POLL: Is renovating with your partner fun or frustrating?
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5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Fun
Frustrating
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Anatoly Patrick Architecture
5 years agosiriuskey
5 years agoRelated Discussions
When your partner chooses artwork you can't stand, do you...
Comments (44)I'd go with his choice, because even if it wasn't 'my' style, I'd rather feel like he's taking an interest and equally invested in our home together. Plus, if I'm being completely honest, I think his taste is probably better than mine. ;) He rarely has an opinion on anything house-related, so when he puts his foot down, I go along with it: and on each occasion, it's been exactly the right decision. Example: I wanted the whole house painted out in ecru and antique white because it looks awesome with oak floors and I'm kind of a minimalist. Hubby insisted on painting the lounge room in yellow. YELLOW. I thought he'd lost his mind... but I went with it, because I get my way 99.9% of the time, so why quibble about the 0.1%? He insisted that 'in Winter, you'll be glad we have this warm, cozy colour'. And you know what? Every Winter, I love that room. It's an odd duck compared to the rest of the house, but damned if it doesn't actually work surprisingly well. It'd definitely be too much to take as a house-wide theme - but contained as it is, it's pretty great....See MoreBuying to renovate - what do we look for?
Comments (26)an old house in an area that you want to live in while you do all the work of a very carefully planned renovation staged to minimise big loans will add value only if everyone who lives with you can either contribute financially or physically and has the time and energy to at least make dinner while you paint. Building new is much cheaper than renovating but old places are often in better locations. Provided the old place is liveable you can save rent while you save for the next stage of the reno but there'll always be unexpected costs of both time and money eg for our latest reno: about $4000 to remove asbestos from an old laundry and bathroom, $8000 to remove trees, weeks of back breaking labour to remove old plasterboards and carpet, ripping thousands of nails from timber floors to discover the boards were beyond restoration, collecting rubbish and rubble from demolished brick walls and loading at least 20 loads into the ute and driving to the tip and paying to unload it ....but the old stove, doors and windows sold on Gumtree and Ebay and redundant electrical wiring and metal taken to the scrap dealer paid for quite a few take away dinners and didn't we have fun together?...See MoreFacade follies & fun
Comments (18)Yes, Yes and Yes Siri!.....discrimination factor aside, the ending to this tale is (unfortunately) a "what goes around comes around" one and I think good lesson in it to share here.......so the person who supposedly could "work with their budget" ended up designing something completely beyond the budget, something like 2-3x it (surprise surprise) - and so it was back to the drawing board for a 2nd crack with a draftsperson (gender unknown)...So at this point they have paid for design/drawings TWICE......well, despite a "dumbed down design" strategy being taken, the build costs proved to still blow out to a ballpark double their budget & pretty much exactly what I told them it would (boy am I rolling my eyes at this point), and the kicker is overall an inferior level design/outcome.......yet anther example of massive false economy and not maximising the opportunity.....they ended spending the money anyway, but not necessarily in the best way..... disappointing & super frustrating from our position to witness... We observe this type of scenario year in year out with what we do. Unfortunately, many people just don't get it, don't want to listen and mistake "value" for "low cost" and completely stuff up the critical fundamental decision making process thinking that they know better.....and ultimately they only let themselves and their project investment down.......but moving on now ;)...See MorePOLL: How much do your interiors influence your mood?
Comments (26)I live with a beautiful sea view which I love, but which presents its own set of challenges. When we moved in the interior was painted grey but on an overcast day, all I see out the window is grey - grey sky, grey sea and when I turned around there were grey walls as well. It was quite oppressive. We’ve repainted a lovely soft white which isn’t too dazzling on a bright day, but definitely lifts the gloom on a dull day. I’ve added punches of bright colour here and there and now I love my space (and my view in all weathers)...See MoreKim Westwood
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