Do it once and do it right
As soon as you touch a space, it’s an investment back into your home, award-winning designer Davinia Sutton tells
Christchurch-based designer Davinia Sutton’s 2021 National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) award-winning kitchen is like a work of art. The splashback and island are made from creamy, white stone, shot through with seams of golden quartz glowing with hidden lights.
The floor-to-ceiling cabinet doors, two-toned treacle and toffee coloured timber, suggest a forest; the warm, hidden lighting hinting at dappled sunlight through the lattice of overhead branches.
It’s more like a rocky grotto in the heart of an alpine wood than somewhere to heat a can of baked beans. A magical, sacred space where the culinary arts are worshipped.
It looks incredible. But Sutton says, when starting your kitchen or bathroom reno, the look of the space is the absolute last thing you should be thinking about.
It’s important to have ‘‘clarity right at the start with your budget’’.
‘‘Once you start, don’t make changes. Do your groundwork first. Because when you make changes, it usually costs either time, money, or both.’’
Then it’s crucial to do enough research into what products are available to achieve your vision within that budget.
‘‘When you open everything up, you can find hidden surprises,’’ says Sutton.
‘‘I’ve seen a bathroom opened up, and there had been a fire through the homestead, and it had just been [Gibbed over].
‘‘In bathrooms, there’s been a moisture build up, or wet spaces have had rot or dry rot come through as well. And sometimes, you open it up and find structural elements that have been affected by this. So it’s really about allowing for the possibilities of what you think is there.’’
As soon as you touch a space, it’s an investment back into your home. Questions you need to ask yourself are: what are you trying to achieve? Is it a long-term fix? Is it a quick fix?
There are a lot of cheap products on the market, and Sutton says you get what you pay for when it comes to fixtures and fittings, as well as materials.
Rein in the dreams
Possibly the hardest part of renovating a kitchen or bathroom is keeping a lid on your dreams.
Instagram and Pinterest often highlight the pinnacle of kitchen and bathroom design, and trends have been for higher-spec spa and luxury-style rooms.
Sutton says those images can be misleading. ‘‘Bathrooms and kitchens are getting harder to DIY. It’s been fed into our mindset, and you get these lovely images that portray gorgeous bathrooms, and ‘we renovated this’.’’
In a bathroom or kitchen, so many trades need to work in harmony in a small space, and there are so many rules for using certain materials, it’s often beyond the skill of the average weekend DIYER.
‘‘[For example] if you have a large format tile, which is on trend at the moment, you’ve got to have a substrate to take that.
‘‘When I say substrate, if you’re using anything over a 450 by 450 [mm sized tile], I would encourage using filler board. You’ve got extra expense with that, rather than just Gib Aqualine.
‘‘So there are a lot of elements that Diyers possibly might not be aware of.’’
Be a clever first timer
There are a few ways first timers ‘‘could be clever’’ about renovating what are usually the most expensive rooms in the home.
‘‘If you’re wanting to just do a tart up, that might be just changing plumbing and fittings and fixtures, which means buying them, then getting the plumber to put them in, or engaging with a tradie, who might be able to get you better buying rates.’’
Sutton recommends engaging with the subtrades, tilers and painters to get good advice that will help you ‘‘get the job done right’’ first time. ‘‘Our rule of thumb, regardless of the client’s budget, is do it once, do it right, and you will save time and money down the track.’’
Make sense of consents and codes
Some types of work will automatically need building consents and the rules around these are rigorous.
For example, waterproofing needs building consent, and an induction hob will often take a different power supply loading to a freestanding range or ceramic hub. You need to know this before you buy or install anything.
‘‘Try not to touch exterior facades like window placements because again, it’s such a flow on effect and can trigger building consents.’’
You also need to be aware, when searching for items online and overseas, that they might not work with Kiwi power or sewerage loadings.
Any electrical components, such as lighting or heating, put into a bathroom need to be IP, or ingress protection, rated. That means you need to know how well the items are insulated against moisture getting into the wiring.
‘‘[Building codes] are a bit of a minefield at the start, because there’s quite a few regulations to consider and if you don’t, it’s my understanding that it starts to have an impact on insurance.
‘‘For instance, when you think of a bath, depending on the type of bath, some can weigh more than 180kg, then once you put water and a person in, you’re getting up to 400-500kg.
‘‘If you’re putting it into a first-floor bathroom, you have to consider the structural elements and members underneath this to take the weigh.’’
Top tips
■ Consider your budget and be clear on that from the start as renos – especially DIY – can be a minefield once you open things up.
■ Do your research on what is available within your budget, and what is needed.
■ Stick to your choices, and once you start, don’t make changes because when you do, it usually costs either time, money or both.
■ Allow for the possibility of finding problems when you open up an older home. Anything could be lurking behind the Gib.
■ Be aware of the costs of things, and what subtrades need to be involved. Again: do your research before you start.
So before you get carried away with beautiful grotto-like splashbacks and magical lighting effects, there’s a lot of research and homework to do, possibly in conjunction with a builder or project manager who knows the process well.
‘‘It’s not just pretty colours, and paints and in finishes.
‘‘It’s just coming back to the basics of what you require. And making sure that you’ve really done your homework before going out and purchasing.’’