Exterior Project Reveal | Relocatable Reno
Renovating the exterior of a house holds a lot of value and importance. Simply put, the exterior is the only space in your house that every single visitor will see, when it comes to high traffic areas the exterior will always rank #1. With exterior renovations you have the opportunity to make a strong first impression in terms of design and create additional living areas to relax and entertain in. It would be safe to say, most New Zealanders place a high value on outdoor living. In fact, as we searched for our relocatable house for our section, we only considered houses that had a layout that would allow for indoor / outdoor flow.
In 2017 a Houzz Study (Landscape Trends Study Australia) highlighted that most homeowners planned their outdoor renovation on average for 6.2 months, then taking 5.1 months to implement that plan. While planning indoor spaces will always have limits around the function of each room and physical elements like walls, doors and windows, your outdoors is a space you can transform completely in a very personalised way and space to get creative. There is often the ability to add pretty much anything to outdoor spaced - a pool, a secret garden, a playground, an outdoor stage, a family statue. For us, planning always comes back to two key objectives:
- What will create the best living environment for this house
- What adds the most value to this house
Our answer to creating the best living environment for this house was a deck. Our section in on a gradual slope, resulting in the living spaces of our house being elevated and the outdoor space being the lowest part of the section. As seen on our floor plan, by adding a deck which is as big as our indoor living area, we have doubled our living space and created a strong connection between the indoors and outdoors.
Our next objective - adding value to the house, assisted in making decisions when it came to how we would renovate the exterior. Firstly, we needed to address our damaged tiled roof, the most cost-effective option was to have it restored and painted but we decided to go with a new roof instead. After having both options quoted, we decided spending 2K more on a new roof, guttering and downpipes added far more value to the house. We hired a professional painter to paint the whole exterior of the house, while our Berger Paint has a 20-year guarantee against peeling, flaking and blistering that is only when it has been applied correctly. The value of a painter (besides saving our sanity and time) is their level of workmanship that will result in exterior paint that will last.
Suppliers + cost overview and design details are at the bottom of the blog – because we know you like to know how much it costs and where it came from!
Cost + Supplier Overview
Deck Construction, Base Boards and Entrance. Built by So Renovate. Cost: $20,000
Deck Stain by Cabot's 10L Rustic Oak Aqaudeck. Cost: $145
Exterior Paint from Guthrie Bowron. $933
Exterior Painter Cost: $7,500
Driveway Cost: $6,500
Roof Cost: $10,000
Total Cost: $45,078
Design Details
Colour Scheme House Colour Moongod by Berger Paints | Trims and Windows Okarito by Dulux New Zealand | Deck Railings and Baseboard Grey Frairs by Dulux New Zealand | Deck Stain Rustic Oak by Cabot’s all from Guthrie Bowrom
Furniture Table, Bench Seat and Kids Table made by Caleb and painted Ebony by Dulux New Zealand | Bean Bag from Trademe | Rug from Freedom
Décor Cushions, Throw, Tray, Vertical Planter, Vase and Glasses from Freedom | Plants and Pots from local Garden Centre