Whole House Renovation
ejnibbs
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Featured Answer
Comments (22)
Related Discussions
Pls help???
Comments (8)Are you able to open up any of the exterior wall? Just for inspiration have a look at this Houzz home https://www.houzz.com/photos/mill-valley-ca-transitional-deck-san-francisco-phvw-vp~207293 in America, I found this one early in my reno search and even though it is not exactly what you describe I love the way they have opened up the space to the outdoors with a contemporary take on rustic I think. Just keep finding inspiration and Houzz is a great source! feel free to browse my idea books too (there's a few) but they are a collection that may help.. get good advice before diving in and planning is SO important. My reno was 15 years in the making ..Whew! I will keep checking in if that's ok with you....See MoreI am renovating my kitchen and am finding the whole thing confusing
Comments (6)You will often find that the advice you get from your kitchen supplier will be biased based on the products that give them the opportunity to make the most profit. I work as an independent kitchen designer (therefor making my money on the design irrespective of the materials) and constantly find that joineries try to sway my clients away from what I have specified based on what makes them more money. My advice would be that you will get better long term life out of polyurethane doors, but you will also pay thousands of dollars more for them, so you need to assess for yourself if it will be worth it. Some points to consider; vacuum formed (vinyl wrapped) doors will last very well provided that they are a reputable brand and the design is considered. For quality , durability, cost effectiveness and flexibility of styles I would suggest Polytec. They back their product with an extensive warranty. A good kitchen designer will ensure that appropriate allowances are made to prevent heat issues effecting the vinyl doors. These include supplying & fitting a heat guard around any built-in appliances and adjusting the position of the wall cabinets. You willI have problems with the overhead cabinets if they are positioned too close to the stove AND if you don't use the rangehood. If you purchase a good quality rangehood & ensure that you use it when cooking on the stove the vinyl doors will be fine. Also worth noting whilst the vinyl doesn't 'chip' as such it can still be damaged, with damage looking more like the marks / scuffing you get on leather surfaces (think of the toes of your shoes). It does take a fair amount of effort to cause this damage. With the polyurethane doors you will be looking at several thousand dollars more expensive than a vacuum formed door. One of the greatest benefits is flexibility in design and colour (including the ability to have much sharper profiles). Yes it is a painted surface and any painted surface can be damaged by chipping, however the painted surface is still quite durable. The majority of damage I see is usually not from regular kitchen use, but rather from kids who have snuck in with their metal tipper truck and crashed it into the cupboards. The beauty of it is you can touch it up with some matching paint and you will probably never notice. You will also be able to remove a door if the paint is badly damaged and take it into a paint store for re-spraying (but please be aware the colour will not 100% match due to the aging process of the other doors). Essentially there isn't really one right or wrong answer, it comes down to budget and the intended lifespan of the kitchen. As far as natural granite versus stone (Caearstone, Quantum Quartz etc) I would say this depends more on the look that you are after. If you actually like the look of natural granite & have a particular variety in mind you will not find a 'stone' product to give you that look, you are better to get the granite. The cost of granite varies astronomically depending on the variety, where it is mined from, how rare it is, etc. It will usually be more expensive than Caesar Stone. Natural granite can have fault lines in it, which is basically an area which has a propensity to crack. If it has a fault line it is likely to be discovered when the product is cut to size and the stone mason will have to get a replacement. Sometimes they like to scare you into thinking that your benchtop will just randomly crack one day but it is highly unlikely to have a fault line in the first place, and if it does, it won't crack unless additional undue stress is put on it (Like walking on the benchtop to change the lightbulbs!). 'Stone' which will be referring to manufactured quartz products like Caesar Stone, Quantum Quartz, Smart Stone, Silestone etc. is the most popular option for stone benchtops today. It is a man made product and is produced from quartz, resin and various aggregates and colouring agents. It is more cost effective than natural granite, but has a much more consistent look due to the fact that it is man made. Some people who like natural granite do not like the consistent pattern within the man made stone. Other than if you want that 'natural' look, it will be the better option for you as it is generally more cost effective and is also more stain resistant. Marble is a big no-no for kitchens. It is expensive and highly impractical with propensity to stain excessively, and requires regular expensive sealing. Thinner 20mm stone is the fashion starting to come through from Europe but it really hasn't caught on properly yet. I would go with what you prefer the look of, as this will change again before the lifespan of your benchtop is up. Good Luck!...See MoreFloor plan - please help!
Comments (14)yes it is a bit of a quirky layout - but for that budget realistically you'll be limited to cosmetics/fit-out upgrades and minimal alterations - there's no way that budget will stretch to cover both renovation + an extension. Advise you seek professional advice in regards to options and likely costs involved one way or the other..., as off the bat, if we were approached with this general brief & budget, we'd be saying likely double or triple it to get it properly reconfigured....the tricky thing on these is where do you draw the line and whether or not it's actually worth doing anything unless you are able to achieve an overall result that makes sense. The issue is that the house zoning is all over the place and if you're going to do anything the whole thing needs to be pulled together to make more sense and function more practically with say main living, master area & secondary bedrooms/kids zones properly organised and positioned so as you correctly identify, you are not doing the "wierd" transition across certain spaces into another than doesn't make sense in terms of the overall residence. Whilst you may have a reasonable amount of existing space, by the time you get it working practically to your needs by trying to rejig within the existing perimeter, you'll be staggered as to what the costs will be. This is a classic example of what we deal with regularly, and more often than not these types of projects scopes will involve (a) increase of budget to achieve the scope and (b) a delicate and carefully though through solution that minimises work to existing and consolidates the spend as cost effectively as possible, which typically is achieved by some form of "clean" demo & extension solution......these days it is often proven false economy to rework within existing building perimeter unless it's confined to relatively cosmetic only upgrades.... Hope this helps & bests of luck Cheers PD :)...See MoreQuick Step Readyflor Blackbutt 1 strip XL - Experiences?
Comments (2)Hi Caroline, we recently installed quickstep engineered timber blackbutt 200sqm. You can see some photos here. https://www.instagram.com/p/BuVbCRRlIRO/ a beautiful timber floor. Feel free to contact us anytime for any questions....See Moredreamer
3 years agoKate
3 years agoejnibbs
3 years agoejnibbs
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agooklouise
3 years agodreamer
3 years agoKate
3 years agoKate
3 years agoKate
3 years agoejnibbs
3 years agoKate
3 years agoejnibbs
3 years agoejnibbs
3 years agooklouise
3 years agodreamer
3 years agome me
3 years agoddarroch
3 years ago
C P