Let's Get Started!

First off - We decided that it is time for us to get cracking and start doing some minor renovations on Jeremy’s house.  This is something we have been talking about for the last 6 months but had yet to find the time to just start doing it! The goal so far is to see how much we can increase the value of the property through minimal $ input.  

A bit about the house - The house has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms.  It was built - (I’m guessing here) - somewhere in the early 1990’s.  It sits on a generous 700m² section with ample off street parking and storage sheds.  Previously used as a rental, the inside has been kept reasonably tidy but it is pretty dated.  The first striking thing anyone notices on entering is the bright purple walls!  Obviously someone, at some point, got a really good deal on cheap purple paint!  To complement the purple walls the kitchen has a beautiful yellow sunflower wallpaper border and a powder blue bench top.  The hallways and bathrooms are a lovely bright mustard yellow; again perhaps just a sign of the times or another great deal on cheap paint!

Where to start? – Well since Sarah kept getting a headache every time she tried to relax in the purple lounge, we decided the lounge was as good a place as any!  We also thought that because it was the first room you see on entering the front door it would also have maximum impact for those friends and family already familiar with the house. 

Paint choice has been a work in progress since about June 2014, when we first got motivated to try our hand at a bit of DIY renovation.  Originally thinking a grey colour would be a good starting point – something neutral and modern – we headed off to Bunnings and returned home with armfuls of paint charts in the white, grey and brown tones.  Sarah then decided to blue tack them all up on the lounge wall to easily compare and contrast them in the changing light.  These stayed up for about 2 weeks, over which time every day sample squares were removed until we had our top 8 colours. 

The greys were all looking a bit blah at this point so we also had a mix of neutral beiges in there too.  These top 8 were then relocated to the kitchen, where they stayed for another month (or more...wow just shows you our procrastination in process)!  Eventually this was narrowed down to the winning colour – Dulux White Rice.  The funny thing is that we never actually bought a test pot and painted a sample spot on the wall.  Because of the elimination process we were pretty certain it would be the best anyway. 

Anything at this stage would be better than purple!

So we started! – Saturday morning was an early trip to Bunnings to get paint, roller and tray.  Along the way we got side tracked by the pots and potting mix…and walked out of Bunnings with a trolley load of gardening supplies too…(funny how that happens)!

An old sheet was recruited for a drop cloth the walls were wiped down with a micro fibre mop (yes a new one) and the first satisfying slap of paint was on the wall.  Being a self-confessed perfectionist Sarah volunteered for the cutting in and in no time the first wall was on its way to being transformed. 

 

Jeremy spent the morning re-potting his chilli plant and succulents in his new pots and creating a neat entrance feature to the front door, (we will post a photo soon).  He was then volunteered for the roller when Sarah had to go off to work for the afternoon.

And in a triumphant farewell we said goodbye to the purple lounge!

 

What a difference!