There’s good news if you are considering an extension, refurbishment or renovation project going into 2019. The ever popular Ideal Home exhibition has a lead focus on home renovation at its Spring event at Olympia, London in March.
photo Adrian Lourie
Particularly in inner City areas, a key battle these days is making the best, no actually the very best, of the space available when renovating and extending a property. Of course, we at Mint always work closely with clients on their projects to ensure the rebest use is made of every little bit of space in their extension, new kitchen re-furb or upstairs conversion.
We at Mint have improved many homes in Cheltenham and the Cotswolds with extensions renovations and refurbishment projects. But, we always point out to clients that home improvement and upgrades don’t have to be expensive or extravagant. A lot can be achieved with a little considered thought and a modest budget – that’s for sure.
It is a fact that quite often, when there is a kitchen re-planning and renovation going on, many home owners want to include that ‘oh-so-useful’ utility room too. A utility or laundry room needs to be big enough to do what it needs to do, but not take in too much space at the expense of the main kitchen or kitchen diner!
If any utility or laundry room is a bit short on space, it can quite often turn into a bit of a ‘jumble hole ‘ and thus not be as functional and useful as it could be.
thought and planning
We at Mint appreciate and understand that it can be worth putting a bit of thought into the planning and presentation of this other ‘smallest -room’ in the house. Doing so, will to ensure it can work as well and effectively as the other more significant spaces around it.
highly functional AND attractive
If a utility/ laundry room is planned carefully and given a few ‘brightening up’ bits and bobs, it can for sure both be highly functional and be an attractive ‘room’ in its own right. The laundry “room” in a house we saw recently, was really just a bit of a closet concealed by a less than useful curtain, with an old washer/dryer blocking the way and a wobbly shelf or two. It was certainly proving to be something of ‘a bugbear’ to those striving to use it effectively.
‘get stacking’
It’s a fact, as we see it that with a little bit of thought and a very modest investment – any utility ‘glory hole’ can take on something of a new ‘persona’ and ‘look the business’ The first step perhaps is to ‘get stacking’ and so get that all-important extra space for yourself from the very start!
allows
Buying the right a pair of laundry machines will certainly allow them to be stacked using the vertical space in this limited area, space that would be wasted otherwise. This totally sorts out that unpleasant jammed up cluttered look and gets more vital space to hand for your storage and ‘working’ areas.
effort
Then there are the walls – if you make a little bit of effort with something considered and attractive on the walls – just because it is small and functional doesn’t mean – your utility space can win a little admiration in a modest way. The first thought of course is a just to slap some magnolia paint – but stop, for sure paint can clean up a wall and give it colour, but wallpaper takes things to another level
colourful
There’s some great colourful designs in wallpaper that can make such a difference and after all the room in question is hardly large, so you won’t need many rolls of it will you! Be bold – go for it ..something modern and slightly original and unusual – you’ll be surprised at the effect .. nice!
spacious
Another key choice is a good-looking spacious all-purpose cabinet. This is a vital item, of course, in order to ensure that no-one, including those who live in the house, have to view a mound of detergent bottles, dryer sheets, stain sticks and other such paraphernalia should they glance in this ‘mini-space’. This cabinet ideally needs to be slightly different and more original in its styling. Do your best to avoid the average unexciting kitchen unit if you can!
single-base cabinet
Consider instead a single base cabinet that you can get from the likes of Ikea, one with bottom kick plates. In this case, it’s the top drawers for the laundry stuff and the bottom drawer for whatever you want to store there – dog food even – if you like! Of course, various types of cabinet will work. Ideally this item though needs to have a bit of style about it, and most important, of course, it must have all the planned space needed to take care of all that vital clutter in and around your utility room.
pine board
An attractive option, when it comes to a work top is to pass on the usual kitchen MDF type covering. In place of that, perhaps consider an old pine board that you might find at a salvage yard. This could be cut and stained and could serve as vital shelves as well as your worktop. There’s nothing sure to spruce up a space than a bit of ‘character’ wood. A nice contrast too, to the razzmatazz modern wallpaper choice and other more modern items on view.
storage
For sure, in your mini space storage is all important and a little bit of ingenuity will create some ideal storage opportunities – a modest woven basket; a plastic of material type bin; glass jars..and so on.
artistic
A small space deserves an artistic touch too… in fact more so than a bigger space sometimes. Even if it’s just a small item if it’s considered and well-chosen, it will makes your utility mini space seemed polished, pulled together and styled-up a little. You might find just the thin tucked away somewhere – so often that is the case!
a couple more….
