Ideas, tips and advice for home reno

[Itai]

Hi All.

We've just purchased a house and we'll be getting the keys in December.

I'm fishing for tips, ideas and advice for a home reno. What mistakes have you made that we should avoid?

We don't have to move in for a few months, so we're planning to DIY as much as we can, such as painting, floor sanding, ripping up carpets, etc.

Looking at our plans, do you have any nifty ideas?

To the right of the plan is a main road. The bottom is a side road. The left and top are neighbour boundaries (The garage is connected to the neighbours garage)

We want to keep the budget as low as possible, maybe 50-60k (Includes garden and new fence to soundproof the main road.

One day, we'd like to be able to maybe extend and add an ensuite and a walk in robe if we can. We want to keep it as minimum 3 bedrooms.

Any nifty ideas on how to add a 2nd ensuite bathroom in the existing space (my guess is the floor area is a little small for this).

We're thinking to maybe knock down the wall between living and dining/kitchen (it is load bearing though).

Any tips for the kitchen area? (Currently there is no dishwasher)

Regards

Itai

[Mathy]

Hi @Itai - congrats on your home purchase and your enthusiasm for renovating My first piece of advice would be to live in it for 6 months before you start renovating. Probably not what you want to hear, but it’s always a good idea to live with the light and the space before you start expending money on changes, cheers Deb

[Itai]

Thanks @Mathy. Yes, I get that advice a lot ... It's good advice, but there's a catch for us.

If we live in it for 6 months, we won't be able to move out to renovate. But conversely, because we are staying in a family apartment at the moment, we can stay in that apartment for as long as we want before we move in. Plus, I have to take leave over the December period, so want to do as much as I can in that time ... painting, flooring, etc.

But I definitely agree with the sentiment, and I plan to camp out there for a few days sussing it up before we do any work. Extra bathrooms, etc would come much later when the budget allows, or unless we simply buy another place.

The only major changes I'd look at are potentially knocking down that wall (Doesn't need to happen now), and revamping the kitchen workflow with some new flat pack stuff (which might make knocking down that wall counter intuitive). Or I might leave it as is and simply paint. 

Regards

Itai

[Itai]

Also, one thing I am planning to do is also to get lots of boxes and use them to measure out furniture to get a true understanding of space, without moving real furniture in

[Mathy]

Hi @Itai - well you are blessed 😂 I’ve never had the luxury of not living in the middle of a renovation, be it, major or minor. I think the worst was 6 months (including winter) with my partner, 2 dogs and 4 cats living in 3 rooms without a kitchen. Good luck with your project, cheers

[Itai]

Yes very lucky! Hence we want to be able to use the opportunity  

[Jason]

Congratulations and good luck with the renovation project @Itai. We are looking forward to seeing how you transform your home. I'm sure the Workshop community will be more than happy to provide as much advice as possible along the way. 

For some information and inspiration to get started, you might like to start with these resources:

• Belinda Smith's (@2Belindas) top tips for renovators

• Top 10 most popular renovation projects on Workshop

• New Make It Yours series from Bunnings

Hope that helps,

Jason

[Kermit]

@Itai 

Here's my advice...

I'd recommend you post separately about each room you want to tackle. Eg post some photos of your kitchen and talk about any ideas you might have for your kitchen, and ask for ideas and opinions etc. Then do the bathroom, etc... People here on Workshop are really helpful but the more specific you are about what you need help with, the better the advice you'll get. The amazing @redracer01 might even create some 3D kitchen or bathroom designs for you!

In one huge post like this people get a bit overwhelmed and don't know where to start and/or how to help.  

[ProjectPete]

Congrats @Itai - exciting times! Lots of potential here and I feel like your budget will take you a pretty long way if you do a lot of DIY. Looking forward to seeing how I/we can help. Like @Kermit said, separate posts for each room would be helpful.

Where is the house?

[kpike]

Hi Itai, I did exactly what you’re doing only it was five years ago. Before I moved in I decided to prioritise and get the house safe and structurally sound. Got a builder in the straighten the roof and remove awnings that we’re making the house dark, then an electrician to rewire and a plumber to get rid of any galvanised piping. I then renovated the kitchen and painted the entire inside of the house by myself. I stupidly had the timber floors sanded next, should have left that till after the painting. I then moved in and had the bathroom renovated as I lived in it and it wasn’t too bad. 

I now have a light filled clean and gorgeous little house!