My Houzz: From Boring Brick to Hamptons Chic on a Budget
Taking on a dramatic redesign while juggling a business and kids was all in a day's work for this capable pair
Lisa Atkinson
21 June 2019
Houzz Contributor. I am an interiors, commercial lifestyle, and fine art photographer based in Frankston South, just out of Melbourne on the stunning Mornington Peninsula. I have been professionally photographing for over 25 years, and have worked with many talented interior designers and builders, both residentially and commercially.
Houzz Contributor. I am an interiors, commercial lifestyle, and fine art photographer... More
Sam and Eliza Nugent had always dreamed of raising their two children on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, enjoying a relaxed, coastal lifestyle. In 2016 they purchased a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, red-brick property in the area and spent 18 months transforming it into their perfect home. “We loved the property’s location, size and yard. Structurally, it was sound, and the layout was almost perfect, but the interior finishes were worn, out-of-date and not our style,” says Eliza Nugent.
The bright and airy Hamptons feel they wanted to create was well within reach, thanks to their can-do attitude and skills: Sam is a cabinet-maker by trade and Eliza had previously renovated homes with him while managing the scheduling and accounts side of Sam’s business. “Apart from plumbing and electricals, we did everything in this renovation ourselves, including demolition, flooring, painting, plastering, tiling, panelling, and designing the cabinetry and most of the furniture,” says Eliza Nugent. “It was a hectic time. With two children and a business, we were already run off our feet. Most of our renovating was done at night once the kids were in bed.”
The bright and airy Hamptons feel they wanted to create was well within reach, thanks to their can-do attitude and skills: Sam is a cabinet-maker by trade and Eliza had previously renovated homes with him while managing the scheduling and accounts side of Sam’s business. “Apart from plumbing and electricals, we did everything in this renovation ourselves, including demolition, flooring, painting, plastering, tiling, panelling, and designing the cabinetry and most of the furniture,” says Eliza Nugent. “It was a hectic time. With two children and a business, we were already run off our feet. Most of our renovating was done at night once the kids were in bed.”
The new front door was purchased from Gumtree
Images by Lisa Atkinson Photographer
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Sam and Eliza Nugent, their children Stella, six, and Arlow, two, and their golden retriever, Ally
Location: Mount Martha, Victoria
Size: 210 square metres; four bedrooms and two bathrooms
“Our original budget was $55,000 for all the building and decor materials. Doing the bulk of the labour ourselves helped us hit our target,” says Nugent. “We still have our ensuite and alfresco area to go and will probably exceed our budget by an estimated $10,000 – but who doesn’t?”
Images by Lisa Atkinson Photographer
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Sam and Eliza Nugent, their children Stella, six, and Arlow, two, and their golden retriever, Ally
Location: Mount Martha, Victoria
Size: 210 square metres; four bedrooms and two bathrooms
“Our original budget was $55,000 for all the building and decor materials. Doing the bulk of the labour ourselves helped us hit our target,” says Nugent. “We still have our ensuite and alfresco area to go and will probably exceed our budget by an estimated $10,000 – but who doesn’t?”
“Sam and I have renovated three houses before, but this one was different – we renovated to stay. As a result, we spent more on things such as flooring and stone,” says Nugent.
Before Photo
The brick facade before works
First on the couple’s agenda was changing the home’s red-brick facade for something that was better suited to the Hamptons aesthetic they loved. “Working out how to turn the front exterior from red brick to weatherboard was our biggest design challenge – and something that really took us out of our comfort zone,” says Nugent.
Find a builder on Houzz to help bring your dream home to life
First on the couple’s agenda was changing the home’s red-brick facade for something that was better suited to the Hamptons aesthetic they loved. “Working out how to turn the front exterior from red brick to weatherboard was our biggest design challenge – and something that really took us out of our comfort zone,” says Nugent.
