The 'Bunker' (as the neighbours call it) was purchsed in 2001 and since then we have done very little to it, but as we now are looking to retire in the next 5 to 10 years, we are now planning our renovation strategy to assist in gaining the most benefit from our primary asset. Built in 1978, you can tell by the colour scheme in the following photo, that this house could have been used for 'That 70's Show' very easily!!! The previous owner had painted nearly every internal room in 'Peach', a colour I hate!!! So the only thing that I have done over the past few years is paint the internal walls in a more neutral palette, with the occasional feature wall in larger areas.
A very 70's kitchen colour scheme. (Very difficult to face if you have had a hard night and get up feeling a little 'seedy' in the morning!!)
The overall plan will take us at least 8 to 12 months to complete, as we both work full time and have only our weekends and annual holidays to do any meaningful work on the place. By the time we have finished, we hope to have this old, tired looking 'Bunker' looking more like a new contemporary home.
JOB NUMBER ONE -
This is going to be our first room to renovate. We have purchased all the tiles, grout, toilet, vanity and fixings to get the project started. One thing that always happens with renovations is that as you go along, you will always find other things that need to be fixed, so make sure that you have a contingency budget, so that these small, but often costly jobs don't hold up the entire renovation.
There are several ways to remove tiles. DIY with a tile removal tool or call in the professionals. We have opted to DIY. The small floor tiles in this case are fairly easy to remove, but the wall tiles have been a different story!! I will need to render the wall before I retile. (** Extra cost #1) Now that I have removed that tiles, I have noticed two things, firstly that there is no water proofing and that there is a leak in the pipe for the cold water. (** Extra cost # 2 & 3) Now you can see how having the contingency plan for unforseen problems is so important. In one day I already have discovered three extra costs.
Master Bedroom Ensuite
This is going to be our first room to renovate. We have purchased all the tiles, grout, toilet, vanity and fixings to get the project started. One thing that always happens with renovations is that as you go along, you will always find other things that need to be fixed, so make sure that you have a contingency budget, so that these small, but often costly jobs don't hold up the entire renovation.Renovation Day One -
There are several ways to remove tiles. DIY with a tile removal tool or call in the professionals. We have opted to DIY. The small floor tiles in this case are fairly easy to remove, but the wall tiles have been a different story!! I will need to render the wall before I retile. (** Extra cost #1) Now that I have removed that tiles, I have noticed two things, firstly that there is no water proofing and that there is a leak in the pipe for the cold water. (** Extra cost # 2 & 3) Now you can see how having the contingency plan for unforseen problems is so important. In one day I already have discovered three extra costs.Most renovations can be done youself, but one thing I won't touch is plumbing, so I will need to call the plumber to remove and install the new toilet and vanity as well as fix the leaking pipe.
Happy renovating
Sonia :-)
