KEY POINTS:
When Kelly Galbraith took on a do-up as her first home she was on a limited budget and a strict schedule. "I had to work to a tight deadline as I needed to get flatmates in to help pay the mortgage," says Galbraith. "There was no way I could afford to buy and live in it by myself, so I had to get it finished as soon as possible." And the Parnell workers' cottage she bought needed a fair amount of work, especially its discordant colour scheme and leaky roof.
The previous tenants hadn't done her any favours. "They had sat on gas heaters mounted in the walls, which had ripped out and left big holes," she says. But Galbraith, a Bachelor of Property graduate and a former PA to a property developer, could still sense the potential.
"It was such an ugly duckling but I felt that I could get a fantastic result with some hard work," she says. "From the moment I walked in, I thought, 'this place has soul'.
Some places don't give you any reaction." She allowed five weeks for the renovation and took on the role of project manager to make sure her deadline was met. Work included re-roofing, installing a new kitchen and painting the home inside and out. For the interior paint she chose a neutral shade and did all the prep work herself to save money.
"I'd rather create colour through furniture and art than have colour on walls," says Galbraith. "I think that sometimes it can constrain you, whereas white will fit with everything." Out went the mustard-coloured laminate benchtop and teal walls in the kitchen, in favour of a white composite stone bench, white cabinetry and a tiled splashback.
When it came to decorating the rest of the home, Galbraith had to rely on her resourcefulness. "My budget just didn't allow for any serious changes in terms of aesthetics. For example, redoing the bathroom was out of the question. The bathroom vanity was covered in awful laminate but it was so old that it was just peeling off. "One day I ripped it all off and underneath there was completely smooth ply chipboard.
After I'd primed and painted it, I looked around junk shops and got some fantastic silver crystal ball handles to jazz it up. It looks good and was inexpensive." The same approach has been applied to furnishing the living spaces with most items either being inherited, borrowed, found at auctions or presents from friends. "I started out with very little and for a while the look was disjointed," Galbraith says.
"But gradually I've bought a few bits." She also commissioned a paint-on-linen artwork by Ross Lewis that was modelled on a Leonardo Da Vinci sketch of two rearing horses. It has pride of place in the living area. And her dedication to scouring auction houses has turned up some treasures, such as rain-damaged tub seats, a Japanese mirror with a lacquered frame and a chandelier.
Doing the rounds of auctions and junk shops is time-consuming but rewarding, she says. "You have to sift through a lot of junk but you can find unique pieces."
Chic but cheap
Constructive relationships: Ask around friends or family to find tradesmen you can trust and build a relationship with them to get good work at a good price.
Be prepared: Even if you don't do the painting yourself, doing the ground work will save money and ensure quality.
Think laterally: Don't rush out to buy new furniture or fittings. Junk shops can be great sources of items like chairs, door handles and fabrics to add character.
Artful ways: It's hard to pick up good artwork on the cheap so why not make your own? Even framed photographs can produce a striking effect. Or check out junk shops and auction houses for art works - even inorganic collections can yield quirky objects.
Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden. For more on this home, see the issue on sale now, or visit www.yourhome andgarden.co.nz.
