Painting, fixing, building – we’re doing our DIY bit

We’re an active lot. According to some recent stats, roughly 8.4 million Australians did some kind of renovation in 2016. That’s a LOT of Saturdays spent at Bunnings (not to mention sausage sizzles), paint swatches on walls and trips to the local homemaker HQ agonising over tiles for the new laundry. It also shows that we Aussies are committed to having homes to which we’ve added a personal touch.

So, of course, we want to make sure you get the best advice. In our second annual Expert Issue, we’ve rounded up the best of the best when it comes to flooring, paint, kitchens, gardens (and the rest), so you can make those changes with confidence. As a semi-experienced renovator, it often surprises me where people get stuck in the process, and yet not too long ago, I made a fairly hilarious rookie error when it came to my own weekend DIY. The mistake will remain a secret (mostly so I can save face), but let’s just say I now truly know the meaning of ‘there’s no such thing as a stupid question’.

On a side note, renovation is right up there with moving home and death as one of the most stressful things you can go through. Some couples find it particularly trying so, as an antidote, we decided to give you a little bit of help after one of those ‘I LOVE a butler basin/ I HATE a butler basin’ tustles. The romantic dinner-for-two menu on page 140 might just get you talking after a prolonged period of silence.

Careful though, it might just lead you to renovating a whole different kind of room, like the one on page 38. (Gasp!)