And finally ..a little greenery and a slightly quirky light fitting to finish off with – offer with a little more considered thought – a final two ways to brighten and ‘finish’ your revived mini-space. Be aware of the light access with your plant choice of course and go for a smart, slightly brash metallic light fitting for that little bit of glitzy pizazz creating a clean modern look.
There! …. a utility room which is stylish and functional… and not ‘utilitarian’ at all!
Always full of good ideas, Mint can help guide you with the right finish for your extended, renovated or re-furbished space, however large or small.
Refurbishment, improvement and extension, Mint offers a full development and finishing service to add value to your home and we’re here to help with any questions or concerns you have.
Whatever your project plans, request your free no obligation meeting to improve, refurbish or extend your home . Contact Mint Builders on 01242 279739 or email info@mintbuilders.co.uk
Good news for those thinking of tackling a home extension, renovation or re-refurbishment in the not too distant future , we at Mint have a good idea for you. For anything and everything you need to know about your project, of course, we at Mint are always on hand to meet you for a no obligation chat – but we’d also be pleased to refer to an excellent team of experts too who can in the near future offer you some excellent wide-ranging free advice and ideas as well!
A modest, cost effective, home facelift, involving a new first floor bathroom extension and some stylish revised rear fenestration improvements, has made an impressive value increasing impact on a 3-bedroom 1970’s property, located in the sought-after Pitville area of the Regency town of Cheltenham.
Mint, of course, works on all kinds of different types, styles and sizes of extensions, renovations and re -refurbishments. Surprisingly of note, we have been engaged planning three projects, of late focused around conversion and extension of property garages.
At the heart of many of the renovation, refurbishment and extension projects that we at Mint are engaged in, it is , so very often, all about the kitchen! In many kitchen projects, a key aim is to maximise the all important space available – whether it be working, storage or socialising space Read more →
We at Mint have been getting some interested enquiries from clients regarding renovation plans of either their own older property, which needs work, or even one they have invested in perhaps or even inherited.
With home re-furbishments and extensions on the up and up as certain homeowners opt for improving and even re-planning their current property instead of moving on to a new home, various new design and style innovations are now emerging within homes today.
An expert view as to how social and economic trends are affecting the way people use and design their homes featured online recently. The insight was from Jason Orme, spokesperson for the London Homebuilding & Renovating Show. You will recall this excellent much respected homes show featured on this blog during the Summer. It is on later this month on 21-23rd September at Excel, London, (www.homebuildingshow.co.uk/london)
multi-generational living
Says Jason, “Some 30 years ago, it was very common for young people to finish university and leave their parents’ house and move into their own home. Now, we’re seeing that fewer and fewer under 30-year olds are leaving home at an earlier age and are increasingly living with parents until they can afford to move out.
squeezed
This means that the size of families is growing and more space is needed. Even the ‘squeezed middle’ (40s to 60s) are finding that they’re also caring for elderly parents or relatives and have to share their living space with them.
rural vs urban
In terms of maximising space, in the rural areas you can opt for barn conversions and in the urban environment, for loft conversions and extensions. If you can’t create extra space, you’ll have to look at re-modelling the existing areas. This usually involves creating internal self-contained apartments with independent suite facilities such as bathrooms, bedrooms, living areas and ideally kitchen areas, even though this requires homes to be bigger.
requirements
So, what we often see is houses being extended to fit these requirements, or movement away from urban areas where houses tend to be smaller and into rural areas such as villages to find larger properties. It makes great sense to combine the wealth of two or three generations to be able to afford a bigger house and maximise the return of all the homeowners.
the power of broadband
Until 10 years ago homes were the most poorly connected part of our lives compared to our phones and cars. Homes were very manual and in need of much intervention until the ‘wireless’ boom about five years ago.
