Kylie with a sample section of the Quick Step flooring we've chosen, a beautiful long island oak. Photo / Ben Crawford
Kylie with a sample section of the Quick Step flooring we've chosen, a beautiful long island oak. Photo / Ben Crawford
The Block NZ 2012 winner Ben Crawford and his fiancé Kylie are building their dream home. Share their proud moments and pitfalls here every week.
This building caper is full of fist-pumping highs and I-want-to-quit lows. At times, progress has been at a standstill but suddenly a move-in date is on the horizon. Just a year ago, the idea of building our dream home was simply that, a dream. Fast-forward 12 months however and through lots of blood, sweat and the odd tear, the light at the end of the tunnel is becoming blinding.
With the plumbing and electrical first-fixes now completed in the bedroom pod, our attention has turned to finalising the finishes for the house. It's been an uplifting change in mindset for us, going from structural discussions to deciding on the finishes we'll have in our home, those surfaces we'll be living on every day.
First cab off the rank? Flooring. As the foundation to our interior, we plan to use the colours and textures we put on the floor as the base for the rest of our decorating decisions, seeking complementary and contrasting materials to create different experiences and zones throughout our house.
We've always wanted timber flooring in our living areas and carpet in the bedrooms. While we knew in general terms what we were after, there were still so many decisions to make. Hardwood or laminate? Man-made or natural fibres? Dark or light?
In fact my sister Libby and I were overwhelmed by similar flooring complexities while competing on The Block NZ. Fortunately we were introduced to the Carpet Court team in Wairau Park. The variety of products, expert advice and guidance was awesome and the team quickly solved our dilemmas.
Ben testing out how laminate flooring feels under foot. Just like hardwood actually, but a lot harder wearing, perfect for our current lifestyle! Photo / Ben Crawford
Trust counts for a lot when building, so given the positive experience I'd previously had, Kylie and I headed back to Wairau Park to sort out our floors. I'm not one to ask for help when I walk into a store. Maybe it's a male thing, but I try to figure things out for myself. Inevitably within minutes, we were feeling even more overwhelmed by the huge range of products on display. Luckily help came quickly.
We explained our desire for wood in the main living spaces. We'd been looking at solid timber but some of the laminate flooring was just as stylish.
The first thing they wanted to know about was our lifestyle.
We plan on entertaining a lot, so there's there's potential for lots of spills and high heels. On hearing this, the guys recommended the top-of-the-line Quick Step laminate floor that had already caught our attention. With a layer of oak on the surface, it looks identical to hardwood yet is hardwearing and scratch resistant.
Kylie talking with Carpet Court sales team member Mark Brown about the different options. Photo / Ben Crawford
We tested it in bare feet, then shoes. It felt exactly the same as solid timber and didn't get a single dent from Kylie's heels. So it had all the aesthetics of solid wood but with superior durability and at a price better-suited to our budget.
Then we moved on to the carpet. We'd come in with the pre-conceived idea that wool was the way to go. It's traditional and as I'm from a sheep farm, lanolin flows through my veins. But the team again suggested we consider our current stage in life. We're young, getting married next year and hope to have children after that, inevitably meaning all sorts of stuff will get traipsed through the carpet. So what were our other options?
SmartStrand, or "the rhino carpet" was the recommendation. A 1200kg rhinoceros lived on it every day for two weeks, then the carpet was cleaned and it looked as good as new. What a genius, albeit risky way to illustrate how stain and crush-resistant this carpet is. Even if we had the most hyperactive children, they would be no match for its brilliant durability.
As well as being incredibly durable to suit our lifestyle, we chose SmartStrand carpet because its so plush too, like roll around and curl up asleep on it soft. Photo / Ben Crawford
There's nothing nicer than getting out of bed and sinking your toes into soft carpet. As well as being incredibly durable, SmartStrand is amazingly plush, like you want to roll around and sleep on it - which we may have done in-store. Then it came down to colour and style. After much deliberation we selected Cosy Comfort with its textured, staggered-cut pile. Then chose a light grey colour to match the natural, Long Island oak laminate planks we'd just picked.
With some final expert advice on the importance of choosing the right underlays, our flooring was nailed. Now we'd better tell our builders the date it's getting laid.
