How does a family of four survive a massive renovation? I have no idea but I’m about to find out! I’m planning to transform our rundown shack into a dream home, and I’ve decided to document it all on my very first blog. Meet me, PJ, with my hubby Frank and our kids, Sam and Ella – welcome to our story.
Here’s our background before the jackhammer begins…
2 December 2011
After two years of living in a run-down, leaky old house full of moulting carpets, we are finally about to start renovating. And it’s about time, too!
My hubby Frank and I discovered this property at an open-house inspection a bit more than two years ago. Its colour scheme was awful – a combo of stark white and mission brown was a real ’60s flashback. But Frank and I could see the potential in this dilapidated house.
Built back in ’65, the two-storey bungalow had everything we wanted – three bedrooms, a kitchen and separate dining room, a two-car garage, and a large but overgrown backyard. Its split-level design makes it feel open and spacious, and the floating stairway brought back memories of watching The Brady Bunch as kids. It sits on a 600-square-metre block and there’s the potential to add a pool down the track. (She said, as if money was the least of her worries!)
But we weren’t totally blinded to the many problems – the house boasts wafer-thin glass, peeling wallpaper, minimal storage, and a bucket that sits slap-bang in the centre of the laundry to catch water from the shower on the floor above. The previous owners were a couple of chain smokers and all the ceilings, walls, light fittings and curtains are impregnated with sticky brown tar. (Lovely!) Structural faults, termite damage and a rather creaky balcony has made it almost unlivable. Almost, I said!
Despite the many faults, we were over the moon when we won the house auction. Sure, we were only bidding against one other person but it was still pretty fierce! After moving in and washing down the ceilings and walls, we were ready to start putting together our reno plan.
We had a long heart to heart with our bank manager to figure out our budget (gulp!), spoke to potential builders and draftsmen, checked out prices for some of the appliances, fittings and furniture, and started compiling magazine clippings and brochures of things we liked.
During those two years, we also paid for the schematic plans, land surveyor’s fees, the developer’s application and various other council fees, as well as signing the contract with our building design company (this is a bit cheaper than hiring an architect, and still bring some good design elements).
All the research and talking to experts (as well as friends, family, neighbours and mums at school … they all think they’re building experts!) have kept us busy. But now that we’re about to start the build, we’re getting nervous. Suddenly it all seems too real…
Frank and I are pretty woeful when it comes to technical stuff and we know our limitations. Frank’s a high-school maths teacher, and I’m a part-time librarian. Sure, we can borrow interior books and balance the budget but we’re not really hands-on people. We know beyond all shadow of a doubt that waterproofing a bathroom or installing roof insulation is way beyond our capabilities. That’s why we need a good building team.
Even Sam, our 10-year-old son, has more practical know-how than both of us combined. He doesn’t mind putting together a few rockets in the backyard and blowing up his home-made mini-volcanoes after school. He can’t wait to see the back of the house get demolished.
And we can always turn to our daughter for interior design tips. Eight-year-old Ella is already planning her boutique bedroom with shelves for knick-knacks and nail polish, a big noticeboard to stick up all her X-Factor posters – and everything has to be painted hot pink.
While we’ve all had more than enough of our leaky dump, I’m a bit worried about living in a half-demolished house full of builders. After all, I can hardly cope with a camping weekend in the bush, let alone ‘camping’ at home for … eeek! … at least six months.
Our plan is for all four of us to sleep in the main bedroom while the work is being carried out. Furniture and wardrobes will be piled up in Sam’s upstairs bedroom. The third bedroom – Ella’s future palace – will work as a living/dining area. There’ll be beanbags and a TV for the kids and a microwave oven to heat things up.
Best news is that we already have an upstairs bathroom that kind of works. It needs to be revamped eventually – check out the photo and you’ll see what I mean (wallpaper in the bathroom was probably not a good idea!). But it means we won’t have to hire a Port-a-loo for a while… phew!
We've planned this reno in a few stages:
Stage 1: This is the extension that allows us to create an open-plan eating/dining/living area (yeah, been studying way too many reno mags), as well as a rumpus room for the kids. The original part of the house will have more functional rooms – a home office, a laundry, second bathroom and a small study that converts into a guest bedroom (a request from Frank’s interstate parents).
Stage 2: Upstairs, the main bathroom needs a rework later on, and we’d love to add built-in wardrobes in the bedrooms upstairs. I’m also a bit concerned about the old timber balcony – it seems a bit wobbly so we don’t go out there much. But all of Stage 2 will depend on our tough budget.
Future stages: We’d also love some landscaping … a new garage …a heated swimming pool… We’ll book the builder as soon as we win Saturday Lotto.
After living in this dump for two years, the well-fed termites have been enjoying progressive dinners from wall to wall, and we now need to position three buckets in the laundry as the drips are recreating a mini Niagara Falls. But next month, the demolition begins – the first step in turning our house into a home.
I reckon renovating is like being on a rollercoaster. You know you’re about to experience unrelenting terror but you pay to do it. The only difference is that a rollercoaster stops after a few minutes; a renovation can continue for the rest of your life.
Still, I say let the ride begin!
Keep up with PJ and her family renovation exploits with an update every few weeks.
