first home & renovations help!

hellooooo!! so the husband and I were going to build, but couldn't find land in brisbane that we were happy with. so we put an offer on a house and yay, it was accepted. its all moving ahead nicely and i'm already looking to renovate!

the house its about 10 years old with federation style decorating and colours (burgundy, dark green etc) which I hate. we won't renovate structural, more aesthetics like changing the ugly sink taps, painting, replacing the kitchen cupboards, new modern ceiling fans and lighting, then we'll get to ripping up the carpet and replacing the living areas with floor boards and render the exterior, paint the roof and things like that.

can anyone tell me where to begin or give any advice? we're totally new to this! also recommendations of tradies in brisbane would be great too!


(i have attached some photos for suggestions)

I'd paint that front lawn green for starters...

Seriuosly, I'd be happy with it as is. Looks great to me.

Except for that lawn colour....

The Fence said:

I'd paint that front lawn green for starters...

Seriuosly, I'd be happy with it as is. Looks great to me.

Except for that lawn colour....

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haha yeah its been a dry year in brisbane - will be getting better lawn!

the photos make it look better.. those cupboards are hideous! haha.

here are some more pics

Still,looks great to me, way better that what Im living in now with the green kitchen bench tops etc etc.

That's a really tidy and well maintained house by the looks.

I guess different strokes....

Asides from being a zillion times better than what we are currently living in and renovating ... I do get what you mean.

I personally hate the green/cream/red combo ... one house we repainted the green/cream in ironstone/china white ... even tho it was a 1920's bungalow, modernised the appearance immediately.

As for that bathroom ... and those cheap tacky lights ... and that kitchen (not enough eeks available)!

However - you need to sit down and make a plan. Start looking at options and samples and how you want your layout to end up and how much you want to spend.

How handy are you both? Don't even think about tackling electrical and plumbing as it is worth every cent to get in the tradies for these - but everything else is up for grabs.

Kitchens are easy to install - and go direct to the supplier of cupboards (a few on here should be able to point your in the right direction). If you like the layout but not the doors - just replace the doors. For stone benchtops, go straight to the stonemason.

Bathroom - as long as you either know how to disconnect pipes, or get your plumber to do it - they are easy to rip out. I'd recommend getting a tiler in for a smick job - and the plumber to install the bath/vanity/shower - but all the prep work you can do yourself.

Personally I'd leave the tiled floors - they look pretty nice - and would be a nightmare to rip up.

My top tip? Live in it for a while and see what really irks you after 6 months ... fiddle in the garden while you're waiting.

My best bang for buck would be down lights, for about 800 they shou,d be able to do a whole house

Brightens and moderns the entire house pretty quickly

Possibly for 100 worth of grout and elbow grease plus a sore back to regrout it white?

Truly Exotic said:

My best bang for buck would be down lights, for about 800 they shou,d be able to do a whole house

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Personally, I hate downlights. It feels like I am in a hotel/office.

But, do you think it will be a attracting factor for tenants??

I'm assuming this is to be your own home and not for rental. If so, then it is really up to you which way you head.

For me, I'd definitely ditch the lights, and either do recessed LEDs for cheaper running costs (and good looks) with a few "wow" lights, maybe over the dining room table and kitchen bench?

I guess if you dislike the Federation "trims" you can easily take off the trim over the front door and the finial, paint it out so it is no longer a feature, and remove the trim where the hall opens to the living room.

What sort of style do you like? You could really head in a few different directions once you remove the Federation trims.

Have a look at some design magazines and rip out the pages that grab your attention. You will get some idea of what you like (or not). That will help you plan.

Like Lizzie suggests, live in it for six months to a year before making any major decisions about changing layout. See how it works as it is.

rajnhets said:

Personally, I hate downlights. It feels like I am in a hotel/office.

But, do you think it will be a attracting factor for tenants??

Click to expand...

Really, one thing for sure is that it brightens the place up, so first impressions do last from a tenants perspective

Tat being said, I personally still can't get over these modern energy efficient gloves, they look like mini Fluoro tubes

And it's near impossible to find incandescents, the look alikes are better but they are getting harder to find and the 100watt ones also seem not be sold that much at all as well, PLUS most of them seem to be damn frosted!

Maybe change your globes to the halogen types, they will brighten it up greatly

Alternatively, led globe prices are coming down, however, I'm not that familiar with them, do you need an electrician to install them from the tradiotnal incandescent setups?

I'm with TE ... I really like downlights for overall general lighting but with feature lights over the island bench, dining area, bath etc.

A few lamps scattered around then gives lots of lighting options and combinations.

I didn't know if you like the federation features or not. Personally I can't stand fake federation "bits" stuck on modern houses. I'd be removing them ... but if you like them, just paint them more modern colours.

Definitely start a scrapbook of pictures of things you like. Go to some open houses that look nice on real.estate.com and steal their ideas. I recently visited a house with dark stained timber floors, white walls, and white plantations shutters - very Hamptons, if you like that style, and easy to achieve. Take a wander around your nearest homemaker centre and look at showrooms. Even Dulux brochures have ideas.

