor, a lot more accessible to the washing line and by doing so created extra space where a study nook was created. Having a space for a computer or study in the living room is a great addition to any home and requires less space than a separate office where it can feel closed off and isolated from the rest of the house.

When it comes to finishes and hardware you will want to decide if this is to be a stand out feature of the home and therefore willing to spend a little more money. For example, upgrading to black handles and taps, or some more heritage style handles if you are renovating an older home and want to reflect the style of the building, otherwise, the standard will work just fine and will not be detrimental to the budget in any way.

With Beatty Street, because the goal was to modernise the home and create a point of difference we used black kitchen handles and black taps to add a touch more sophistication and style to the home, and also the reflect the dark features of the exterior.

Lastly, Lisa the head of our DRAPE -IT division worked her magic with choosing drapes and blinds to provide the finishing touch to the property.

5. Staging (preparing to sell)

As the times comes, the renovation is complete and you are ready to market and sell the property it is important to remember not everyone can visualise what you have throughout the renovation process, you need to portray this with the marketing. A key element to achieving this successfully is through home staging. Many people struggle to envisage layouts of furniture in an empty home so it is best to take out the guesswork and do this for them through the staging. Using a company such as STAGE-IT by COMBERANDCOMBER it will ensure quality furniture that reflects the style of the home and highlights the great work of the renovation.

Beatty street was styled with modern monochromatic tones, with a large chaise and smaller couches flowing into the 2nd lounge/dining to capture the significant open plan living that had been created in the home.

If you need any help with your own projects get in touch with COMBERANDCOMBER and we would be delighted to help you achieve your dream home.

HAPPY RENOVATING!