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World of Style: Selecting colours and fittings for our home

July 25, 2017 By Michaela Fox

World of Style offers a World of Choice!

One of the reasons we chose to build our home with Porter Davis was due to World of Style. Having never renovated on any scale, I was pretty daunted by the prospect of choosing fixtures and fittings for an entire house. If you’re an over thinker, like me, choosing a cushion can be a daunting process, so making choices for an entire home is a recipe for insomnia. Plus, I wasn’t particularly keen on driving all across Melbourne to look at taps and tiles with four kids in tow. World Of style offered the convenience of having all options in the one place. Tick!

World of Style is a world of CHOICE. It is one of Australia’s largest interior design showrooms in the heart of South Melbourne, which is open for everybody to visit. You don’t have to be building a Porter Davis home to visit the showroom. We found the experience pretty good overall, although my enthusiasm waned at decision number 346!

My first trip to World of Style!

World of Style: Selecting colours and fittings for our home

Style Quiz

Once we signed with Porter Davis we were encouraged to take the “What’s Your Style?” quiz. Essentially it’s a set of lifestyle questions that helps you to establish which one of the four main themes encapsulates you best: Classic, Contemporary, Designer or Resort. It then matches you with World of Style interiors that best reflect your tastes and personality. My style was a mix of Classic and Contemporary with Berlin, Melbourne and Scandinavian themes.

What interior style are you? World of Style mood board inspo!

Visiting the showroom

We were advised to visit the showroom 2-3 times before our selections appointment. I think we went four times in total. Bear in mind, however, that my attention was distracted at each appointment. My first piece of advice would be to NOT have a 6-week old baby when you are trying to make decisions involved money and permanence!

I was lucky to have a friend come with me on a reccie, as well as Suzanne from One girl Interiors. Mr NASD came a couple of times too. He asked questions about price, while I asked questions about style. Yes, we come at it from very different places 🙂

The best thing about the showroom is you get to see full size kitchens and bathrooms – one for each main World of Style theme. They also have interior designers available to assist with styling tips and suggestions.

A kitchen on display at World of Style

Overall, I found World of Style to be a fun and helpful experience. It took a lot of the stress out of choosing fixtures and fittings. But, it was very hard to get prices ahead of our selections appointment. Almost everything I wanted was an upgrade (no surprises there) but considering we are building a house from the Prestige range, we thought more upgrades would be included.

It also seemed impossible for the staff to tell us exactly how much more a Category upgrade would be. This made it impossible to budget accordingly and we only got exact prices at our selections appointment. And guess what? We went over budget, so we had to go back and downgrade.

Bubba visited World of Style many times.

Selections Appointment

Our selections appointment (where we chose all colours, fixtures, fittings etc.) went for two full days. Given we are building a big house, we had a lot of decisions. OMG, SO MANY DECISIONS!!!!

My head hurt from all the decisions by the d of the first day. Admittedly, it was extra hard as I was breastfeeding my reflux baby and she was very unsettled. Although in some ways, this put pressure on us to make quick decisions. I didn’t have time to linger over 50 shades of white, and yes, there really are that many shades of white.

By the end of the two days our brains were fried. And our budget was blown. Our last appointment was with the window furnishing company. I basically instructed the lady to choose the blinds for me. I couldn’t make another decision. Not one more. And we left some of our windows unfurnished as I couldn’t decide between roman blinds and curtains.

Kitchen choices at World of Style. Note the “Fox” grey!

Decision anxiety

Naturally, decision anxiety hit me a few weeks later. Did I make the right decision about the cabinetry finish? Should I have upgraded the tiles instead of the carpet? Was subway the right choice for our splashback? Even now, months later, I am questioning some of my kitchen choices. It’s so hard to visualise an entire kitchen when you are working from tiny samples. I hope that we made the right selections, as we are in this for the long haul. I can’t move in and tell Mr NASD I made the chose the wrong bench top or he will divorce me!

Have you ever done a reno or built a house? How did you find the experience? If you’re interested in our selections let me know and I’ll write a post on our colours and fittings.

The house we are building

March 20, 2017 By Michaela Fox

We visited many display homes before deciding on “The One.”

After visiting dozens of display homes across Greater Melbourne last year, we finally decided on “The One.” During our many months of searching, we discovered that no display home was perfect. But then again, no house you buy is going to perfect, either. All houses have compromises and trade offs, unless you have a bottomless pit of money, which we don’t. With than in mind we wanted to get as close to perfect as we could. And I think we did….

How to create your dream home

January 30, 2017 By Michaela Fox

We visited many display homes before deciding on “The One.”

Thinking of renovating your existing home or building something new? Here are three crucial things to consider to help achieve your dream home.

Choose the right builder/architect

Possibly the most important decision you make before commencing your renovation or new build is choosing the right builder. And this requires a lot of research. For us, going with a volume builder was more appealing than a custom/architecturally designed home due to affordability and convenience.

