Our Charmer in Alexandra has a large outdoor space and the opportunity for a complete makeover. We were determined to make a great family outdoor living and entertaining area, with our spa an integral part of this space. By using good planning to optimise the space we had and being able to include everything we wanted. With the goal of making all areas feeling integrated and complementing each other.

Project: Kitchen Relocatable Reno

The first challenge of our kitchen renovation was that the existing kitchen wasn’t in the right place in the house. It seemed to me the original designer created a 4-bedroom house and then realised he had forgotten to add a kitchen. To correct his oversight, he quickly added some cabinets to the first bedroom he saw and hoped no one would notice. It was hard not to notice a should-be bedroom with cabinets along one wall at the back of the house, when the rest of the living was at the front.

RenovationAlice Pearson20 February 2018relocatable reno, relocatable house, kitchen, kitchenmania, kitchen design, planning, budgetComment

Project: Relocatable Renovation Floor Plan

Relocating a house is a surreal process. One day you have a empty site and the next there is a house waiting to renovate. The beauty of a relocatable is that your house turns up and you have something to work with straight away. No waiting for foundations to be poured, framing to go up, roof to go on – house turns up, piles placed, house lowered, and you are good to go!

RenovationCaleb Pearson3 November 2017relocatable reno, relocatable house, planning, floor planComment

Tips and Tricks for the Great Outdoors

What is the No. 1 mistake people make when setting up their outdoor space? What should everyone get to transform their outdoor space? What are your top three tips for people setting up their outdoor space? How do I make my outdoor space an extension of my home?We recently answered some questions about renovating and updating exterior areas. Here are some general tips and tricks for making the most of your outdoor space.

Alice Pearson31 March 2017outdoors, outdoor reno, exterior colour, exterior, landscaping, planning, designComment

Making it happen - Programme & Progress

As we shared in our first blog, this project was well planned before we had even received the keys, but as we have learnt, what you plan and what you actually achieve can be too very completely different things. As I find to often with Alice, I may plan out a budget, that doesn't mean she will stick to it! Therefore your planning is only as good as your programming and outworking of that plan. With renovations, you need to allow for extra tasks and costs to come up unexpected, but adjust the plan to accommodate those changes, not allow them to derail of of your preparations.

The VISION, The PLAN

The success of your vision often lies in a detailed plan with clear objectives to achieve it. Getting yourself prepared and in a position to execute your plan. From when we purchased this house at auction we had 4 weeks to create a detailed plan on how to achieve our vision and begin to put the cogs into motion to achieve this.

RenovationCaleb Pearson4 December 2015Renovation, Mt Wellington Renovation, Alice and Caleb, aliceandcaleb, planning, budgetComment

Back to Blank – Preparation

Sometimes you hear people talk about a house needing a renovation as a ‘blank canvas’, if only that was true! The first stage of renovating (once your plannings in hand of course) is getting the house Back to Blank

Plan the Work, Work the Plan

To be honest, the only plan we were intending on making during Alice’s pregnancy was a birth plan, and 2 months out we had the sudden addition of a renovation and a subdivision. We needed a plan, a good one...

RenovationCaleb Pearson25 June 2015renovate, Renovation, Hidden Treasure, Mt Wellington Renovation, planning, budgetComment

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