How a switch to open plan living transformed this family home
Discover how the Space Invaders team turned a cluttered and disconnected house into an open plan family home.
Discover how the Space Invaders team turned a cluttered and disconnected house into an open plan family home.
Parents Holly and Darren have two young children and should be enjoying one of the happiest times in their lives, but they are barely hanging on.
Instead of living their best life in their first family home, the demands of parenting have left their exhaustion levels at an all time high, and the overly cluttered state of the house has become a source of conflict.
Adding to the chaos is a dated house, lacking storage and a dysfunctional layout that only adds to the feeling of disconnection.
In tackling their biggest renovation so far the Space Invaders team set out to help Holly and Darren clear the clutter overtaking their home and take it from a place of stress, and turn it into a sanctuary.
“I need to transform this from a disjointed house to a modern family home,” says renovation expert Cherie Barber, noting that she’ll need to “…“bring in an army of tradies to get it done in time.”
Cherie and her team of hipages tradies are taking on a massive renovation project to give Holly, Darren and their kids a functional home. To do this they are taking on lounge room and kitchen to create an open plan living space.
The master bedroom is also in desperate need of a makeover and the kid’s room has a lot of ‘stuff’ with no real space.
Plus the bathroom is also in desperate need of repair. It’s definitely seen better days and there is evidence of water damage.
Holly and Darren’s bathroom before their Space Invaders renovation.
Without a doubt Holly and Darren’s kitchen was the biggest job for the team. On entering the kitchen Cherie took a breath before noting, “My life just got complicated for a few days.”
The colour scheme was “ whacked”, the cabinets dated, the appliances old and there was no proper pantry. The kitchen had no bench space and the layout was poor. In Cherie’s words it was a “1980s shocker.” The only solution? Rip it out and start again.
In order to create a sense of connection the reno team completely changed the space of the home.
The kitchen was completely reimagined with new cabinetry, benchtop, tiles and appliances to make the space feel clean and modern.
The once bland and poorly laid out lounge room has been divided into functional living and dining zones. It now features a striking colour theme with plenty of space for the kids to play and Holly and Darren to relax.
The rundown, leaky bathroom was given a luxury transformation with a modern colour palette, new floor tiles and shower screen, and it’s now 100 percent waterproof and will last for years to come.
The kid’s room is now a fun, well organised space for the kids that’s multifunctional and can adapt as the kids grow.
The master bedroom has been refreshed with native floral wallpaper and soft lighting to create a parent’s retreat.
“Choosing only what you love, what you use and then putting everything else aside for donations, it’s a really great process.” Holly
Once the team had worked their magic they had opened up and modernised this 1980s home.
Working with decluttering expert Peter Walsh Holly and Darren cleared an astonishing 70 percent of their clutter with a donated pile worth $9,300.
Coupled with the reno that added loads of storage and dedicated areas for mum, dad and the kids the house no longer feels cluttered and disconnected. Plus the value of the house has increased in value by an incredible $210,000.
To bring the open plan living design to life for Holly and Darren’s home, Cherie and her reno team needed to make some structural changes to the house, including the removal of a load bearing wall. So before they got started it was essential to get the okay from the engineers.
A structural engineer is an expert in designing and assessing structures to make sure that they’re safe and structurally sound. While not every project needs one, many residential projects do — especially if your home is in a cyclone or flood-prone area, has footings on soft soil, or is built on a sloping block.
Different states have different regulations about when a structural engineer is required. For example, in most states, retaining walls over one metre in height must be designed and built by a structural engineer. However, the height limit and other factors can vary depending on the state.
Outside of state regs, you should hire a structural engineer for any project that requires specialised knowledge to ensure the structure is safe and secure.
For Holly and Darren’s reno to go ahead as planned the engineers were able to approve the wall to come out to create the open plan space, with the addition of a structural beam across the top of the section.
Whether you’re planning a small home improvement project, or a larger renovation that requires expert help like a structural engineer, we’ve got the right, trusted tradies for every job you need done. Simply post a job and up to three tradies will contact you with a quote.
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