Even though there’s still some way to go until full connectivity, the advent of technologies like Alexa and wireless security cameras shows a noteworthy progress for people.
watch the dog
The idea that now you can keep an eye on your dog at home when you’re at work or abroad for an extra £100 is extraordinary and almost unheard of a decade or two ago. All this is incredibly important to people and illustrates how houses have evolved into an essential part of their lives rather than just being a place where they lived.
how fast
This has led to home seekers asking questions like “how fast is the broadband?” rather then “how close are we to the nearest motorway?”.This again suggests that our homes have become considerably more a part of our day-to-day living.
home-working
There is an aspiration among people ideally to move away from smaller houses in cities which has given rise to the trend of ‘home working’. The constant search for wellbeing and happiness has meant that many people now work from home. It is no longer acceptable for half of the kitchen table to be utilised when working from home like it used to be. Even a converted desk in a bedroom isn’t enough and people now desire a dedicated space in their home for working and using as an office.
separate space
This is leading to an increasing number of people wanting to build home offices in their gardens or extending the house to add a suite with its own entrance to be able to entertain people in that separate space. All of this means that the home has evolved from being occupied in the evening until you leave for work in the morning and the weekends through to a multi-functional hub which all of your life is based around.
more emotional
Twenty years ago was the start of the property ladder boom and it was a common idea that you could quickly renovate a house and move onto the next until you’ve built your way up. Even though it wasn’t the first time the property market flourished, it was a realisation that the Thatcherite ideal that houses could be built for substantial financial gain was possible and by investing in property you’re effectively boosting your way up the social ladder.
materialistic
Until the crash in 2008, a significant amount of people viewed property as a materialistic asset; just a part of their portfolio like an investment or pension. However after the crash, and right up until now, fewer people are investing in property as a “replacement for a pension”, as house prices are just not going up at the same rate as they were.
dictate
Areas like London and the South East, which traditionally dictate social policy, are witnessing a standstill in the property market and in some cases are falling in price, particularly in Central London. All of this is impacting on the way we view our houses, and probably for the better, because people are beginning to realise that their homes are much more than just a financial asset or material possession and are a fundamental part of their lives.
important
Ultimately, the investment people are making in their homes is still financial but it’s also much more ‘emotionally’ important than it was before and renovations such as home offices and independent suites demonstrate this.”
a reflection of self
One of the great problems that people have in their lives is a lack of control. Whether that’s not being able to control how quickly you arrive into work because of traffic or the insufficient control over politics, a big concern for individuals is not having this hold on their lives.
control
Our homes are one of the things we can control and have complete ownership of and this has only been realised since the crash. The property market has drastically changed from even just 20 years ago because of all these demands which have made people increasingly more expectant to use their homes more.
buffer zones
The best spaces are the ones which provide some cover and work like buffer zones. A great example is a veranda, which is more common among southern houses, where homeowners want to keep the sun out of the windows to prevent heat from going into the houses.
fashionable
There’s also the desire to have a shaded area where they can enjoy the garden without necessarily sitting out in the sun all the time. These buffer zones have now become very fashionable in modern houses where we see many flat roofs that sometimes project three or four metres over a patio area, which ultimately provides a space where you can sit in all weathers and enjoy the outdoors no matter what.
For more on the Home and Renovating Show on 21-23rd September at Excel, London, please visit www.homebuildingshow.co.uk/london
Refurbishment, improvement , renovation and extension – if you’re looking for inspiration, Mint offers a full development and finishing service to add value to your home.
Mint can help you with your home ‘reviving’ plans. Request your ‘Extend Instead’ review or quotation. Visit www.mintbuilders.co.uk
Contact Mint Builders on 01242 279739 or email info@mintbuilders.co.uk
