merbau – The Interiors Addict

3 affordable ways to transform your home using timber

By Cherie Barber

Anyone familiar with my renovating projects knows just how much I love timber, whether it’s gleaming polished floorboards, wood panelled walls, or outdoor rooms awash in timber. It just has such a warming effect and never goes out of fashion.

Here are just some of the ways to incorporate timber into your next renovating project.

Cover all bases
Cladding can be the answer to a whole raft of issues, from remedial problems you want to cover up to just pure decorative indulgence.

In this inner city courtyard, timber panelling deftly acts as both a privacy shield and as cladding on an ugly wall. The pinkish tones of merbau work beautifully with the old brick pavers. And built-in timber seating completes the cosy setting.

This next studio was in an old converted warehouse, so I wanted rustic finishes that mirrored the old bones of the building. Recycled floorboards for a feature wall and old sleepers for the steps and office nook definitely hit the right note.

Make an entrance
We all know the importance of first impressions, especially when it comes to street appeal. And whether you have a brick, weatherboard or plain old fibro house, a lavish spread of timber can certainly dress up a bland entrance.

This is something you could easily pull off in a weekend. It was a matter of removing the old rusted iron railing and pillars, centring the new timber stairs in front of the entry door, adding timber frames around the windows and new planter beds. Together with the new exterior colour, it completely transforms the façade of this suburban home.

Lastly, a much more ambitious (and luxurious) project, here I’ve used extensive merbau decking to create a whole new outdoor living area – at the front of the house. It’s something to keep in mind if you have a generous front yard and a passion for outdoor entertaining.

–Cherie Barber is the director of Renovating for Profit, a company that teaches everyday people how to buy and renovate properties for a profit.

Two courtyard makeovers you could achieve this weekend!

As Spring approaches, thoughts turn to those long days of sunshine ahead and ways we can maximise our outdoor living space. It’s literally an extension of your home, so if you can find an easy way to turn a barren, unusable space into an inviting, resort-style balcony or courtyard, then what are you waiting for?

There are a few key things to remember when creating an outdoor room:

Privacy is important; you can often achieve this through screening or vegetation
Make it as multi-purpose as possible (eg, a lounging, eating and possibly even cooking area)
Make sure there’s sufficient shade
If you can factor in some storage, all the better
Create a smooth indoor/outdoor flow so there’s no jarring transition when you step outside.

With those pointers in mind, here are two courtyard makeovers that can be tackled in a weekend, and use the warmth of merbau timber to soften the surrounding surfaces.

Suburban oasis

This half-day makeover relied almost entirely on paint, plants and a flexible DIY decking system to transform a bleak slab of concrete into a beautiful outdoor room, for around $5,000.

I started with an industrial clean, then painted the walls a muted grey and used Good Times modular decking system for the hard surfaces, and for screening on both sides that were overlooked by neighbours. It also worked perfectly as a day bed, creating a cosy lounging area for the owners. The beauty of this DIY system is that you don’t need any holes or footings; you simply lay the framing straight over the top of what’s there. Plants, rustic pots and artful styling provide the homely touches that turn it into a true outdoor room.

City chic

This 12 square metre courtyard in Sydney’s Chippendale flowed out from an inner city studio, so was valuable space that had basically been relegated to a clothes-drying area. Engulfed in greenery, it had the potential to be an inner city oasis, but was anything but!

For around $3,000, I turned it into a proper outdoor entertaining area, with merbau decking boards, a daybed, integrated barbecue and bench, and a foldaway table. The deck was raised to make it level with the studio floor, creating that all-important, seamless indoor/outdoor flow.

It now easily doubles as an outdoor kitchen, as well as a calming oasis to relax in.

–Cherie Barber is the director of Renovating for Profit, a company that teaches everyday people how to buy and renovate properties for a profit.