Tag: diary of a reno

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Interiors Addict

Our most-clicked posts in 2015

Our top 10 places to buy Australian bed linen online remains a firm fave!

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You can’t get enough of Block judge Darren Palmer and this interview with him about living with pets and kids, which contains some fantastic advice if we don’t say so ourselves, is still top of the list!

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Perhaps the high house prices are forcing you to look for alternative options for extra space, like a shipping container in your backyard?

Kids’ interiors products in general were popular this year, especially this roundup of places to buy Aussie kids’ linen online.

Our list of the top Sydney interior designers and their websites was much licked on, as was Kathryn Bamford’s guide to homewares shopping in Bali.

Continuing to prove you love a good roundup, you lapped up our top kitchen trends for 2015 from our friends at The Good Guys.

Unsurprisingly, Ilse Crawford’s hotly anticipated collection for IKEA was also in the most read this year.

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Our Diary of a Reno video series from 2014, with Naomi Findlay who is now a resident expert for our sister site Reno Addict, is still getting plenty of views too!

And last but not least, you loved our interview with Josh & Charlotte’s builder Ben Purchase on what life on The Block is really like!

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Which of our posts did YOU enjoy this year?

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House Tours RENO ADDICT

The fifth and final episode of Diary of a Reno: the big reveal

It’s finally time to reveal the finished reno and let you know how much money was made on the investment. In this episode, we have more keeping-it-real information and advice from Naomi Findlay and we also hear from real estate agent, Damon Sellis. We think the house is transformed and looks amazing! We think you’ll agree…

An offer was received and accepted after a mere five days on the market. Over 135 parties went through the property during open inspection during that time.

The final project profit, after all costs were taken into consideration, was $25,000. Not bad for six weeks’ work!

“What makes it all happen is a great team of trades and a great agent working hard on the overall goals of the project,” Naomi says. “Vision and design obviously play a key role but it must always stay grounded on the goal of the venture and the business. It is not all about design. It must be grounded in market research and a budget. Top that off with some targeted styling and you are away!”

Happy renovating!

Watch all the other episodes.

–Our video star Naomi Findlay is the founder of SILK Home Staging & Styling and the International Institute of Home Staging and a former university lecturer.

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House Tours RENO ADDICT Styling

Diary of a Reno, the complete video series

Watch all five episodes of our Diary of a Reno video series as we take you through a real life renovation, from purchase to sale and $25,000 profit six weeks later! Our expert Naomi Findlay, an experienced property developer (and busy mum of four!) owns successful business SILK Home Staging & Styling and teaches others how to stage for sale and set up their own styling businesses through her International Institute of Home Staging. Former Block winners Alisa and Lysandra are just some of her students!

Watch videos 1 through to 5 to follow the whole story of this project in Newcastle, NSW.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

We hope our warts and all, keeping it real advice has inspired and helped you. If you have any questions for Naomi, please put them in the comments below.

Happy renovating!

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RENO ADDICT Styling

Video: Diary of a Reno part 4

In the penultimate episode in our series, Naomi Findlay gives us a sneak peek of the almost-finished house and explains how she has reconfigured the floor plan to make better use of space and add value.

In the fifth and final episode, coming soon, we reveal the profit made when the renovated house is sold and talk to the real estate agent.

Naomi Findlay is principal of the International Institute of Home Staging and director of SILK Home Staging & Styling.

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Expert Tips RENO ADDICT Styling

Video: Diary of a Reno part 3

This week, Naomi talks about the importance of having a contingency fund because unexpected things do (always!) go wrong or crop up and require more cash! There’s also drama with some very stubborn wallpaper glue, but it’s not all negative! Watch the video for the full story.

If you haven’t already, watch part 1 and part 2 of the series first. The fourth and final part is coming soon! We’d love to know if you enjoyed this series and what else you’d like to learn about renovating? Please comment below.

Naomi Findlay is founder of SILK Home Staging & Styling and the International Institute of Home Staging and an experienced property developer in NSW.

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Expert Tips RENO ADDICT

VIDEO: Diary of a Reno part 2

Firstly folks, my huge apologies for keeping you waiting so long for part 2 of our video series. I blame me moving overseas and Naomi getting married. Nothing major! On the upside, if you didn’t catch part 1, you can now watch them both in succession!

In this episode, Naomi talks about the importance of budget and how to get the best out of your tradespeople.

“It is essential to have a plan of what you are going to do and a budget with a tightly connected timeline,” Naomi says. “But with these old houses you really have no idea what you will find until you start ripping things apart. In this video I face just that with storm water issues, floor height issues, and I even found a false ceiling that I was not expecting and walls that were so out of plumb they were 50mm out!

“All these finds mean decisions about where to shift your budget to reallocate time and funds. But it is essential to always keep in mind your end buyer and the level of the market that the property sits at. Knowing the expectations of the likely buyer means you can meet them without overspending.

“Above all, be on site and listen to your trades. Don’t leave them hanging or decisions will be made that cost money to change if you change your mind!”

NSW-based Naomi is owner of Silk Home Staging & Styling and the International Institute of Home Staging, which provides online courses on how to style properties for sale.

If you have any questions for Naomi about this video, please comment on this post.