Over the year, we visited a stack of display homes. If you are considering a volume builder, you must be prepared to do the same. Ahead of this, narrow down your choices by looking at house designs online. Most of the big companies have very detailed floor plans and some even allow you to take “visual tours.” Try to get a lot of the legwork down online. With your shortlist of 2-4 new home designs, the next step is to visit the display homes of your chosen design. You want to touch and feel the fittings and fixtures and see the quality of the build. This also gives you a strong sense for how the spaces within the home make you feel, and whether a particular home gives you that ‘this is the one’ feeling….

To buy or build? Why we chose to build

January 23, 2017 By Michaela Fox

Why we ultimately chose to build our dream home.

Many of you know we spent most of last year looking to buy a new home. After selling our house the previous October, we then spent over a year searching for a more suitable home. Enthusiasm and excitement quickly turned to worry and disappointment as the housing market boomed and sellers’ confidence grew. We realised quickly that our dream home did not exist on the budget we had set. We began to consider a new build.

Looking for a place to buy is an emotional rollercoaster. Sunday mornings were depressing after yet another disappointing auction or open the day before. I would search the news hoping for signs of a slowing market, but all the media reports were of unprecedented growth. Headlines like “Spring market soars” and “Buoyant property market” became our living nightmare.

It was tough. Our kids were tired of being dragged around to open inspections every weekend. And it was no fun for us either. In the space of a year we discovered that the houses we were inspecting fell into the following categories:

Not big enough (we were looking for a 5-bedroom house or a 4-bedroom plus study and there were few and far between).
Fundamental flaws with the layout/floorplan/flow.
Poorly renovated or in need of an immediate renovation, which we were not willing to do.
No garden. I mean, not a blade of grass to be seen!
In the wrong area; not close to school or public transport
Too expensive. The few houses we did find that ticked most of our boxes were quite simply outrageously expensive. And often they were severely under quoted. Competitive bidding taking the reserve way out of our league.

After 14 gruelling months of house hunting, 156 inspections, 66 squandered weekends, and missing out on countless houses at auction, we made the decision to buy a block and do a knockdown/rebuild. But we didn’t make the decision lightly. Although we had it at the back of our minds, we really wanted a house that was finished so that we could move in straight away and not have to spend more money or time building. But, when we weighed up all our options we realised it was the best decision for us on many levels.

Benefits of a New Build:

You get a brand spanking new home. And new is FABULOUS!
You get to design or choose a floorplan that is exactly what you want.
It gives you more of an opportunity to stay in the same neighbourhood. A choice to knockdown and rebuild means your family can stay right where they are. Keep your kids enrolled in their school and childcare, stay close to family and friends.
It can be cheaper than renovating, and less of a headache.
You start with a clean slate. While renovating requires you to work around existing structures, knockdown-rebuilds offer a lot more design freedom.

We missed out on a couple of knockdowns but virtually at the end of the year, a block came up very close to the school and kindergarten that our children attend. It had a West-facing backyard, which was our preferred choice after North facing, and the block was flat.

We went for it. And guess what?

We got it!

Sold! We buy a knock down.

Over the year we had visited a stack of display homes in case we decided to build. For us, going with a volume builder was more appealing than a custom design or architecturally designed home due to its affordability and the efficiency with which they can build a home. The building company we have engaged guarantees a build time of eight months. I will tell you which company we have engaged and how the design process in another post.

Word of advice: Before you decide to buy or build, make sure you’ve done your financial homework in advance. Be very clear about what you can, and can’t, afford. Stick to your budget and compare home loan rates. If you’re looking for a first home loan, Peoples Choice Credit Union recently won CANSTAR’s 2016 First Home Buyer Customer Owned Institute of the Year SA. Make sure you check out their highly competitive three-year Fixed Home Loan Package rate for first home buyers. You can also check out their other range of loans and calculators here.

Have you, or are you currently, considering buying or building a new home? What has been your experience? Or are you more of a renovator?

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by People’s Choice Credit Union. You can find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Don’t forget to follow my new build journey on Instagram and Facebook. I’ll be documenting the progress and sharing lots of design and interiors inspo!

10 tips to help you sell your home

July 11, 2016 By Michaela Fox

Freesias and lemons

Thinking of selling your home sometime soon? May the force be with you!

Selling your home is not an easy task. In fact, it’s legitimately daunting, and sometimes falls into the “too hard” basket for many would-be vendors. We tossed around the idea of selling our home last year. Like many parents, we felt we had, or would soon, outgrow our home. We flirted with the idea of renovating, but renovating is not in my DNA, and we would have needed to change our entire floor plan. Expensive and overwhelming!

Selling seemed the best option despite the many challenges of putting your home on the market. I can’t say it was an enjoyable experience (that’s putting it mildly) but making some important early decisions made the process easier. I am going to share my top ten tips for selling a home, from choosing an agent, to presenting your home for inspections, and how to manage Auction day!

