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Find out how this Christchurch homeowner transformed a ‘cold and unused’ area to create indoor-outdoor flow. Walking up the long driveway draws out my anticipation of two things: seeing just how much the backyard has changed, and whether I got everyone's coffees right. As I reach the back of the house I’m given a warm welcome by homeowner Lex, and following inquisitively behind is his kitten Naki – in Māori meaning ‘to glide’, and in Ngāi Tahu dialect, ‘cat’. Naki jumps up onto the newly finished deck as if to begin the grand tour, and I’m amazed – what a transformation! It’s completely reinvented the look and feel of this space. It’s not long before Ashraf joins us – he’s the tradesperson who got the job done with his teammate Conor. And after a few minutes of seeing Lex and Ashraf talking, it’s clear as to why this job went so well; there’s a lot of respect here. Ready for the project rundown and eager to sip our coffees, we take a seat at the modern stone table (whic

ulian and Lexie had one month, $5k and a straightforward plan to renovate their small bathroom. Let’s just say, if you like a good ‘down to the wire’ reno story, you’ll love this couple’s drama-filled journey from settlement to move in day. We’re talking budget blow-outs, schedule delays, on-the-spot decisions and eight scope changes. Yeah — total ‘Block’ vibes, right? Julian jokes that he had a couple of grey hairs come flying through at a rapid rate. “It was a significant, unforeseen scenario,” Julian says, alluding to the cause of the delays. This eventful Project Story will leave you with practical insights for your own bathroom renovation. You’ll discover: What to look out for in your pre-purchase building inspection How to manage scope and budget changes The full list of bathroom upgrades What they would do in hindsight (involves saving money!) Plus, the awesome before and after photos. Let’s get stuck into i

It's an unconventional story about home reno, dating and travelling NZ. On a foggy Christchurch morning, Mary and Geoff are cosily seated in the living room of what once was a Ritchies school bus. Geoff gets up to welcome me through the manual folding door and I’m immediately greeted by the warmth from inside. The 11 metre vehicle is now home to Geoff, a luxury tour bus driver who has made it his mission to convert the 1986 Hino Blue Ribbon into a house bus fit for travel. The border closures have left Geoff without work, but he’s chosen to see the silver lining. From touring with bus loads of people to now just two, Geoff says with time on his side, he is most looking forward to the freedom. “Just the freedom to stop and explore,” Geoff says. Travelling with him is companion Mary, a retired teacher of 53 years and Vice President of the Christchurch North Community Patrol, who says it will be nice to have some peace and quiet on the road. “And yet I can still run t

Behind every job there is a story. This one starts with a homeowner, and a vision to renovate her bathroom from an outdated 1970’s relic to a modern, clean, and functional bathroom. The Dilemma The story starts with Joanne and her first tradie, a referral from a friend. The tradie seemed great. The homeowner and the tradie agreed that Joanne would buy everything that was needed for the bathroom, and the tradie gave her a cost to install and renovate to her plan. Fast forward three months and the tradie was nowhere to be seen and uncontactable. With the goods for her bathroom waiting in Mitre 10 and a loan taken out for the project, Joanne was desperate to get the job underway. The Solution “I spoke to someone at work, saying I didn’t know what to do. I needed to have my bathroom renovated, and my colleague said, have you put it on Builderscrack? Then they showed me how Builderscrack works, how to log on and use the site. I put the advert on the next day, and within two

ot an awkward space that can’t be solved with furniture? For Christchurch homeowners Simon and Chelsea, that space was the old dining room. They had ‘tried to make it work’ ever since they purchased their 1990 home four years ago. Enter: bench seating.  With the job now done and dusted, Simon explains to me over the phone just how awesome it’s been chilling out in their new space, sitting in the sun on weekends and sipping their morning coffee. As a fellow chilled out, sun-loving coffee drinker, I knew we had to capture those idyllic scenes for this story. So, our photographer Alana and I went round one Saturday morning with high hopes of two things: sunny weather, and their cat Elphie making an appearance. After a warm welcome, we walk through the kitchen where we’re graced by gorgeous natural light from the high-ceiling skylight, and the sweet smell of freshly brewed coffee. To appreciate the space as it is now, let’s take it back a step. The dining room, before a

t’s not every day you get to show off your crayons — at least that’s how three-year-old Quinn felt shortly after meeting the tradespeople plastering her living room. Quinn’s mother, Kate, tells me the crayons were just the start, and that Wayne and Ronan from Claddagh Plastering coped incredibly well with her daughter’s constant line of questioning while working. “She would walk up beside them and say ‘look at my carrots’, ‘I’ve got cucumber’, and ask them ‘do you want to be my friend?’,” Kate laughs. “Wayne was really good with her, he’d take time to say ‘oh wow, yes, wow look at that’ — I think he’s got young ones at home, so he was used to it. “She’d stand there and watch them work, mesmerised by the plaster being put on, it was very cute.” As Kate and I relish Quinn’s adorable toddler bravado, Kate lets me in on how they got to this point of renovating their home, and let’s just say, anyone with EQC experience will be able to relate. “We Could Start to Se

Hiring an expert tiler gave the final polishing touch to one of our homeowner's stunning kitchen renovations...... Only a few months ago Natalie's kitchen was a dark space, coated in the once popular dark blue of the 90's. It not only made the already small kitchen appear tiny, but it created a dark feeling throughout the wider open plan living area. Fast forward to today, and the transformation is something out of a magazine. Not limited to the kitchen itself, but also the lightness it's brought to the rest of her living space. The Vision Natalie started with a firm style in mind, along with some key "must have" elements. “I had a vision of what I wanted, I wanted it bright, fresh, clean, compared with the dark blue.... every time I came into the space there was a gloomy feel to the room.” A essential element was to incorporate a crisp, white subway tile splash-back. The Execution After sorting her kitchen supplier, she turned her attention to finding a ti

After moving in, they realised time wasn’t so much of the essence. It was about enjoying the experience, and they’ve been chipping away at their renos for the past four years. Enter the most recent job: a sleek white tile splashback. The renovated kitchen was missing one thing: a splashback With 12 jobs done and dusted on Builderscrack, Daniel was confident he could find a professional to help him finish off the kitchen and laundry. “We did the kitchen a couple of years ago, and the plan was always to put a splashback in there,” Daniel says. “It was more of a finishing touch than a necessity at that time. “But when we renovated the laundry at the start of this year, we thought now’s the time to do them both.” As with most renos, the paradox of choice can make it hard to decide on the perfect finish. “So we went to a few tile places and actually took some free samples home to see what they’d look like. “My partner was unsure about tile choice afte