Renovations – some people thrive in environment of constantly updating and remodelling their home, while for others the thought of spending their weekend pulling tiles off walls or another week without walls at all is enough to send them to a hotel room while the professionals sort it all out. Yet, there is no doubt, that the finished result of a well-done renovation can turn your house into the home of your dreams.
While everyone has their own ideas of what the most important room of the house is, and there are no limits to design ideas when you come to renovate and re-model your home, one of the most important things to make sure you sort out before a single hammer comes in to play is layout. That doesn’t just mean getting your Pinterest board looking right, but physically working out where everything is going to go – and measuring twice is key.
If you have decided that calling in the professionals is absolutely the way to go, you will need to sit down and really make sure that everyone is on the same page. Much heartache, and many headaches, can be avoided by sampling ensuring you have good communication and are clear in what you want.
Fixtures and Fittings
Going back to this idea of “measure twice, cut once” – look at the fixtures and fittings that you are wanting to install. Are the bench units at the right height for you? These come at a pretty standard size, but if you are not a ‘standard’ size you may wish to have them raised or lowered, however this can affect other aspects of the layout and plumbing, so needs to be discussed before hand in order to make sure everything is planned to fit. If you are using the tapware designed to go with a sink unit you may not worry about fit, but if you fell in love with tapware from a different range have you checked to ensure that there is clearance and that the tap is going to pour water into the sink not the floor?
Wet Areas
Whether this in a bathroom, kitchen or ensuite, your builder and plumber will be able to offer suggestions and advice on not only what products will work best to create the look your after, but also how to ensure that you are meeting the stringent Australian building codes. If you want to check what the regulations are yourself the Australian Building Code Board provides this information at no cost, click here.
Once you have worked out where your fixtures and fittings will be placed in relation to your wet areas (particularly in a bathroom, but also laundry’s or kitchens), you can work out where any plugs in the floor should be placed and how the floor should slope towards that outlet.
Pricing for Purpose
Beyond the purely aesthetic, another consideration in your renovation or remodel should be purpose. Are you renovating in order to provide a nicer living environment for yourself, in a home you intend to life in for many years? Then renovate however suites your budget and aesthetic desires (and here’s some ideas on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/homeanddecorsg/renovation-ideas/). However, if you are renovating with an eye towards renting the property out, you will more likely want to look how well the fixtures, fittings and design will wear. A resin kitchen bench may be beautiful, but how will it cope if your tenet accidentally puts a hot saucepan on it? Likewise, a unit covered with Formica may be easy to clean, but if it is made of hard angles it could become prone to chipping, whereas a smooth paint finish and rounded curved could provide an attractive and durable re-model.
