We would like to introduce you to Matt & Kat...
Matt & Kat(rina) bought their first home 2 years ago, having just scraped together enough cash for a deposit on their 3 bedroom Queenslander. Their 2-year old daughter Emma was growing fast and they are now trying for their second child.
Despite being grateful for getting into the market in such a difficult housing supply crisis, it is starting to become painfully obvious that the house is going to quickly become cramped with a 2nd little tacker running around. The house is probably large enough, but the use of space is remarkably inefficient. They feel like they are ‘living on top of each other’, and toys & ‘junk’ seem to accumulate on every available horizontal surface!
Matt says he could ‘live with it’, but Kat knows that the currently layout is just not going to work with the changes coming down the pipeline with the kids. Matt & Kat decided it was time to renovate.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the best value renovations for first home buyers and young families, and follow Matt & Kat’s journey to a comfortable, haven of a home to raise their children in.
Despite being grateful for getting into the market in such a difficult housing supply crisis, it is starting to become painfully obvious that the house is going to quickly become cramped with a 2nd little tacker running around. The house is probably large enough, but the use of space is remarkably inefficient. They feel like they are ‘living on top of each other’, and toys & ‘junk’ seem to accumulate on every available horizontal surface!
Matt says he could ‘live with it’, but Kat knows that the currently layout is just not going to work with the changes coming down the pipeline with the kids. Matt & Kat decided it was time to renovate.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the best value renovations for first home buyers and young families, and follow Matt & Kat’s journey to a comfortable, haven of a home to raise their children in.
Best Value Renovation Method: Identify & Eliminate ‘Friction Points
For a young family, home is a place where memories are children grow and memories are created. Apart from the sentimental, it is also the launching pad for life. Getting ready in the morning for each day of life in the big wide world, resting after accomplishing the days’ events, and entertaining close family and friends should be easy, not full of ‘friction points’ – a term we use frequently in our home design office. Our aim is to eliminate as many of the ‘friction points’ in a home as possible, starting with the biggest ones first.
A ‘friction point’ is easy to identify. It is a moment in time where you feel frustrated or annoyed while trying to perform some activity, because the activity is made more difficult by something about the home. (Example: 1 bathroom + family of four, all trying to get ready to go out at the same time. Elbow bumping = friction point.) Notice how you feel about it, and write it down.
A ‘friction point’ is easy to identify. It is a moment in time where you feel frustrated or annoyed while trying to perform some activity, because the activity is made more difficult by something about the home. (Example: 1 bathroom + family of four, all trying to get ready to go out at the same time. Elbow bumping = friction point.) Notice how you feel about it, and write it down.
DESIGN TIP - 'FRICTION POINTS'
Once you identify a friction point, write down how you feel and a possible solution to it.
Example: Kat wrote down –
Friction Point: “I felt annoyed at getting ready in the bathroom because she kept bumping elbows with Matt and trying to share the small mirror.
Possible solution: Bigger bathroom or two vanity basins + definitely a bigger mirror”.
Example: Kat wrote down –
Friction Point: “I felt annoyed at getting ready in the bathroom because she kept bumping elbows with Matt and trying to share the small mirror.
Possible solution: Bigger bathroom or two vanity basins + definitely a bigger mirror”.
Best value renovations for first home buyers
Friction Point: Disconnection between Kitchen, Dining, Living.
Value Renovation #1: Open Plan Living Area
For a young family, having an open plan Living, Kitchen & Dining area can solve a major problem of ‘disconnection’ between these crucially socially-connected rooms. It can also solve safety issues such as when mum or dad is in the Kitchen, and a child is the Living room. In an open plan design, the parent can cook dinner while also watching the child in the Living room.
The most common renovation is to remove the unnecessary walls between spaces. However, this needs careful design and structural considerations before just ‘knocking out the wall’.
Matt & Kat reached out to the home building design specialists, Queensland Designer Homes, knowing they needed a holistic approach to the design of their open plan living space. QDH listened to their needs, and offered tailored solutions to the friction points they expressed, and designed a set of custom renovation plans to address all the friction points in the home, starting with removing two walls that separated the Kitchen from the Living and the Dining spaces. Kat was excited about the extra light and visibility from the kitchen, and Matt loved the idea of being able to chat with Kat while enjoying a beverage on the couch after a long hard day of work.
Why this works: It reconnects the main social living spaces and makes connecting with the other people in your home not only a possibility, but a likely outcome. Which, in an age of disconnection, should be prioritized as the first value renovation to a family home.
The most common renovation is to remove the unnecessary walls between spaces. However, this needs careful design and structural considerations before just ‘knocking out the wall’.
