BUDGET

+ How much did you spend on your home? Christine: Around $150,000-$200,000. We’ve never added up what we’ve spent because that wasn’t what was important. We are really resourceful and did a lot of the work ourselves. At the end of the day, it cost what it cost to do the alterations. We had the basic design sketched out, then engaged architectural designer Jo-Anne Hitchcock who did the calculations to get that light right into the middle of the house.

+ What did you splurge on? The Andy Warhol tiles that make the bathroom fun. Plus a couple of little follies such as the floating stairs, the fabulous light in the stairwell, the vintage plumbing in the ensuite. The pressed-tin wall (in the dining area) we could have done without, but then the house would have been like everyone else’s. These are the things that make a house special. Really, Todd’s folly was me! I pushed his limits, but I’d run things by him and we worked it out together and he indulged me.

+ What did you save on? Our fabulous saves have been the demolition materials we used, plus our market finds and Todd’s collections – lights, cameras, timber etc. All the treasures that lay around the house just waiting to be given a new life.