Find a builder on Houzz to help bring your dream home to life
“There wasn’t a great deal of information on Google and we really struggled to find anyone who had any experience in this field,” says Nugent. “Eventually we found a builder who had done it before, and he directed us to James Hardie PrimeLine Newport weatherboards. They are thin, compressed sheets that we were able to install under the existing flashing. Thicker weatherboards would have stuck out,” she says.
The family is delighted with the result. “The new weatherboard facade is the one thing that’s made the biggest difference to the house,” says Nugent.
The family is delighted with the result. “The new weatherboard facade is the one thing that’s made the biggest difference to the house,” says Nugent.
The renovated entrance hall
Sam designed and made the slender cabinet and decorative mirror to complement the hallway.
The timber flooring is Wild River engineered European oak from Carpet World. “We splurged on flooring throughout the entire house – it came in at $15,000 supplied,” says Nugent.
Sam designed and made the slender cabinet and decorative mirror to complement the hallway.
The timber flooring is Wild River engineered European oak from Carpet World. “We splurged on flooring throughout the entire house – it came in at $15,000 supplied,” says Nugent.
Before Photo
The kitchen before works
“We gutted the original kitchen and put a new one in,” says Nugent. “We added built-in cabinetry to the left of the fridge to enlarge the kitchen and give it a more symmetrical look.
“We kept the original layout, but pushed out the spacing and made the peninsula island deeper,” says Nugent.
The bar stools are from Milano Republic.
“We kept the original layout, but pushed out the spacing and made the peninsula island deeper,” says Nugent.
The bar stools are from Milano Republic.
“Our kitchen is definitely our masterpiece and my favourite room in the house,” says Nugent. “As a family, we spend the bulk of our time there.”
“My absolute favourite part of the kitchen is the splashback,” says Nugent. “It’s so easy to keep clean – no more trying to clean pasta sauce out of grout!”
The marble-look benchtop and splashback, made from Lithostone Quartz Surfaces in Calacatta Sienna, comprises one of the two splurge items for the couple, costing around $10,000.
The marble-look benchtop and splashback, made from Lithostone Quartz Surfaces in Calacatta Sienna, comprises one of the two splurge items for the couple, costing around $10,000.
Charming coastal accents are dotted through the house to reinforce its Hamptons feel.
Plenty of built-in storage makes it easy to keep the house tidy. “We are a busy family so we’ve tried to incorporate a place for everything to keep our home organised and chaos-free,” says Nugent.
“For this house, we wanted features that would stand the test of time,” says Nugent. Beautiful timber floors and a bright and airy kitchen were two of the couple’s must-haves.
Before Photo
The kitchen and dining area before works
“The wall in the open-plan living/dining space looked so empty and it was a large space to fill,” says Nugent. “The entertainment unit that was there originally looked too small so we set about creating something more appropriately sized that went with our style.”
The floor-to-ceiling, built-in entertainment unit was the result. “I’m looking forward to adding collections of photos and knick-knacks to it over the years,” she says.
The floor-to-ceiling, built-in entertainment unit was the result. “I’m looking forward to adding collections of photos and knick-knacks to it over the years,” she says.
“We love how the kitchen flows so smoothly through to the living areas,” says Nugent.
“My decorating style is a mix of coastal and Hamptons,” says Nugent. “I have always loved a nautical feel. We moved around a lot when I was growing up and my fondest memories are from the coastal towns that we lived in. Anything beachy makes me feel at home.”
Before Photo
The open-plan living area before works
The new open-plan living area
The couple chose a hardy Plush sofa that would stand up to the rigours of family life for their open-plan living room.
The couple chose a hardy Plush sofa that would stand up to the rigours of family life for their open-plan living room.
The sofa in the formal living room is from Freedom.
The new formal living area
Plenty of lush greenery and rustic touches throughout the house create a relaxed, indoor-outdoor feel.