Matt & Kat reached out to the home building design specialists, Queensland Designer Homes, knowing they needed a holistic approach to the design of their open plan living space. QDH listened to their needs, and offered tailored solutions to the friction points they expressed, and designed a set of custom renovation plans to address all the friction points in the home, starting with removing two walls that separated the Kitchen from the Living and the Dining spaces. Kat was excited about the extra light and visibility from the kitchen, and Matt loved the idea of being able to chat with Kat while enjoying a beverage on the couch after a long hard day of work.
Why this works: It reconnects the main social living spaces and makes connecting with the other people in your home not only a possibility, but a likely outcome. Which, in an age of disconnection, should be prioritized as the first value renovation to a family home.
Friction Point: Frustrating 30-year-old Kitchen - badly laid out, and falling apart.
Value Renovation #2: Kitchen Renovation (ie: new kitchen)
For Matt & Kat, who both love to cook, the tired old kitchen just wasn’t cutting the mustard anymore. It was badly laid out, had limited storage, and was awkward for two people to work in and the doors were actually falling off the hinges.
Having removed the two walls separating the Kitchen from the rest of the home, this opened up new possibilities for a better Kitchen layout. Matt & Kat decided on a ‘galley’ kitchen design with an island bench and breakfast bar. Working with QDH, the layout of the kitchen was designed to maximise functionality down to the millimetre.
A Kitchen renovation is often the most expensive renovation of a single room in the home, however its value in the reduction of stress related to everyday and socialising activities can be in-valuable.
Why this works: The Kitchen is the hub of the home, and for a family, the Kitchen is more than just a food preparation space, it is a social space. For people who love cooking, a functional Kitchen can increase the pleasure of cooking, whereas a non-functional kitchen can increase stress and tension.
Having removed the two walls separating the Kitchen from the rest of the home, this opened up new possibilities for a better Kitchen layout. Matt & Kat decided on a ‘galley’ kitchen design with an island bench and breakfast bar. Working with QDH, the layout of the kitchen was designed to maximise functionality down to the millimetre.
A Kitchen renovation is often the most expensive renovation of a single room in the home, however its value in the reduction of stress related to everyday and socialising activities can be in-valuable.
Why this works: The Kitchen is the hub of the home, and for a family, the Kitchen is more than just a food preparation space, it is a social space. For people who love cooking, a functional Kitchen can increase the pleasure of cooking, whereas a non-functional kitchen can increase stress and tension.
Friction Point: Annoyance at ‘STUFF’ EVERYWHERE! And no place to put it all.
Value Renovation #3: More and Smarter Storage
Matt works from home 1 day a week, and needs a productive space. Working on the lounge with the laptop is not only causing him to have a bad back, to even sit down, he needs to move at least 5 toys off the couch to sit down to work! He would rather work at the dining table, but that is covered with MORE stuff than the lounge so the lounge is the path of least resistance. He wishes they had as much storage in their previous 4 bedroom house which they rented for a few years before they bought this one.
There is a section of the hallway that the building designers identified that, with the changes being made to the kitchen would not only suit not only a full length hallway cupboard, but was also a great spot to install a cozy Study Nook. So not only do Kat & Matt now have an amazing size cupboard to store all of the toys, but now Matt has a dedicated space for him and his laptop to reside on his WFH days.
Why this works: Improving storage in the home could even be as important, if not more important to some, than a renovated kitchen.
There is a section of the hallway that the building designers identified that, with the changes being made to the kitchen would not only suit not only a full length hallway cupboard, but was also a great spot to install a cozy Study Nook. So not only do Kat & Matt now have an amazing size cupboard to store all of the toys, but now Matt has a dedicated space for him and his laptop to reside on his WFH days.
Why this works: Improving storage in the home could even be as important, if not more important to some, than a renovated kitchen.
Friction Point: Kid noise! Kids won’t play outside & play noisily (as kids do) inside.
Value Renovation #4: Outdoor Entertaining Area & Kid-Friendly Backyard
Kat loves to have the ‘girls’ over at least once a week to chit-chat and to catch up. Their kids absolutely LOVE one another. This is great and all, but the ‘kid-noise’ level seems to go from a manageable 50% to an ear-crunching 500% when the kids all get together. This results in the girls having to either raise their voices above the cacophony of ‘Ella’s’ and ‘Ariel’s’ or plonk the kids down in front of the TV to watch their favourite Ella or Ariel animated movie.
