FROM THE EDITOR
Our plan for this issue was to glean hard-won bargain-hunting tips from Kiwi renovators around the country. We wanted value-for-money bargains, rather than just cheap-as-chips bargains. And, importantly, we wanted to look at renovations from all price brackets – and, in that regard, I have to say we nailed it.
The clever renos in this issue span the country from Wanaka to Auckland. At one end of the budget spectrum there’s the $28,000 reno of Megan Burrell’s little Waikanae cottage: all fresh paint and quirky treasures. At the other end there’s the lavish makeover at the Auckland home of Real Housewives star Michelle Blanchard and husband Dave, with its glitzy gold kitchen. The Blanchard renovations cost a cool $7 million. $7 million? A bargain? Really? Well, yes, actually. As you’d expect, thrifty Megan Burrell has plenty of advice on getting bang for buck – including being brave enough to bargain with store owners. The deer’s head in her living room was on sale for $600 in a Nelson antiques store, but she offered $300 – and got it for just a tad more. “I was chuffed,” she told me, and you could hear the glee in her voice.
But when our deputy editor Caroline Botting talked to Dave Blanchard about his pull-out-all-stops renovation, he also had money-saving tips. “I’ve saved two Bentleys being on site, seeking alternative quotes and negotiating,” he says in the story. There’s glee in that quote as well.
So while getting a bargain is a useful tool for staying within your reno budget, there’s no doubt that it is also – quite separately – something else entirely. It is a pleasure all of its own: a soulsatisfying triumph that works whether you’re building a cottage or a mansion.
Of course this bargain-hunter’s buzz goes well beyond the home reno sphere. As a culture we are increasingly addicted to discounts. The lure of the deal is everywhere – in the booming Boxing Day sales, the Grab Ones and the endless sales at Briscoes and Farmers. It is almost impossible to resist.
Last week Nick and I took a day off work and drove to Fieldays at Mystery Creek. We were diverted all day by wood chopping, tractor pulls and cooking demos. But as we made our way out, we walked past stalls with huge discounts on outdoor apparel. “We can’t leave until we’ve got a bargain,” said Nick. So we bought a cut-price Cactus beanie, and went home happy.
And then, just yesterday as I was writing this editorial, our art director Rich came back from a photo shoot for the cover of this issue. He pulled up on his computer screen the lovely image of Stacy Gregg’s Hollywood hotel-inspired home, and we all stood around gazing at it. “Gorgeous,” I told him. “Well done.”
“Yes,” he said. “And you know the best bit? See those roses on the table? I got five bunches for only $30 because they were fully blown. $30! It was a bargain.” You could hear the glee in his voice.