Freshwater Home Renovation
Oliver Street, Freshwater
Project Overview
The clients engaged us to look at this large scale Freshwater home renovation project in Oliver St initially to renovate the entire ground floor level in this well located residential premises.
The client came to us with some old plans after having a second storey built on the house 5 or so years prior.
The clients were not entirely happy with this layout so we referred them on to a trusted architectural contact for redesign.
The resulting redesign was a much more modern, open plan space that suited the clients vision and the ‘beachy’ feel of the residence. It also much better suited the Freshwater area.
The resulting design included a new kitchen, dining space, bathroom, laundry, office nook and 3 living zones.
2 of the living areas could be separated by a sliding series of full height doors, which created a very clever extra bedroom for when family came to stay.
Brand new Trend Quantum- semi commercial range windows and James Hardies linea weatherboards finished the picture externally.
Before Snapshot
The property was a 1930’s weatherboard ‘beach shack’ located close to the shopping area at Freshwater and a short trip to access the world famous Freshwater Beach.
Interestingly, some old newspapers were found in the demolition from the 1930’s era. The clients loved them so much they framed them and hung them on the wall!.
The residence had second storey addition added around 5 yrs previously, however the ground floor had not been renovated due to budget constraints at the time.
Client Brief
The clients contacted David Ferrari Constructions initially to discuss the complete renovation of the lower level of the home.
After viewing the existing D.A. plans the decision was made to refer the clients on to a trusted architect contact for a redesign of the previous plans, which were not suited to the clients vision or project brief.
The subsequent redesign of the ground level was a much better fit to the family and boasted a spacious, open plan style of living with a real beach feel, completely suited to the area and the clients lifestyle.
Job Specifications
- Externally James Hardies Linea weatherboards were used which are quite thick. They throw a really deep shadow line which looks great!
- Trend Quantum semi commercial Range windows and doors, Semi commercial frames provide nice chunky aluminium frames which look fantastic!
- Floor boards were 110mm Blackbutt providing a nice light beach feel to the interior living spaces.
- Blackbutt 130mm decking boards were carried out to the external decking areas. This tied the outside with indoors really well. The clients loved to open up the large stacking doors and entertain outside.
- The bathroom tucked under the centre stair well was a small but well designed space Floor to ceiling tiles and a frameless shower screen add a touch of luxury.
- The kitchen had Caesar Stone bench tops and a really cool Rangehood that sucked air down into the bench. This enabled the view above the Cooktop / island bench to be unobstructed…great for entertaining!
- The laundry renovation had a wall to wall cabinet with amazing storage options!
- A smart little office nook was a handy feature
- The front living zones could be separated by an innovative full height sliding door setup. This enabled the living zone to be turned into an extra bedroom for when family stay or a kids play area!
Project Obstacles
Some renovations can throw a few curveballs, this project threw us a doozie!
After demolishing the internal wall linings at the start of our renovation, major structural inadequacies were uncovered. The roof and wall framing were dangerously insufficient, as well as the foundations.
This was a scary finding as a second storey addition was added to his residence only 5 years earlier by a larger second level addition specialist company!
At this point in time a meeting was called between the client, Engineer and builder. After much discussion the only way forward was to rebuild the lower level from the foundations upward.
The engineer drafted new plans and the team at DFC worked out a solution to prop up the existing upper level only one third at a time.
We then demolished the existing residence, dug and poured foundations and built a brick skirt wall and pier foundations. Next came floor, walls, ceiling and some roof framing. After completing the first 1/3 the process was repeated 2 more times until we were structurally sound, at this point in time the renovation continued on its normal path.
We closed in the outside before moving internally for all the various finishes.
Project Duration
After Snapshot
On completion, this Freshwater home renovation exceeded all of our expectations.
The redesign was a massive step forward for this particular renovation. Having the right design in place enabled us to more closely create what the clients were looking for.
The open plan kitchen renovation was a real winner with the walk in pantry and island bench style kitchen which facilitated open living and social opportunities. The multiple living zones that could be separated by the sliding doors was also a great idea that the clients loved!.
Overall a great team effort from the Architect, Engineer, Tradesman and Clients.
Though the original plan took a serious deviation, the clients were ecstatic with the end result and were very glad to have an experienced renovation team undertaking the project, especially as the difficult task of rebuilding whilst propping the second storey raised its head.
The project was listed in the Master Builders Association housing awards competition. We thank the clients for allowing us to build the home for them and also for being kind enough to write the testimonial below
“It is with much gratitude and good will that we write to thank you and all of your tradespeople at DFC for our recently completed home renovation. The finished product has far exceeded our expectations and we are delighted with the outcome.
From our initial meeting with you, Dave, through to the finishing touches on the house we have found the experience very positive.
At all times we found everyone to be friendly, motivated, professional and communicative. When unforeseen situations arose these were addressed effectively and confidently.
It was always an enjoyable experience to visit our home during works. Not only to see the constant progress but also because of the cheerful, dynamic environment. An air of camaraderie, enthusiasm and job satisfaction was very apparent amongst DFC tradesmen.- Always an excellent sign in a workplace.
We won’t name everyone individually as we would not like to forget anyone . Suffice to say the calibre of tradesmen working for you is exceptional.
We would wholeheartedly recommend DFC to anyone without hesitation. Our house is now a family home we are very proud of.
Our best wishes to you all.”
Regards,
– The Kimberley Family, Oliver St Freshwater