Kat brings up this conundrum in the design consultation with QDH, and the solution, it seems, is to get the kids to play more outside in an entertaining area and/or backyard, thereby relegating inside chaos to a kid-safe outdoor space. In Kat & Matt’s case, the lower-cost immediate-fix option is to add some kid-safe play equipment to the backyard consisting of:
One of Matt’s must-have renovations was a decent sized deck where he could cook up a storm with his meat smoker BBQ. After a chat with QDH, it became clear that the Deck would make a great north-facing outdoor living area where Matt & Kat could watch the kids play in the yard.
Why this works: Outdoor spaces are crucial to connect to indoor spaces. They provide a place where mum & dad can survey the kids playing in the yard, but still be connected to the social zones inside the home, especially with the new glass bifold doors connecting the dining directly to the deck when open.
Kat brings up this conundrum in the design consultation with QDH, and the solution, it seems, is to get the kids to play more outside in an entertaining area and/or backyard, thereby relegating inside chaos to a kid-safe outdoor space. In Kat & Matt’s case, the lower-cost immediate-fix option is to add some kid-safe play equipment to the backyard consisting of:
- a trampoline (full enclosed with a net of course),
- a sandpit next to a simple plastic durable outdoor cubby house with a door and a window, and
- a swing-set with a slide on the side.
One of Matt’s must-have renovations was a decent sized deck where he could cook up a storm with his meat smoker BBQ. After a chat with QDH, it became clear that the Deck would make a great north-facing outdoor living area where Matt & Kat could watch the kids play in the yard.
Why this works: Outdoor spaces are crucial to connect to indoor spaces. They provide a place where mum & dad can survey the kids playing in the yard, but still be connected to the social zones inside the home, especially with the new glass bifold doors connecting the dining directly to the deck when open.
Friction Point: Bathroom chaos with too many people!
Value Renovation #5: Additional Bedroom – Ideally, a Master bedroom with Ensuite & Robe (a walk-in-robe would ideal but is a luxury)
A second bathroom is, in some cases - depending on the number of family members sharing the bathroom - a more urgent and immediately important renovation than the kitchen or outdoor areas.
Currently, Matt & Kat only have the 1 child and 3 bedrooms. So, once the other renovations are complete, the second baby would have been born, and they can take their time to one day do the extension for the new bedroom, ensuite and robe. The house will be sufficient for a few years, and once the kids need separate bedrooms, then it would be the right time to build that extension.
Why this works: Adding a fourth bedroom not only adds significant value to the home, but expands the internal floor area and creates a true retreat space for mum and dad as the kids grow. Adding a master bedroom instead of just another standard bedroom provides the opportunity to add a second full bathroom (ensuite) to separate mum and dad’s bathroom, from the ‘kids’ bathroom, further adding to the ability to control the cleanliness of at least one bathroom in the home for some escape from chaos.
Currently, Matt & Kat only have the 1 child and 3 bedrooms. So, once the other renovations are complete, the second baby would have been born, and they can take their time to one day do the extension for the new bedroom, ensuite and robe. The house will be sufficient for a few years, and once the kids need separate bedrooms, then it would be the right time to build that extension.
Why this works: Adding a fourth bedroom not only adds significant value to the home, but expands the internal floor area and creates a true retreat space for mum and dad as the kids grow. Adding a master bedroom instead of just another standard bedroom provides the opportunity to add a second full bathroom (ensuite) to separate mum and dad’s bathroom, from the ‘kids’ bathroom, further adding to the ability to control the cleanliness of at least one bathroom in the home for some escape from chaos.
Why value renovations are worth doing ASAP...
They cut it close, but a few weeks after the first four renovations where completed, Kat & Matt welcomed a beautiful little boy into the world and their renovated family home. For now, the home refresh now provides enough space, plenty of storage, and connected social zones that they feel they can comfortably live like this for a very long time, with minimal remaining ‘friction points’.
Each home and family is unique, and of course this needs to be taken into account with each project. For young families like the fictional Steven’s family, renovations can be life changing.
When focusing on practical, high value return renovations and improvements such as:
Each home and family is unique, and of course this needs to be taken into account with each project. For young families like the fictional Steven’s family, renovations can be life changing.
When focusing on practical, high value return renovations and improvements such as:
- Open-plan Living,
- A renovated kitchen,
- Smart storage solutions,
- Safe & connected outdoor spaces; and a
- Bedroom extension...
Brisbane Building Designers here to help...
At Queensland Designer Homes, we specialise in helping families get the most out of their homes, and particularly the most bang-for-buck renovations. Whatever your renovations are, large or small, we can help bring your vision to life, or even give you a vision if you are not sure what is best for your home.
Book in a free design consultation on our Contact page today. Talk to you soon!
- Sam, QDH.
Book in a free design consultation on our Contact page today. Talk to you soon!
- Sam, QDH.
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