The Painted Hive

As exciting as the construction phase of a new build can be, we all know that the truly exciting bit lies in pulling everything together! Choosing fixtures and fittings, selecting colours, looking at wallpapers, comparing tiles, deciding on flooring…I could go on.

At this stage we’re still far from having seriously considered most of these elements, though due to the fact my parents took off on vacation about a week after the build commenced (yep!) there were some early decisions which needed to be made in order for things to progress in their absence. These decisions mainly centered around the plumbing fittings, electrical plan and exterior colours.

If you’ve been following along from the start of this extension, you’ll probably know that my mum has quite classic taste and creating spaces which can stand the test of time is super important to her. So, bearing that in mind, which kind of finish and style do you think she went with for the bathroom fittings?

Yep, chrome and traditional all the way!

These were a bit of a splurge but aren’t they gorgeous?

They are part of the Nostalgia range from Phoenix Tapware.

There will be a simple white ceramic basin to compliment the mixer set.

Now I’m going to contradict myself because for the kitchenette mum chose this more modern brass (it’s actually called ‘rose gold’ though it definitely leans brass) fixture from Bunnings.

I can’t find this model in the same finish on their website anymore.

She isn’t opposed to mixing metals and felt that a single kitchen mixer is much less of a long-term commitment than a whole bathroom set.

It will be paired with a simple square stainless steel sink.

Although mum had to lay-out a basic electrical plan before going away on holiday, we haven’t actually chosen any light fittings yet.

There will be downlights throughout most of the space, along with a sconce above the mirror in the bathroom, a pendant over the dining area and two ceiling fans – one in the living zone and one in the bedroom nook. Being north-west facing, plus on an upper level, means this extension has the potential to get super hot during summer. There will also be a reverse cycle air conditioning unit near the kitchenette.

The interior colour scheme isn’t set in stone yet though I’m assuming my parents will want to continue the theme from the rest of their house by using Antique White USA on the walls and Vivid White (Builder’s White) on the ceilings and trim.

I’m also liking the idea of introducing wallpaper and maybe some feature paint somewhere. Not sure yet.

Unlike the interior paint colours which we can chop-and-change as desired, the exterior colours needed to be locked-in so the roofing could be ordered, the render could be arranged, and the gable weatherboards could be painted in advance.

As mentioned in my previous post, my parents wanted a light scheme with dark accents. We’ve chosen White Duck as the main colour, Snowy Mountains Half as the accent, and Monument for the roof and gutters.

Not entirely sure about the window frames, eaves and shutters yet. Still tossing up whether to do them light or dark.

Although White Duck appears tonally deep and somewhat beige here, when used in many exterior conditions it actually presents as quite white with an earthy grey-green undertone. Given how pale it looks outdoors I needed quite a crisp white for the accents to create enough contrast. I was tempted by Vivid White though know it can be overly stark, which is why I settled on Snowy Mountains Half.

Actually, funny story about the exterior colour selection…my parents had decided on White Duck and Monument before they went away on vacation, though shortly after they left the builder contacted me about choosing the gable weatherboard colour! And he needed to know ASAP! My local hardware store doesn’t carry many swatches, and not having time to test numerous sample pots against changing light conditions (and all that blah, blah, blah), I jumped on the Dulux webchat to talk things through with a colour consultant. At the end of the chat she said, “Just wondering, are you Kristine from The Painted Hive? I follow you on Insta and love your projects”. Ha, ha. I almost felt famous for a moment.

Of course, although not ideal, we can always easily change the accent colour if needed if we feel it’s not quite right once up on the house.

In regard to the actual build progress…the roof is on, the electrical has been run, the window frames are all in (that just happened yesterday so they aren’t shown in my pics which I took a few days back), the gable weatherboards are up (again, I don’t have pics yet), and an opening to the stairwell has been created.

It’s moving along quickly!

PS I’m launching a really awesome giveaway tomorrow so keep your eyes peeled!
I don’t do many giveaways because it sometimes seems like the web is saturated with them, though I do love that they provide the opportunity to say thanks to all my reader and followers (plus this one was just too good to pass up!).

The frame is already up and as I type this the roof is going on (yep!) though before I get to sharing the build progress, I thought I should divulge the plan.

As mentioned in my last post, this will be a second story addition to my parent’s 1960’s house. They currently have a triple-split-level home (that makes it sound huge though it’s a regular family-sized home) and the addition will be going over the middle section.

In conjunction with the extension, they’ll also be making-over the exterior and doing some landscaping.

Of course, this means the size of the suite is dictated by the existing underlying level which is around 7 meters/22′ square.

We played around with a few different layout ideas though here’s the basic plan my parents settled on…

CLICK THE ABOVE PLAN TO LOAD A NAVIGABLE MODEL
If needed, refer to my instructions at the end of this post for viewing instructions.

