A fresh open-plan transformation in Ellerslie

It had been a while since this 1920’s Ellerslie home had experienced a makeover, so its owners called in Central Auckland’s home renovation specialist Corey Rambhai. Needing more space and an updated look, the homeowners requested a kitchen, rumpus room, laundry and office renovation. They also wanted to enjoy increased kitchen space. While watertight issues weren’t part of the plan, the renovation was completed ahead of time and on budget.
Corey describes the renovation as, “A pretty easy project with a few curve balls.”

Open-plan design

The original kitchen space included: a kitchen island held up by red tiled support, waist high cream coloured cupboards and drawers, as well as a white and blue splashback. The colours clashed and the space was small and cluttered.
In both the rumpus room and study, the white painted ceiling was met by yellow painted walls. With one window, the study was dark and hadn’t been designed for efficient use of space.   
“The current owners had not done anything to the house since moving in and the kitchen, laundry, dining, office and rumpus needed a makeover to meet current needs”, explains Corey.

Rumpus room and kitchen renovation

With the help of a team of experts, the renovations began; with the kitchen and rumpus being the main focus areas.

The kitchen design was reconfigured and the multicoloured space was remodelled to reflect a fresh, sleek look. The layout was changed, with white drawers and full length cupboards being added. Tile layers installed green splashback tiles behind a new white range hood, contributing a pop of colour to the white room. With some difficulty, Corey managed to find and import kwila hardwood flooring. It added to the lighter, more spacious look. The centre focus; a Corian stone kitchen island, was added, completing the overall appearance and feel of the new kitchen.
The rumpus room was the next big project. It was discovered that the space had been poorly built, leading to watertight issues. Both Corey and the homeowners agreed that extra work would need to be carried out in order to fix this.
“The concrete pad was level with the ground outside and over the years it had rotted out the bottom plate and studs”, explains Corey. “We built a concrete nib wall around the perimeter and waterproofed from the outside. This added 20% to the original budget but it was obvious to all parties that the work needed to be done.”

The final result

Variations aside, the original work was completed ahead of the 10-week schedule and the initial quote was adhered to. The rumpus room was painted white so that the walls matched the ceiling, giving the space a much cleaner look.
The final result left Corey’s customers with a modernised 65 square metres of light and functioning space. The updated kitchen replaced an outdated look with one of elegance, while the rumpus, study and laundry were developed into neat, practical spaces. The home owners were thrilled to have their updated home ready to be lived in over the holiday season.  
“It’s a much cleaner space now and the clients are loving it”, says Corey.
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