I was thinking about the best things I did in our new extension over the weekend and thought it might make a good blog post… I tried to keep to 5, but a sixth snuck in. Really there are probably another 10 more I could list, but in the interests of keeping it short(ish) here are the top 6 things I'm so happy I included/ did in our renovation in no particular order:
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1. Underfloor heating
You feel warmer if your feet are warm, and underfloor heating put heats at human level, rather than trying to force it down from the ceiling as ducted air does (hot air rises and all…). We have hydronic heating in the house (water moving through tubes in the slab heated by a boiler unit), and putting it in the concrete slab was one of the best decisions we made - no draughts, no movement of dust, constant comfortable temperature that is economical to run.
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2. Hanging Laundry maid
Using the principle of hot air rising as you winch the line up to ceiling height, I can dry a large load of washing overnight on this. Saves energy, and I avoid having mobile drying racks all through the house to trip over. I also like being able to hang it up late at night without having to go outside to the outside line and also being able to dry something overnight in winter that I might need the next day (late night school uniform washing…). Cheap, but effective, saves wear and tear on your clothes from a dryer, and makes my life easier.
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3. Two dishwashers
This also goes into the making my life easier category. It seemed extravagant when I first considered it for the kitchen, but it's one of the best decisions I made (I had many people suggest this to me when planning the kitchen). I never have dishes out waiting for the dishwasher to finish, and it's particularly handy when entertaining and you have a lot of plates. I was watching a Real Housewives of Melbourne episode recently (yes, I occasionally watch trash tv!) and Chyka (a caterer) said that some houses in Melbourne they go into now have 4 dishwashers - 2 in the butler's pantry, 2 in the kitchen so that caterers can do loads of dishes as they go for big parties.
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4. Separated kitchen
This was a controversial component of the design and something my husband and I had many terse discussions about - open plan living is a non negotiable in Australia, so it was hard to get it over the line. I love not being able to see the mess in the kitchen when eating in the dining area. On Saturday night we had 8 friends over for dinner, and the kitchen was in a pretty chaotic state. No one could see it, including me.
5. Linoleum floors
A decision made based on budget cuts (you can read about it here), it turned out to be the silver lining. I love these floors so much - easy to clean, comfortable underfoot, perfect for hard wearing family living, and they look so good. They are the perfect neutral backdrop. Plus they're dirt cheap.
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6. Natural Light from multiple directions in the living areas
This is something I've written a little about before on this blog post, but having natural light coming from multiple directions makes for a great living space - as detailed in the Architects unofficial bible A Pattern Language. The changing light through the day moving through the space makes for a much more dynamic living environment. Highlight windows in the sitting area add to the experience - in the living area the light comes from North, South, East and West. The children's playroom also has East and West windows which gives the room a similar feel.
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Some of these things are expensive (like the ceiling lantern in the Living area), others are cheap (laundry maid and flooring) but they all highlight what makes life easier or more enjoyable in the new extension.
1. Underfloor heating
You feel warmer if your feet are warm, and underfloor heating put heats at human level, rather than trying to force it down from the ceiling as ducted air does (hot air rises and all…). We have hydronic heating in the house (water moving through tubes in the slab heated by a boiler unit), and putting it in the concrete slab was one of the best decisions we made - no draughts, no movement of dust, constant comfortable temperature that is economical to run.
2. Hanging Laundry maid
Using the principle of hot air rising as you winch the line up to ceiling height, I can dry a large load of washing overnight on this. Saves energy, and I avoid having mobile drying racks all through the house to trip over. I also like being able to hang it up late at night without having to go outside to the outside line and also being able to dry something overnight in winter that I might need the next day (late night school uniform washing…). Cheap, but effective, saves wear and tear on your clothes from a dryer, and makes my life easier.
3. Two dishwashers
This also goes into the making my life easier category. It seemed extravagant when I first considered it for the kitchen, but it's one of the best decisions I made (I had many people suggest this to me when planning the kitchen). I never have dishes out waiting for the dishwasher to finish, and it's particularly handy when entertaining and you have a lot of plates. I was watching a Real Housewives of Melbourne episode recently (yes, I occasionally watch trash tv!) and Chyka (a caterer) said that some houses in Melbourne they go into now have 4 dishwashers - 2 in the butler's pantry, 2 in the kitchen so that caterers can do loads of dishes as they go for big parties.
view of the kitchen when sitting at the dining table - not a lot to see
This was a controversial component of the design and something my husband and I had many terse discussions about - open plan living is a non negotiable in Australia, so it was hard to get it over the line. I love not being able to see the mess in the kitchen when eating in the dining area. On Saturday night we had 8 friends over for dinner, and the kitchen was in a pretty chaotic state. No one could see it, including me.
5. Linoleum floors
A decision made based on budget cuts (you can read about it here), it turned out to be the silver lining. I love these floors so much - easy to clean, comfortable underfoot, perfect for hard wearing family living, and they look so good. They are the perfect neutral backdrop. Plus they're dirt cheap.
6. Natural Light from multiple directions in the living areas
This is something I've written a little about before on this blog post, but having natural light coming from multiple directions makes for a great living space - as detailed in the Architects unofficial bible A Pattern Language. The changing light through the day moving through the space makes for a much more dynamic living environment. Highlight windows in the sitting area add to the experience - in the living area the light comes from North, South, East and West. The children's playroom also has East and West windows which gives the room a similar feel.
Some of these things are expensive (like the ceiling lantern in the Living area), others are cheap (laundry maid and flooring) but they all highlight what makes life easier or more enjoyable in the new extension.