Ross & Kathryn Tilson

Ross and Kathryn purchased a classic Dunedin weatherboard home out on the Otago Peninsula. They initially contacted Ron Kirk Joinery after some ideas and advice. They had already purchased their home appliances, and so had some ideas of what they wanted in terms of a kitchen.

They have a range of children using the home so creating a kitchen space that is safe, and usable for a range of ages and heights was important to them. They also wanted to let in more light into the home and so made the window areas larger, which lightens up the kitchen.

When you’re working with an old Dunedin villa, they can pose a few problems, as anyone who has started the renovating on one will tell you. You never quite know what you will find. Here, the floor just wasn’t quite level, which is understandable. We put in the extra effort to measure each kickboard individually to ensure it was flush which makes a real difference to the overall look of the kitchen and lessens the impact of the uneven floor, to the point where it’s almost unnoticeable.

Testimonial of Kitchen Renovation

'We bought a 100-year-old weatherboard home out on Dunedin’s Peninsula and decided to update the house. We soon realised we’d need a custom-built kitchen. We went to several joinery and kitchen specialists; Hayden and Ron Kirk Joinery had the right kind of attitude and flexibility to work with us. Rather than saying ‘what do you want? This is how much it will cost,’ Hayden offered some good ideas and gave us plenty of options for the best way to utilise our space.

As a family, we prepare a lot of food from scratch and eat at home, so we wanted a functional, high-use kitchen that was accessible to all the household. Modern kitchens now use a lot of heavy appliances and we wanted these to be in pull out drawers in the pantry, rather than above head height.

You can’t make life perfect, but it’s the little practicalities of everyday life that have made a big difference in the kitchen. For example, the microwave is below a stainless-steel bench now, so everything that comes out of the microwave naturally now goes on a heatproof countertop, which is a lot safer.

As it’s an old villa, it’s very different from a new build. We had the home levelled and the builders did an amazing job, yet the floor in the kitchen wasn’t perfectly level – that’s just old homes. Hayden took the kickboards, measured them all individually and cut them to fit exactly. It finishes the kitchen to the point where the floor is practically unnoticeable. He brought a real level of detail and professionalism to the project. It’s these extra touches that have made all the difference.

Ron Kirk Joinery is professional, easy to work with, they give great suggestions and come up with solutions. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone renovating their home in Dunedin and after a customised kitchen.'

- Ross & Kathryn Tilson