In our business, you don’t always get great photos of your renovation or building work. Although we might engage a photographer on completion of a project, it’s often some time before the owners complete their furnishing and add those finishing touches that really turn their stylish new-build into a beautiful home.
Imagine our delight when we received these shots of the stunning renovation if Freshwater - one of our favorite projects of last year - from our wonderful clients, Gerard and Lynn.
We were tasked with transforming this unlovley 1960’s bungalow into a two-story home and create a haven of tranquility for the family, working with Jeremy Adams of Lifestyle Home Designs. Jeremy is one of those designers who is a great listener and really easy to work with. He's well versed in local building regulations too, which helped to minimise delays in the approval process and get on with the build. From a builder's perspective, Jeremy's plans were extremely accurate and this made for a smooth process. This project was really a perfect example of client, designer and builders working collaboratively and harmoniously with speedy and clear communication throughout.
Our brief was to create something slightly eclectic – our clients were not fans of having everything modern, feeling the look lacked soul. Lynn particularly loved hunting on ebay and a few of her favorite shops for vintage pieces to give the home some real character – seeking out those special things that really make a home very personal and, well, homely.
ELEGANT DETAILING
We were provided with an abundance of magazine images to help illustrate the things they liked, which was really helpful.
Lynn has an amazing creative talent and designed the interior herself. She had some incredible ideas and inspired us with some really clever use of materials. It was a real pleasure to help bring her ideas to life.
Specialist finishes were a really important feature of this renovation and we commissioned the very talented ladies from Tiles by Kate to create some spectacular features throughout the property.
Our clients loved the custom made steel-framed windows and doors we sourced for the build, lending a stylish industrial feel to the space.
RENOVATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT
There were two unique things about this project that we wouldn’t ordinarily recommend as ideal methodologies, but actually worked like a dream in this instance.
Firstly, for certain areas of the home, our clients really wanted to see the space before they made decisions on finishes and positioning of particular features during the build. This approach can only work if you are able to ensure you’ll be on hand to make those decisions as needed to avoid delays to the schedule – and if you’re confident of making speedy decisions once you get to view the space.
Secondly, the family made the decision to live onsite in the existing house, while we built the upper level and were relatively unaffected by the construction.
People tend to choose this option as a cost saving measure, but the reality is that if often proves to be more expensive as it can extend the construction period. The family did relocate for 6 months during the lower level works.
KEEPING THE NEIGHBOURS HAPPY
During the construction phase, it’s really important to consider your neighbours and keep them fully informed of what is happening, especially if there is likely to be any impact on them. At Sydney Beach Homes, we are always mindful of this and take great care to help manage these relationships by encouraging open communication and establishing a relationship with your neighbours. There will almost always be one neighbour or other that feels inconvenienced, but we’ve become quite adept at keeping them happy with regular communication, respect, and a winning smile J.
THE RESULT
We successfully transformed this 2 bedroom, single level dwelling into a two story, 4 bedroom family home, increasing the floor area from 142m2 to 254m2.
The renovation project took a total of 9 months.
A FEW KINDS WORDS FROM OUR CLIENTS AND COLLABORATORS
We always work hard to build strong relationships with our clients and the team of professionals we collaborate with on any project, so it’s always rewarding to hear how happy they have been with the result.
“OMG! I love our home. Thank you for all your hard work (including your crack team) and for remaining enthusiastic and focused from start to finish. You’re the best!”
Lynn Dixon : Freshwater renovation client.
“Thanks for what you have done for my family. I was impressed with your team and their performance. We’ve all loved moving back into the house.”
Gerard O’Hara : Freshwater renovation client.
“I have been working as a designer for 20 years and have seen work by many builders in my time. It is rare to find builders that are emotionally invested in a project and always striving for the best possible outcome for their clients. John and Jonno obviously take pride in their work and their attention to detail has made the project at Freshwater really stand out…….Well done!!!”
Jeremy Adams (pls advise surname) : Freshwater renovation designer.
Lifestyle Home Design
All images shown are courtesy of Katie at www.letmelistyourbandb.com.au/