Despite being their first foray into renovating, this motivated couple has achieved wonders on a tight budget. We get the details behind their DIY journey
Meet and greet
Kate Webby, PR and communications manager at Vend, and Jordan Metcalfe, works in commercial property, plus Tinks their rescue dog.
Problem
- The living and dining areas were separated by a false wall, which really closed in the space. There was also no door to separate the conservatory from the dining room, which meant the conservatory couldn’t be shut off on cold days.
- The kitchen was in poor condition and had a strange layout, including no space for a fridge.
- The garden was totally overgrown on one side, a dumping ground on the other, and very sparse in between.
Solution
- Kate and Jordan removed the false wall to create sunny, open-plan living and splashed out on bifold doors to the conservatory. As well as creating flow, this allowed them to close off the conservatory when needed.
- They put in a new kitchen, keeping the old plumbing in place to save money. The island bench was removed to allow more storage, a wider fridge cavity, a five-burner oven and large double sinks.
- They removed or cut back overgrown hedging and dying trees, created box gardens and planted olives and a hedge of feijoa all around the section. Thousands of dollars were spent dumping rubbish from the back of the property before they could add a clothesline and vege garden.
Biggest challenges
+ Kate: Painting the outside of the house to create street appeal was hands down the hardest part of the reno. It took us two entire spring/summers of working almost every weekend to strip, sand and eventually paint. If we’d had the money, we would have 100 percent paid someone to do this for us. But we saved around $30K by doing it ourselves, so it was definitely the right decision.
+ We didn’t see friends or family for months at a time and gave up most of our social life, long weekends and holidays for over two years to work on the house, which felt very draining at times.
Budget
The following totals are all-inclusive for each room – electrics, plumbing, paint, materials, tradespeople, curtains, fittings etc.
> Kitchen – $16K
> Living and dining – $13K
> Bedrooms (combined) – $6K
> Ensuite – $7K
> Family bathroom – $1K
> Heating and insulation – $7K
> Outdoors, including landscaping, painting exterior, and garage – $15K
Total spend – $65K
1/17
The light and bright cottage they invested so much time and energy into is now rented out to a family who are no doubt enjoying the fresh new look and feel.
2/17
Kitchen benchtop and cabinetry Huntly Joinery.
3/17
The original Sam Mathers painting was a wedding gift. Its strong look lifts the room and adds personality.
4/17
Hallway before.
5/17
Living room before.
6/17
Not fond of clutter, the couple take a minimalist approach to decor, “which helps in a smaller home and when you don’t have a large decorating budget”, they say.
7/17
Before.
8/17
Kate bought the bentwood chairs for a bargain on Trade Me and repainted them herself.
9/17
Kate and Jordan found old matai floors under the carpet, which they had repaired and polished, adding nice warmth to the house.
10/17
Over the wet winter period, they sensibly worked on the living areas and bedrooms.
11/17
Bathroom before
12/17
The couple played it safe and went for a clean, simple, timeless look with a colour palette that could easily work with anyone’s taste.
13/17
During summer, the couple focused on stripping and painting the outside of the home.
14/17
Two tonnes of rubbish was removed from the property, which is now bordered by feijoa and olive trees to enhance privacy.
15/17
A new deck off the spruced-up conservatory serves as a sunny extension of the interior living spaces.
16/17
Outdoors, the couple replaced the dilapidated old fence, added a big deck and dug up old, hidden concrete to build new paths.
17/17
Before
Words by: Debbie Harrison. Photography by: Vanessa Lewis.
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