Just moved into a new small house with an open kitchen/living area. I love it. I can be getting dinner, chatting with better half , watching news on TV. Just the two of us, so what's the point of isolating one of us in a separate room? If we entertain, we do most of the messy prep ahead of time and clear up. The rest gets shoved into the butlers pantry. That said, I can understand why someone who's into formal entertaining on a grand scale or who has a big family would want a separate kitchen, but for us open is great.

I'd say it's an easy min. $250K minimum flagfall on a relatively basic/not fancy spec/fit-out in a super good package deal. You're essentially renovating an entire house including moving plumbing, walls replastering, new floors throughout etc....not to mention lights, rewiring etc etc, it goes on and on.......This scope would still cost a builder themselves $150K, not factoring in their own time/labour, paying cash for sub-trades and getting super deals on all materials....and then you could only really potentially roll this type of operation out if you actually have the money in the bank. If you need to borrow then you'd need a building contract which then brings in market rates, profit margins and GST. Take profit and GST out from $150K and there's barely enough left to cover materials alone, when the labour/materials ratio (of a construction cost) these days, particular for renovations is labour being the most significant cost involved.............you can fine tune and perfect a floor plan like you have (which I reckon is pretty good as a plan), but when push comes to shove it always comes back to budget and costs, which is why we always are encouraging people to utilise design professionals who manage the challenge of designing within budget limits. If you separate budget/costs from the design process (rather than integrate it) more often than not it will leads to disappointment and misalignment of your expectations of what is realistic.

The renovation in my house was overdue as the kitchen, the master bedroom, and living area; all were in dire need of more space, breathability, and improved lighting. They had started to look dated and tired. Though I have been searching through remodeling blogs and renovation expert’s websites for quite some time for ideas and costs, instead of getting clarity of thoughts on how to get it started, I was becoming more confused because the pros floated too many ideas that also seemed a bit expensive to meet my budget. Then suddenly I got this thought of contacting Stewart (my school friend who was a professional remodeler and was running his own business of house renovation in California). I mailed him immediately telling him my requirements and asking for some frugal yet viable solutions. He replied within a week with very good ideas and some exclusive pictures of renovation done on different areas of the house. Thesebefore and after picturesmade me very focused on what and how to go about the renovation of my sweet dream home with the most cost-saving. The highlights of Stewart’s suggestions that I followed later were as follows: · Invest quality time on budget and never ever be tempted to exceed the budgetary limits set out for each task. · List all your needs precisely. · Make the whole process a combination of DIY projects and professionals. This is also very much required because most of the minor alterations and remodeling can be done by you using your own skills and they will result in impressive cost savings. · Fully utilizing home renovation use promo and coupon codes to buy decorative pieces, rugs, wall hangings, and furniture items, etc. I bought many kitchen and bathroom appliances with these promo codes saving almost 50% of their original cost. · Discussing the aspects of storage in the kitchen and functionality in the bathroom candidly with the professional you hire for renovating. · Consider painting the bathroom, living area, and kitchen by yourself. Using high-quality brushes will make your paint in the corners of the doors and coating door frames in one pass. Needless to mention that a little bit of Goggle search for promo codes for paint, related material, and primer will provide you enough discount codes to select some that suit your needs the best and save the most. · When it comes to the living area, the best revitalizing is one that makes it look as large as possible. For this purpose, I combined the living and dining area and opened up the floor plan. I also streamlined the windows and gave them the real upgrade. Lighting is another area where proper usage can create a sense of the place looking more spacious than it actually is. · Last but not least since the entire job cannot be done by you alone and structural alterations will need an expert, you should choose a contractor with good recommendations from friends who have already got their houses renovated. There is no need to rush and one should take time to select an appropriate and capable resource. Transformed my kitchen having refreshed the cabinets and white paint boosted the space The best shade of light grey and red cushioned dining table chairs made the living area fabulous Removing sofa with chairs and bringing in a floral patterned wall mirror made wonder A few wall hangings and decorative pieces transformed this room from a dull and suffocative place to a full of life area in my house The interior doors are given a nice boost as well Only color schemes and rearranged appliances can enhance the look of the kitchen By giving new life to the front door, the very impression of the house was transformed.

Hey Bianca, you can definitely make it work. It will help to ensure there is some colour cross over, for example, bring the timber tone from the floor to your kitchen cabinets. Or select a terrazzo colour with some warm, timber, like tones in it. That way the two areas will feel more connected. Hope this helps, good luck!