Home Renovation: Kitchen – Think Function, Design & Clever storage

The kitchen is indeed the heart of any home, and we want to make sure yours meets all your expectations. That means taking the time to chat to you and understand what you want from this space.

The effort you put into planning your layout and getting the design details right will help to create a finished product that suits your lifestyle and the way you use your kitchen.

For your kitchen storage, you need to plan enough overhead cabinets, base/floor cabinets, deep drawers, and wall cabinets/pantry space – and have it all easily accessible. The goal is to reduce clutter and prioritise organisation.

The type of storage you choose can also impact your budget – so if you want lots of drawers, which are very practical, keep in mind that these cost approximately $300 each. We can also help you with advice like taking your cabinets to the top of the ceiling to maximise storage space, or by installing a larger bulkhead where the existing room cornice can wrap around seamlessly.

You also need to choose a finish and colour for your cabinetry – with laminate ($$) and polyurethane or poly ($$$) the two we recommend you consider. Kitchen benchtops also need to be chosen – and here, laminate ($), engineered stone like Caesarstone ($$) and natural stone ($$$) are all popular and have their pros and cons.

Other elements you need to think about include kitchen lighting, flooring, and materials for a splashback – with tiles, glass, and Laminex all a possibility.

In terms of your plumbing, we advise you to try to keep this in the same place – as this helps keep costs down. If you are set on changes that will mean we may need to jackhammer your floor and/or walls, which pushes the cost up.

Home renovation: Bathroom – Think Comfort, Easy Cleaning, Style

The other space you also want to get right is your bathroom. Renovating a bathroom is a similar project to overhauling a kitchen, and they normally need the same trades and contractors. In fact, we often do kitchen and bathroom renovations together, so they are our bread and butter.

Start by researching materials, fittings, and fixtures and to get an understanding of what your budget will look like.

Then we can start helping you design a layout that is practical and luxurious. Some trends to think about include wet rooms with walk-in showers, frameless glass shower screens, freestanding bathtubs and back to wall-mounted toilets. Wall-hung vanities with plenty of storage are also popular.

Bathroom fixtures and fittings should all coordinate with each other, and you need to also think about bathroom lighting, heating, ventilation, towel rails, and shelving. We recommend tiles (ceramic $ or porcelain $$) for bathroom flooring and walls as they are water-resistant, easy to clean and durable.

Thinking of changing your bathroom layout? Just be aware that moving the plumbing around in your bathroom means more work for us. Wall plumbing is not such a big problem, because the pipework is smaller and therefore easier to relocate.

But if you have solid concrete floors this is a different story, as we need to jackhammer and/or core drill through the slab to relocate the pipework. Time is money, so factor this information into your overall thinking when planning and designing your bathroom.

Needless to say, we make sure all your plumbing will meet the Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA) requirements, and all works are carried out by our team of top local tradies, who are all licensed by NSW Fair Trading.