Although these plans are to scale for the most part, they are just rough (we had official drawings created by a qualified draftsman), and the inclusion of most fixtures, furnishings and materials is merely suggestive at this stage. As much as I’d love for mum to go for an emerald green vanity, I’m not sure that’s on the cards (we’ll see!).

Along with the overall size being governed by the underlying level, for budget reasons as too is the position of the bathroom and powder room which sit directly above the main bathroom below. Fortunately, this works out well anyway as they are on the ‘blind’ side of the house, which leaves the living quarters open to the glorious view and little balcony.

There won’t be anything overly “designery” or extravagant about this build. Far from some additions where a charming old home is juxtaposed with a striking contemporary extension with all the bells and whistles, my parents want to keep things simple and consistent, which I think makes sense. They will retain the same basic architecture as already in place throughout their existing home, and in many ways this decision to remain homogeneous is actually a blessing, in that it eliminates the need to agonise over every…single…detail!

The stairs will go up at the far end of my parent’s entry hall, where there is currently an external door (which basically leads to nowhere), and a secondary passageway to the lower level (there is another access point to the lower level which you can’t see in this pic – hidden behind the open front door).

The staircase aesthetic hasn’t been locked-down yet, however it will just be relatively simple in-keeping with the existing style of the house.

As mentioned earlier, the build is already underway and this is the current state of things…

Obviously at this stage you need to use your imagination, so to help give my parents a visual idea, I created this rough rendering (not fully to scale)…

The completely different colour palette might surprise you, and whilst this is just a vague preliminary concept, my parents really want a light house with dark accents. I’m not entirely sure how it’s going to evolve yet, but the possibilities are exciting!

HOW TO VIEW 3D MODELS

The 3D model viewer offers lots of different functions, so be sure to have a good play with all of the options. I highly recommend trying the mobile app for its rendering quality and dynamic interface. Please note that navigable 3D models don’t display in full detail which can result in some aspects of certain plans appearing a little flat and dull.

DESKTOP
Simply click ‘Load Model’ and the plan should load and open (it may take a little while). To expand the size, click the ‘Full Screen’ icon in the lower right of the viewer. To enhance the texture quality, select ‘Standard’ from the ‘Rendering Techniques’ menu.

MOBILE
You can view the model in the Chief Architect 3D Viewer app. If you haven’t already, you can download the free 3D Viewer app to your mobile device here:

iTunes App Store
Google Play Store

If you have any issues, please let me know.

Now that the sun has well and truly set on the flip house, it’s finally time to share what I’ll be working on next!

Some of you may have caught snippets of this if you follow me on Instagram or through my Facebook group, and I’m excited to reveal that I’m helping plan, design and decorate a house extension!

I’ve never worked on a new build before and am not sure whether this different direction will excite or disappoint you guys. I’m not even certain how to feel about it myself yet!

As much as I’d love to announce the extension is for my own home (that is on the cards, one day), it will actually be for my parent’s house.

They currently have a four bedroom, two bathroom home (you may have seen a few of their spaces in my past projects – Bathroom, Laundry, Living Room, Master Bedroom). They’ve lived in it for almost 40 years and have made some major, and lots of minor, improvements over that time. This extension will be a second story addition in the form of a suite.

The suite will include a bedroom, living and dining zone, kitchenette, bathroom and powder room. It will be like its own tiny home!

In conjunction with the extension they will also be giving the entire facade a fresh makeover! A big job given that over half the house forms the facade!

The decision to extend came about for three main reasons…

:: To re-capture their lovely views which were partially blocked when a large new house was recently built beside them.

:: To provide accommodation for visiting friends and family.

:: To satiate mum’s need to always have a project on the go! And, of course, to boost the value of the property without over-capitalising.

I was planning on sharing the extension progress in real-time though things got underway whilst I was still wrapping-up the flip house so I’ll be playing catch-up over the coming weeks. Can’t wait to share the design plan and some of the decorating decisions we’ve already made! Not to mention the actual build progress.

Speaking of decorating decisions, whilst I’ll have a hand in the overall design, this is my parent’s extension so obviously the general vibe will be driven by them. My mum has great taste though leans a bit more classic and conservative than me. Still, she’s open to a bit of risk-taking in the less permanent elements (and she trusts me – sucker!) so it will be really fun and interesting to bring everything together!

Whilst there will be an element of DIY and lots of budget-friendly inclusions, my parents are at a point in their lives where they don’t want to tackle every single project hands-on, plus they aren’t opposed to buying a few splurge items (nothing crazy of course, just some mid-range pieces in the interest of quality). They’ve worked incredibly hard, and made plenty of sacrifices, to get to where they’re at financially (which, by the way, is still far from wealthy), so good on them!

Obviously, this new build won’t progress quite as quickly as the flip house though to me that’s actually a good thing! I’m looking forward to working on and sharing some other personal projects on the side.

Will be back soon with the plans and some photos.