It is worth taking your time to see how the house works for you before you start spending. Don't knock yourself out trying to make the perfect decision every time; you'll be overwhelmed by choice and sometimes it's better to make a "good enough" decision than stress yourself out.

If you repaint the exterior woodwork and landscape the front garden with some interesting foliage plants (succulents, cordylines, flax, etc), you may not need to change the roof colour. A new front door and sidelights would make a big difference, I think.

wow thanks so much for all your advice! i dont know where to start in reply!

firstly yes we will be living in this home, the layout is ok with us in the kitchen.. there is enough space and things seem to be in a sensible positions, I just don't like the cupboards/handles/lights/cooktop.

WYLIE (i dont know how to multiple quote yet, so will just caps the names haha.. i'm 29, i should know this stuff) thats what i was thinking, over kitchen/dining space or over in the tiled living area? i found a nice pendant light but dont know if it will look silly in the kitchen and maybe i should just get it for the living area and put down lights in the kitchen? i hate the fluro look, would rather a warm yellowy/white colour bulb (thats the technical term right? haha)

we're not super handy, but we learn and are willing to have a go (at things that we can do, not plumbing & sparky work). things like changing the blind in the kitchen we can do, i saw bunnings made up cupboards, we could install these surely?

speaking of bunnings, has anyone got their cupboards before? is it a simple unscrew existing door and screw in the new bunnings door? also with the taps, is that a great ordeal just to change the part you twist? those ugly plastic things will make me gag everyday.

LIZZIE thanks for tip about living in it for 6 months.. you're right about that. but those cupboards and lights have to go asap! haha

so my next question is.. in which order do we start? is it like washing a car and start at the top (lights) so you dont mess the new stuff underneath?

thanks again - great help!

lizzie said:

I'm with TE ... I really like downlights for overall general lighting but with feature lights over the island bench, dining area, bath etc.

A few lamps scattered around then gives lots of lighting options and combinations.

I didn't know if you like the federation features or not. Personally I can't stand fake federation "bits" stuck on modern houses. I'd be removing them ... but if you like them, just paint them more modern colours.

Click to expand...

i hate anything federation.. i see the house with a cream or mocha render and a charcoal (same colour as the letterbox) or navy roof with a neat black mulch garden with succulents for colour and some nice grass.

its like the federation rainbow threw up on my house!

Nibbles55 said:

Definitely start a scrapbook of pictures of things you like. Go to some open houses that look nice on real.estate.com and steal their ideas. I recently visited a house with dark stained timber floors, white walls, and white plantations shutters - very Hamptons, if you like that style, and easy to achieve. Take a wander around your nearest homemaker centre and look at showrooms. Even Dulux brochures have ideas.

It is worth taking your time to see how the house works for you before you start spending. Don't knock yourself out trying to make the perfect decision every time; you'll be overwhelmed by choice and sometimes it's better to make a "good enough" decision than stress yourself out.

If you repaint the exterior woodwork and landscape the front garden with some interesting foliage plants (succulents, cordylines, flax, etc), you may not need to change the roof colour. A new front door and sidelights would make a big difference, I think.

Click to expand...

yes definitely want a front door. we dont have a huge budget, so i was just going to get one from bunnings. they have the modern style with 3 horizontal frosted glass panels.

i took a drive around my area yesterday for inspiration on homes. i have a vision, but want to make sure its translated through the whole house.

i like this style (obviously we dont have the wood paneling).. http://www.plantationhomes.com.au/#/House/110/

and it has the cream garage door too which means we wouldn't have to worry about painting it (even though its probably easier than the roof).

in regards to getting bunnings cabinets, note they can become very very expensive,

I think it was going to cost me about $150 for a door for a cabinet, while a 4 draw cabinet was something like $300 plus the panels plus handles plus frame,

if you are going to all up spend $1000, you could almost get a brand new decent quality one for $2k, plus installation, so you hae to weigh up what essentailly will be a patched up new looking old kitchen or getting a brand new one,

you can also buy new handles, thats always a cost effective method
You could repaint it but it will never be the same, Painting cabinets I only use for cheap properties

Truly Exotic said:

in regards to getting bunnings cabinets, note they can become very very expensive,

I think it was going to cost me about $150 for a door for a cabinet, while a 4 draw cabinet was something like $300 plus the panels plus handles plus frame,

if you are going to all up spend $1000, you could almost get a brand new decent quality one for $2k, plus installation, so you hae to weigh up what essentailly will be a patched up new looking old kitchen or getting a brand new one,

you can also buy new handles, thats always a cost effective method
You could repaint it but it will never be the same, Painting cabinets I only use for cheap properties

Click to expand...

thanks for the tip! i considered buying new handles, but when you open the door, the laminate(?) at the top of the door & drawers has come away (though its still smooth.. i dont know.. but it doesnt look nice).

i'll give a cabinet maker a call

Erin - you're in brissy - have a look thru this section of the forum as there as lots of tips on where to buy quality but inexpensive kitchen cabinets (and other things).

I wouldn't go to Bunnings for kitchens - they have a limited range/size and are not that cheap.

I am another who says "leave it alone and enjoy". Can't see anything needing to fix.


The Y-man