When searching for their forever home, Mel and Michael Schutte looked no further than the street in which they had already been living.
While their old house in Sydney’s lower North Shore lacked potential, the couple loved the street’s family-friendly nature. “So we bought a cottage two doors down from our old house. There was a big flat backyard with enough space for a play area, vegie patch and a pool,” says Mel.
Although the three-bedroom home had great bones, its kitchen and living room were located in a glamorised lean-to, making it ripe for rejuvenation.
The family lived in the cottage for a year while plans were drawn up by architect Clare Carter of Contemporary Architecture.
“We had four non-negotiable requirements,” says Mel. “From the front we wanted to retain the appearance of a Federation cottage; at the rear there was to be a glazed corner unobstructed by supporting columns; the pool was to be in full view from the kitchen; and the staircase to the new upstairs area was to be cantilevered.” All this, and more, has been accomplished.
Today, the traditional front children’s and guest section – complete with restored decorative architectural details – transitions at a landing into a contemporary, two-storey addition.
“We love living here,” says Mel. “The neighbours are in and out of each other’s houses and there are 16 kids under eight who regularly run around together!”
Mel’s top renovating tips
Reside in the house in all seasons to see how the light plays out. “How you think you will live in it isn’t always what you end up doing,” she says.
Decide on all the finishes before obtaining a fixed-price tender from a builder. The price the builder quotes will be cheapest at this point rather than when you’ve signed the contract and work has begun.
Source items from regional centres rather than capital cities. We got our decking and floorboards from Newcastle for 60-per-cent less than it cost in Sydney, with delivery only $100,” she says.
Budget
Consultants $93,000
Council & Certifier fees $6,310
Preliminaries $98,290
Demolition/excavation $50,360
Concrete/piling $40,550
Masonry $49,300
Structural steel $35,100
Carpentry $71,200
Flooring, decking & stair timber $17,000
Joinery $50,120
Fixtures and fittings $42,500
Doors and windows $77,236
Roofing $30,542
Plastering $41,200
Tiling & benchtops $65,120
Painting $28,605
Hydraulics $42,360
Electrical $41,130
External Works $19,013
Pool & pool excavation $65,440
Internal stair $37,075
Chimney travertine cladding $6,749
Airconditioning $11,569