It’s amazing what a little imagination can do
And when you have lots of imagination, the sky’s the limit. When Shayden and Georgia found their little, 96 square metre cottage among the villas of St Albans, Christchurch, they could see its potential. Even though it had been battered and bruised by the earthquakes it stood out as a survivor. Armed initially with just cleaning and paint brushes, plus lots of energy and ideas, Shayden and Georgia gradually transformed the house into what it is today.
DIY is aok
As they didn’t have a big budget, they made do with heaps of can-do attitude and a creative eye for colour. Shayden and Georgia immediately went to work and made liberal use of Resene Black White throughout. This instantly added freshness and light to the interior. Then for contrast, they added strong coloured feature walls in their bedrooms and living area to create drama and interest.
They discovered ways to recycle what was already there. For instance, the old rimu skirting boards found a new life as shelving in the master bedroom and kitchen. Original features such as the oversized architraves were retained if they added to the character of the house, otherwise the look they were after was simple, elegant and contemporary.
Getting a bigger bang for a buck
The old kitchen was well past its use by date but rather than designing a new one from scratch Shayden and Georgia simply went to Placemakers. Their off-the- shelf kitchen delivers everything they wanted in terms of style and practicality yet saved them considerable money compared to a custom-made kitchen.
The old gem already had Marley Classic™ spouting and RP80® downpipes like many of the traditional style homes in the area. Shayden and Georgia were happy about this as it suited the house perfectly, and it was made of uPVC, which meant it would still have many years left of life, and they were able to repair any damaged portions themselves. Whether repairing, or replacing, Marley uPVC spouting is easy to handle, easy to cut, and simply glues together.
Early adopters
Shayden and Georgia have also installed Marley Twist®, a compact rainwater diverter that turns your downpipe into a free source of water for watering the garden, topping up the pool, general cleaning or emergency use.
Twist® can be easily installed on existing or new RP80® uPVC downpipes and can quick connect to a collection tank via any standard garden hose fitting. A simple “twist” on-off control lets you access rainwater from your downpipe as and when you need it. Twist is designed to connect a single downpipe to a small collection tank of up to 1,000 litres.
It’s a work in progress
What Shayden and Georgia have done in just 6 months is truly impressive, but there’s still a way to go. All the new lawns and planting on the 680 square metre section need time to bed in and mature. There’s a new bathroom in the planning stages, and who knows what’s in store for the backyard. To keep an eye on their progress you can check Mooch Style out online anytime: Facebook or Instagram.
