Making a house a home with a flooring update and new kitchen in Burwood, Christchurch

After purchasing their first property in Aotearoa, these homeowners were on the hunt for comprehensive project management and expert advice to help renovate their new house and make it their own.

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Getting settled

Having recently moved to Aotearoa, homeowners Stacy and Patrick wanted to put their stamp on their newly acquired property with some updates. Their two-storey Burwood home was nearly 20 years old; not exactly antiquated but it was starting to show its age. Both partners work full-time and have a child in need of extra support so finding reliable project management was a top priority.
Stacy and Patrick wanted to renovate the bathrooms, kitchen, and closet spaces, and replace the existing carpet with hardwood flooring. Being new to the country they were unsure of costs and mindful that they might need to implement these updates in phases to make them affordable.
After learning about Refresh’s comprehensive approach to renovations, Stacy and Patrick reached out to local Christchurch Renovation Consultant Tom Kettell to discuss their potential project.

Careful prioritising

Stacy, Patrick, and Tom discussed the renovation in depth during their initial consultation; they explained the full extent of their wishlist and their concerns about budget. Tom helped the couple to prioritise the projects to decide which elements needed addressing urgently. They deemed a new kitchen and updated flooring to be of most importance. So Tom partnered with Blacktan, an interior design company specialising in floorplans and kitchens, and fellow Renovation Consultant Alex Pennell, to create a virtual walk-through of their new space that the homeowners could review in detail.
Displaying the plans in this way enabled Stacy and Patrick to see the potential of their new kitchen and make any necessary changes. The concepting phase presents a powerful opportunity to customise a project early on and avoid costly alterations after building has begun and materials have been ordered.
After getting the green light on the proposed plans, Tom worked out an accurate cost estimate of $110,000. Stacy and Patrick were more than happy to proceed but did have a few additional requests; they asked Tom to engage a moving company to remove the furniture while the new flooring was being installed, and to add coving and plastering to the kitchen scope. These alterations added $2,000 to the tally bringing the grand total for the project to $112,000.

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Clear communication

Unfortunately, at the time of Stacy and Patrick’s renovation, there was a nationwide labour and material shortage. The projected timeline of the renovation was 20 days, but Tom was transparent in communicating the industry delays to the couple and they were flexible with the project’s start date.
One aspect they remained firm on, however, was that Tom maintain this strong communication with them regarding when exactly to expect tradespeople on site each day as they had important family obligations to attend. Tom updated Patrick daily with the arrangements for the following day so he and Stacy could plan their schedule accordingly.
Once construction began, Tom meticulously managed the build to adhere to the quick four-week turnaround. Demolition came first to clear the kitchen and existing flooring to make way for the updated design. Then came the plumbing, plastering, and kitchen joinery, followed by finishing design features such as the engineered stone benchtops, sage green subway tiled splashback, Feltex wool carpet, the spotted gum laminate flooring.

Final Thoughts

The culmination of Tom’s efforts resulted in a fantastic, bespoke kitchen complemented by new flooring throughout Stacy and Patrick’s large two-storey home which has given the property a complete transformation. Thoughtful details enhance the design, as evidenced by the warm white under-cabinet LED lights that help to highlight the splashback and the engineered stone benchtops. Stacy and Patrick are thrilled with the results and Tom is too.

“We worked with Tom and Alex at Refresh to renovate our kitchen and put in new carpet and flooring throughout our house. From design to completion, the team was responsive and flexible, and the contractors they used always showed up on time, were professional, and did good work. It was great to have the headache of juggling multiple contractors and the multiple steps and stages of the project handled by professionals. Tweaks and unforeseen issues were handled with no fuss by Tom and the contractors and we are very happy with the end result. We would recommend Tom and the team at Refresh for renovation services for your home.”- homeowners Stacy and Patrick.