Make a decision already!

The house was littered with tiles
and colour chips for weeks!

Tiles!  They are the one thing in a house that I struggle to make a decision about.  They are tricky little numbers, because they always look different when they are laid.  They look lighter laid horizontal vs vertical.  They look lighter in a big space.  They look darker if the entire room is tiled. And of course, it all depends on the natural light in the room.  Arghhh.  These are a few of the reasons I often choose timber and/or carpet!  The other one is that they are so permanent.  But, the bathrooms must be tiled, so I must grit my teeth and make a decision.  Fortunately for me, my local tile store has angels working there, who patiently pull out tile after tile after tile.  In the last month, I have taken home about 12 different tiles – seriously!  But, I have decided on a white subway tile for the bathroom walls, a lovely grey limestone look lapatto for the floors and feature walls.  Did I tell you I also had to choose the outdoor tile?  This was a little easier, as I had my outdoor colours to guide me. 

Exterior colour 2

Exterior colour 1

Price is also something that helps you whittle down your choices.  I don’t know if this happens to you, but almost every outdoor tile I oooh and ahhh over is usually around double what our budget allows.  Anyway, we have gone for a grey limestone look tile and an aqua pool tile. Can’t wait to see them laid!

One thing leads to another...

Dark floors and blue tiles - yummy

We had an exciting weekend last weekend.  We were invited to a trade sale by a well-known plumbing company and picked up some bargains including taps, a sink and best of all, three Villeroy and Boch wash basins.  Now, I’ll be honest with you, V&B, while absolutely stunning bathware, wasn’t really on our target list because it's a little out of our price range.  Originally I was looking at above counter curvy vessel style basins.

Curvy vessel basin

 But. when I saw these beautiful Subway basins at a bargain price - I couldn't resist.  The point of this story is not to brag about my bargains (although that is fun), it’s about how each choice you make impacts on the next.  My original plan for what my bathroom will look like has changed dramatically, because of my choice of basins.  If you look through my Pinterest pics of bathrooms I like and compare it to the one I have posted here today, you will see what I am talking about.

My current love interest - note the basin!

This one is a winner!

Eastern elevation

 So, today we picked up concept plan number two and it's great!  And, a whole lot cheaper than concept #1.  We have had to make quite a few compromises, but that is par for the course when renovating.

 This new design will see the southern wing of the current house stay pretty much the same lay out, with our old ensuite and robe becoming the walk in robes for bedrooms two and three.  Our biggest compromise is the location of the master. Initially we wanted the master down stairs, with a kids retreat upstairs.  We have also had to give up the idea of a dedicated library .  These are the compromises you must make to stay within budget.  We have managed to keep high ceilings in the living areas, with the old part of the house keeping the lower 8 foot ceilings. Our new section upstairs will have high ceilings too.  Feast your eyes!

Upper floor - master suite

Lower floor

Back to my happy place

While waiting to see our architect, I am busy editing my Pinterest mood board and my Houzz ideasbook and of course my huge magazine scrap book.  I want to begin choosing  the details of what will make this house beautiful.  I do have a broad style that I would like to achieve, but it's a fusion of quite a few styles which roughly translates to contemporary coastal, with a dash of homey Hamptons style thrown in.  The floor plan will really put me on the fast track, but at the moment I am trying to pin down colours and style.

Taken from Houses magazine - one of my favourite reads.

Usually, I have the same wall colour throughout the house, but this time I will have a two tone palette.  In the open plan living area, I am going to wrench myself away from Antique White USA (used in the last four houses) and instead go with Natural White (both from Dulux).  In the more intimate spaces, such as bedrooms and closed off living areas, I think I will go for a deeper, cosier colour. I am really liking Taubmans Abstract at the moment, but this may change!

The order that you choose your fixtures in is very important, as each decision impacts on the next, so I always start with my most definite vision.  For me, it's my kitchen. This for me is the part of the house that is non-negotiable.  My husband and I love to entertain and we also enjoy cooking together, so it's got to be a large functional space.  So, we started the plan with the functional things like: large walk in pantry, island bench, wide under-bench oven (for those massive casserole pots) and this time, we’d like to try overhead shelving, instead of overhead cabinets.  We figure, if we really hate it, we can remove the shelving and add cabinets later, without too much expense.  We have decided on the benchtops will be in Caesarstone Organic White, the cabinet in the shaker style in Dulux Vivid white. The shelving and flooring will be in timber to add warmth to the space.

The lovely Karen Martini in her fabulous TV kitchen

I have posted kitchens that have inspired me.  Thanks to the cooks in the pics who also inspire me!

Let's take a step back

Well, the budget report came in and it's not good.  After moping about the place for a couple of days, grumbling and muttering about big mortgages etc, what we need to do now is come back to reality.  Clearly the way to cut the budget is to use as much of the existing building as we can, as it is.  The problem for us is that at the top of our wish list, was high ceilings and this house, being a typical project home from the eighties has flat eight foot ceilings, except in the lounge area, where there is a raked ceiling. So, it's back to the architect to regroup.  Before we meet with him though, we need to revisit our brief and see what we can and can’t do without.

Show me the money!

We had our third meeting with David, the architect today and he has come up with a concept plan for what will be an absolutely beautiful house.  I am less than thrilled though, as I have a sinking feeling that it will be way over budget, as he seems to think that to achieve our brief, we would be better off demolishing and rebuilding.  Now, while I am all for this, the budget says "NO!" I have been in a position before where we built and lived in an amazing house with an amazing mortgage to match.  Never again - the stress nearly killed me.  Every meeting of the reserve bank would have me breathing into a brown paper bag.   Before we go any further, we will need to price it.

Dreamy house - nightmare mortgage

Meet the architect

We met with our architect this week (at last!) to start on the plans for our renovation/extension.  The process of working with an architect is quite rewarding.  A lot of people assume it’s very expensive so they don’t even consider it.  It certainly can be, but doesn’t need to be.  In fact I believe that their understanding of buildings and spaces can actually save you money, or at the very least, give you better value for your money.  Choosing the right architect is very important.  David is happy to hand over project management to Brenton and the design finishes to me.  He also values our input – it is our house after all.  Some architects won’t do this and insist on total creative control as well as tight project management.  This is when it gets expensive, obviously, because it’s a lot of work.  We did the design for two of our previous renovations without any expert assistance and I also designed our first new build and we were very happy with the outcome.  However, this will be a lot more extensive than any reno we have done before and will involve a major extension, so it’s definitely worth paying for his expertise.  This is the third time we have worked with David and I know what we end up with will be fabulous.   

Architect's brief: create a warm, spacious, stylish family home with a coastal feel

4 bedrooms with large robes

3 bathrooms (ensuite, family & powder)

Large kitchen with walk in pantry

Large open plan living, dining, kitchen

Separate family room

Triple garage

Library/study

Passive solar design

Large outdoor living space with swimming pool

High ceilings

Lots of light

The house as it is now.