“I designed all the cabinetry in the house and Sam built it, except for this criss-cross bookshelf in the study, which I’m proud of,” says Nugent. “I built it myself under Sam’s direction. I really wanted to have something in the house that I could brag about.”
Before Photo
The master bedroom before works
The new master bedroom
So what’s the biggest lesson Nugent has learnt from renovating her family home? “Anything can be done – there’s always a way, so don’t give up – just keep researching,” she says. “Numerous people told us that certain things couldn’t be done, such as re-spraying the window frames ourselves and turning the brick exterior into weatherboard – and we proved them wrong.”
And what’s her biggest design tip? “If it doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to redo it.”
So what’s the biggest lesson Nugent has learnt from renovating her family home? “Anything can be done – there’s always a way, so don’t give up – just keep researching,” she says. “Numerous people told us that certain things couldn’t be done, such as re-spraying the window frames ourselves and turning the brick exterior into weatherboard – and we proved them wrong.”
And what’s her biggest design tip? “If it doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to redo it.”
Arlow’s bedroom has a black-and-white theme and features a fun teepee for quiet play.
Stella’s bedroom is decorated in a pretty lilac and white. Her metal-framed bed is from Adairs.
Before Photo
The family bathroom before works
The new family bathroom
“We renovated our main bathroom for under $1,000,” says Nugent. The couple achieved this by removing the bulk of the original patterned tiles and reusing some of them in new positions. They kept the original bath and shower but updated them with new tapware. To give the space a serious style lift, they put in new floor and shower tiles.
“We kept the cabinet carcass and Sam refaced the drawers with Shaker-style fronts and added a stone top,” says Nugent.
“We did the bathroom last. I figured if I didn’t see the area often, it wasn’t a high priority in the order of things,” she says.
“We renovated our main bathroom for under $1,000,” says Nugent. The couple achieved this by removing the bulk of the original patterned tiles and reusing some of them in new positions. They kept the original bath and shower but updated them with new tapware. To give the space a serious style lift, they put in new floor and shower tiles.
“We kept the cabinet carcass and Sam refaced the drawers with Shaker-style fronts and added a stone top,” says Nugent.
“We did the bathroom last. I figured if I didn’t see the area often, it wasn’t a high priority in the order of things,” she says.
Sam built the delightful cubby-house in the backyard for the children. “We love that we can see our entire backyard from the kitchen and family room so the kids can safely play,” says Nugent.
“A typical day in our home consists of our two crazy kids keeping us entertained,” says Nugent. “Stella is usually flipping around the backyard practising her gymnastics and Arlow spends loads of time in the cubby and sandpit,” says Nugent.
“A typical day in our home consists of our two crazy kids keeping us entertained,” says Nugent. “Stella is usually flipping around the backyard practising her gymnastics and Arlow spends loads of time in the cubby and sandpit,” says Nugent.
“We try to fit a lot in each day and will often start renovating after the kids have gone to bed and work well into the night,” says Nugent. And with just the ensuite and alfresco area awaiting their renovators’ touch, it won’t be long before they can sit back in the evenings and enjoy their family home.
Your turn
Do you love a Hamptons-inspired home as much as we do? Tell us in the Comments below, save your favourite images, like this story and join the conversation.
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Want to peek inside another beautiful home? Don’t miss our last Houzz Tour: Sensitive Additions Make an Art Deco House Sing
Your turn
Do you love a Hamptons-inspired home as much as we do? Tell us in the Comments below, save your favourite images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to peek inside another beautiful home? Don’t miss our last Houzz Tour: Sensitive Additions Make an Art Deco House Sing
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Well done. Love the changes to the much need new kitchen and bathroom, but best funny was the look on the dogs face sitting by the window in each photo saying... "why am I made to be outside for the photos?"!
how amazing that you and your husband were able to do most of the labour. The quality is awesome. Will you please share how you painted the windows as we have that primrose colour too and would like to change them
Hello, does anyone know who did the cladding over the brick and how much it cost? Thank you :-)