Before and after cottage makeover

[2Belindas]

[Jason]

@2Belindas,

Hope all is well. Just wondering if you could assist new Workshop member @JLG with her question about the paint colour you used for the exterior of the house?

Thanks heaps,

Jason

[2Belindas]

@Jason @JLG Thanks for asking about the colour.  Belinda 1 custom tinted the colour of this particular house, but says that it is very, very close to Taubmans Cable Ash.  The interior colour is Dulux Whisper White.  I hope this helps

[Kim]

Wow this looks amazing, well done @2Belindas!  Very inspiring - I love the light grey weatherboard, white frame highlights, and dark corrugated roof combination.

[artrato3]

Fabulous job! Do you have a set budget?

[Jason]

 Thanks for joining in the discussion @artrato3. Let me tag @2Belindas for you so she is alerted to your question about the budget for this dramatic renovation.

Let me also extend a very warm welcome to the Workshop community. We're pleased you could join us and look forward to reading about your projects and plans. Do you have a reno planned?

Please feel free to post anytime you need a hand or have a project to share.

Jason

[2Belindas]

Thanks @Jason and welcome to workshop @artrato3

Yes we set a budget and do our very best to stick to it.  As a general rule of thumb we set the reno budget of 10% of the purchase price of the property for a renovation, spending the money where it will reap the most return (kitchens and bathrooms, landscaping at the front for a great first impression etc.) We try not to spend money where buyers won't notice and we always renovate to target the demographic specifically.  So its quite strategic.

We'll save money by buying fittings and fixtures when they come on special where possible.....as much as we can from Bunnings (including light fittings, wooden shelves etc)  There'll be a 'wow' factor of some sort in every room and that doesn't have to be expensive for it to look good.

We will spend more money on doing a home, if we know the end sale price will reap good profits, or there is a 2nd value add opportunity e.g. in this case we subdivided off the back of the block.

If you want the actual break down of figures, I'm happy to share.

Cheers!

[artrato3]

Thanks, I don't need a breakdown @2Belindas but an approximate we have just done a home very similar with a very tight budget of $30,000 and the result is nowhere near as spectacular as yours so I was wondering if you spent 100,000 or 50,000 just to see how we did.The lino took weeks to get off as it was

glued down.

P.S message me privately if you prefer.

[2Belindas]

Hi @artrato3 I'm always happy to share details.

I do a lot of renovation work in the local area, I get access to a lot of bargains now e.g. local suppliers will ring me if they have taps or sinks or end of line/display products they need to get rid of and are happy to discount, so I get high quality product on the cheap and use it in my next reno.  Also as you can see in the photo of the kitchen, I use wooden shelves a lot too.  Its a trend that is cheaper than overhead cupboards, and I style these to sell the home. These wooden shelves are DIY (hubby and I did them) and we were pleased with how they look.  So long as there is a good pantry in the kitchen, I'll use these.

I'll mix and match product i.e. different brand dishwasher/stove etc that I've bought on special. I'll only spend more on things you really notice that create the wow eg. the splashback tiles.  And less on things you don't e.g. the stools were from KMart.

I get my stone benchtops as 'offcuts' from my local kitchen guy and will often design my kitchen around what is available from him.  For this reason, I use 'stand alone' ovens, so the stone I seek can be in smaller lengths.

I'll shop at Bunnings for sinks and lights and most things.

I'm always focused on creating a great look for less money, that will still appeal to buyers, right from the beginning and am lucky that DIYing almost everything saves us $$ too.

[2Belindas]

Oh and I forgot to share the budget breakdown @artrato3  ...

2015 – Purchased the property at $445,000

Renovated the front house (house one...the one in the photos above) Complete a structural renovation adding new bathroom, deck, reconfigured internals creating ensuite to the master bedroom, opened the verandah cost $120,000

2016 Sold (house one in the photos) for $545,000

Subdivided off the rear block at the cost of $50,000

2016 Sold rear block (property two) for $306,000

Gross Profit $236,000

(not including stamp or legals)

[livinthemallee]

Hello, I was just wondering did you use gloss paint on walls. ??