what is the budget for the reno and your long term plans for the house? and before any realistic suggestion can be made the dimensions need to be checked as the sizes shown on the plan do not match...

Hi Laura,

I can see a few options available to you but first I need to know what is your budget for your renovation and also what you would like to achieve.

I specialise in this kind of Interior Design and would love to assist you with getting the best possible outcome for your money.

It looks like its a small home so space is at a premium and needs to be used with consideration to function. I can see that there is a certain amount of dead space that could be used much better to give you the desired functions.

I would suggest you get a designer as we are trained in finding solutions to these issues and as I always say "You don't go to a dentist to do your taxes". A builder will not have the right education to provide you with the best possible options.

A kitchen company will be able to help you with the kitchen but I wouldn't get them to assist with layout issues as this is not their core business.

Happy to give you some advice.

MKG

Hi MKG, Thank you for your comment. Our budget is 80k-100k.

What is the process for gaining your assistance?

It is a small home and we would like to make the most of the limited space we do have a growing family so may need to move in the future but would like to keep the house if possible and rent it.

Not sure if we become owenr builder and do the job in stages or hire a builder to manage the project.

Thanks Laura

Hi Laura, as requested by Oklouise updated measurements would really help as these coloured floor plans are always "near enough is good enough" and they can be very different. By providing new measurements Houzzers would happily give you some ideas via floor plans at no cost to you that would certainly give you a visual idea of what might be possible within your budget. Congratulations on your new home, exciting times.

Hi again Laura, are you about get in touch with me via my profile or email? I'm unable to PM you through Houzz. You can use Facebook or Instagram if you refer.

Many thanks Monika

Hi Laura,

What you need here is someone who can robustly manage the design/layout decisions with experience and knowledge across the spectrum of construction costs. This where decisions one way or the other "make or break" a project.....the thing is small scale projects are not necessarily cheap to do and as Monika above has suggested design professionals will be able to best assist with maximising your outcomes. 80-100K for kitchen, laundry and peripherals is super tight, will be chewed up very quickly, so the question on these ones is how best to distribute and balance the budget with a solution. What we always look at is what is going to add value from both an everyday living factor and also from an actual property value perspective. This is great opportunity but you best invest in a designer as a start point, rather than go straight to say a builder or kitchen specialist, because the solution best take into consideration the whole house set-up and so any changes that will cost money are based on maximising the results and improvements - eg you could spend $XX putting an upspec'd kitchen back into the same place vs looking more broadly, thinking about how the spaces could connect better with the external and relocate/reconfigure the kitchen/living setup with a more efficient set-up/ better flowing/positioned configuration that not only improves the kitchen, but the related and interconnected outdoor area and the living space.......lots of details and stuff to work through and think about...

Best of luck Cheers PD:)

oklouise and siriuskey always come up with a variety of great ideas, as long as you give them dimensions, and maybe a bit more of what you want to retain - for instance do you want to retain the sunroom space, or could this be used for dining?

Hi Laura,

Be prepared for an avalanche of conflicting ideas and information. I agree with Paul. the kitchen company will give you a great kitchen and nothing else. To date I have met some great builders but none that are good designers while interior designers don't handle the technical and building side of things. By taking on board everyone's ideas and seeking out a builder and a kitchen specialist you run the risk of ending up with a home designed by a committee, which is bad. Paul is right by suggesting that you put effort in to finding a local architectural designer to provide you with a holistic approach and guide your design through the various aspects that need attention. Once you have that done and an overall costing completed by a builder of your choice, then you can seek specialist input from a kitchen specialist, however they tend to charge more than a good cabinet maker so weigh up if its worth the extra for project.

Start with the ideas, then the design, then the price, make necessary adjustments, obtain approvals and start work with the designer as supervisor and contract administrator.

be careful here..could be expensive...designer req'd to help with decisions as much as the design. I'd be thinking creatively about changing garage into a garden pavilion, putting a carport in alongside de house, enclosed laundry at rear of carport (not ideal, but better then using living space). possibly enclosing sunroom to make a second living area. just update the kitchen, it will eat $.

Hi Laura, it looks like you're getting lots of advice which is great. Can i just say my best advice is to be organised. I've been in building design for over 25 years and seen pretty much everything there is to see. The people who have successful renovations remain organised. MY BUILD is an app that can help you with this and the good news is the intro version is free. i encourage you to have a look at www.mybuildapp.com.au or search for MY BUILD on the App Store or Google Play. Best of luck with the renovation.