Choose your agent

Choosing a suitable agent to sell your home is the most vital decision you will make. You are putting all your trust into them, so it’s crucial you feel comfortable doing so. Make sure you meet with at least three property agents and have a long list of questions ready. Naturally, you will want to ask about their terms, commission, recent sales in the area etc. But equally as important you want to learn about how they operate. What is their philosophy? Are they talking the talk or walking the walk? We chose our agent because we liked his no BS approach to selling. In short, we felt he was trustworthy, reliable and honest – highly important qualities.

Another way to choose an agent is to go to RateMyAgent, Australia’s no. 1 real estate agent rankings and reviews website. The sites main focus is to help vendors find the right agent. Since selling, I have written a testimonial for our agent on this site. I am just one of over 3,000 reviews this site receives every week from genuine vendors. RateMyAgent allows users to see the most recommended agents per suburb, most number of sales, highest average sale price, and number of active listings.

Clean and de-clutter

The best way to boost your home’s appeal to prospective buyers is to ensure it is sparkling and spacious. A thorough cleaning is essential. You can do it yourself (the most cost effective option) or hire professional cleaners to get into every nook and cranny. But first, you must de-clutter. The benefits of de-cluttering cannot be overstated. Minimalism is key to presenting your home and creates the feeling of more space. Look around your home and remove a third of the furniture and clutter. It is cleansing and it works. Rent a storage shed (or borrow a friend’s garage) for a month if you must.

Living room after makeover

Repair and groom

Repair any problems within the home. You don’t need to go over the top and spent lots of money. There’s a difference between minor repairs and a full refurbishment. But if you’ve got some flaws you need to fix them. One of the most cost-effective and easiest ways to spruce up your property is to give it a fresh coat of paint. This will do wonders for your home and can bring it back to life. We re-painted the interior walls of our house, which hid a lot of sins (the carnage caused by kids!). Another room often ripe for new life is the kitchen, and is often considered the hero of the house. Fix or replace cupboard doors if necessary.

Give it a hose

Many people assume they need to repaint the exterior of their house to boost “street appeal.” But often this is unnecessary and expensive. Hire a Karcher (high-pressure hose) instead and give it a good spray. You’ll be astounded with how fresh and clean it comes up. This small and inexpensive step brought our façade back to life. I would also recommend cleaning the windows; this step is often overlooked but will make a huge difference to the overall appearance of your home. Hire a professional if you have lots of windows, like we did. They have the equipment and know how to get a big job done quickly. Our home literally sparkled as a result. The challenge is keeping the kids’ sticky fingers off the windows for the duration of the campaign. Good luck with that!

Tide the garden

You want your home to stand out from the crowd. This includes having a presentable garden. Weeds should be eliminated, any broken or missing brickwork replaced, pot plants must be in good order and garden beds need to be neat and tidy. If you’re a green thumb, your garden will probably look good anyway and little will need to be done. If you’re not (ahem, looking at myself here) a green thumb, hire a professional for a day to get that garden in tip-top shape.

Carpets

This is a no brainer. Have your carpets professionally cleaned, especially in high traffic areas. This will make all the difference and freshen them up no end!

Styling and Staging

Position your furniture in a way that can help make the rooms appear larger if you can. And remember to remove furniture that doesn’t really need to be there. You may even decide to hire a home staging professional. The right furniture can turn an older home into a stylish, modern house. I opted for a budget-friendly interiors makeover and it totally turned my house around. I wondered why I hadn’t been living like that in the first place!

Master bedroom with K-Mart side tables and copper lamps

Pre-Open checklist

Ensure there are no dirty dishes left on the bench or sink! You may think this is obvious but I’ve been to opens where they have neglected this basic rule! Put away appliances and ensure your benches are sparkling. If you want to go a step further, appeal to buyers’ sense by making freshly brewed coffee and/or freshly baked goodies in the kitchen.

Clean everything – bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, living area – make sure everything is crisp and sparkling.

Your window dressings should be open and your windows sparkling. You want to let in as much natural light as possible. Also, turn on all the lights.

Ensure you have a few bunches of flowers around the home in suitable vases. One “showcase” bouquet is good for the entrance or living room. And smaller vases in the kitchen and bathrooms add prettiness to the home, as well as a lovely perfume.

Lock away your valuables.

And lastly, don’t stick around during the inspection. Leave at least 15 minutes prior to the inspection time – someone always comes early!!

Auction Day is a nerve-wracking experience!

On Auction day.

Stay calm. Easier said than done, I know! I spent most the auction with my heart in my throat, pacing up and down the living room! Take everything one step at a time and remember, even if bidding starts off slow, it can often end with a bang!

NASD partnered with RateMyAgent on this post.

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World of Style: Selecting colours and fittings for our home

Style Quiz

Visiting the showroom

Selections Appointment

Decision anxiety

Benefits of a New Build:

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