With such a broad scope have you considered engaging a professional to help you put a brief together? Once a brief has been co-written it makes direction and design so much easier.

At the moment you have too many variables, and too broad a scope for anybody to respond to. Factors such as your budget, rental potential, who will be living there, proximity to the water, potential views, on-going maintenance, etc are all factors that you need to consider.

I would also be asking if a Hamptons style approporiate for the existing architecture? Or will it be really expensive to adapt the existing building into a Hamptons style, and would it more cost-effective to celebrate the existing style? These are all questions that need careful consideration before commencing a renovation....

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Best of luck,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

Thank you. Yes, I am a bit overwhelmed! Getting a brief would be a good idea.

Hi Louise - sounds amazing! As a Pro I can only advocate to get a designer involved to help you - there are so many benefits, not the least of which is totally understanding how to go about recording your brief, reconciling budgets, and delivering a beautiful design than is not only spacious and family friendly but takes advantage of views, incorporates natural light throughout the day, is zoned to suit your lifestyle and fulfils the technical requirements for a strata titled property and maximises the sustainability of your budget too. However I understand the drive that people have to develop their own properties and feel a sense of ownership on the design journey, if I wasn't an architect I would be exactly like that too! What I would be doing is scouring the internet - Houzz first of course, but also Design Blogs, print Magazines etc, to find a shortlist of designers whose work resonates with you and then interview them. You could always explain you want to have more of a say in selection of materials, fixtures and fittings than normal and choose a designer happy to work with you that way. The trick with beachside properties is robustness of detailing to withstand the harsh environment, decks with a view, large enough to entertain on with appropriate screening from winds, indoor-outdoor flow from living areas, and trying to take advantage of amazing ocean views which are often south-facing, so you have to bring natural light in through other means so the house still has that feeling of life and warmth even in the harsher and greyer winter months.

Enjoy your journey and Good Luck!

(Ps Usually designer's fee proposals are accompanied by a written brief which takes the above into account and confirms the scope of work and budget - this means you don't have to necessarily write one first. Also they often give you 2-3 plan options to choose from when they start the design process, and even encourage clients scribble over them if need be to provide their feedback which is also fun, so you could also select someone based on this too!)

We would love to see photos and any floor plans you, sounds like a great project, Until recently we had 4 x 2 bedroom Villas near the beach used for family and holiday letting, we did total renovations to them which made them very popular. cheers

Hi Louise, don't know where to start? Recommend you firstly define your particular requirements in conjunction with a nominated budget. All projects of any scale or nature come back to the balance of these two fundamentals. What are your specific project goals? Are you combining/changing everything or just creating an additional occupancy on the upper level? Only you can define your project here so this is where you start the conversation. In regards to the specific design solution/layout, no, it's not your job to "work it out" (unless of course you've had previous experience and are confident tackling that task)... however if you're stuck here I'd say this is way too large and complex to DIY and you shouldn't be thinking or expecting yourself to be able to design what you are seeking (spacious/family friendly etc) . This is a renovation and potentially involves multiple occupancies on single allotment, so it's by no means straight forward. However such a great & exciting opportunity but don't underestimate what's involved and recommend you work with a professional, and as early as possible....too many people go about their projects the wrong way in that they think they need to try and sort out a floor plan/layout first thinking that's what's required before they go to a professional. Why is this wrong? Because design (in the real world ;) ) is way more than just an isolated floor plan and involves understanding of cost and practical implications over many different levels. It's about achieving a spacial experience that is aligned to cost and negotiates various contextual and regulatory constraints....potentially on smaller projects people can get away with DIY (bathrooms etc) or possibly take over say fit out scope on larger jobs, but when your dealing with full scope complex renovations/transformations arguably the best investment is in the front end design to get the project direction and balance resolved professionally, ultimately for the best value outcome for your investment.....

So you've already got a certain visual that appeals to you (ie Hamptons/beachside etc) and that's great, so you're already off the mark, next step, put together a project brief, (whether detailed or point form) that when you read it defines your specific ideal project dream/vision and of course nominate a budget (the most important variable). When you've done that, bundle it all up and seek consultation from an appropriate professional (designer/architect etc) and understand/trust they will have the capacity to resolve the spatial solution for your project. Hope this helps and good luck :) PD

Thank you for your advice!!!