Sandringham: Added value

2 Leslie Avenue, Sandringham.

For someone who dislikes cooking, Kate Coghlan spends a lot of time in her kitchen and is quite proud of it.

It is just one of the rooms Kate and partner Hadyn Oriti have transformed since they bought their early-1900s villa about two years ago.

The couple, originally from Australia, got stuck into renovating the weatherboard home and ridding it of a look Kate describes as "that country-style thing."

It's been a successful operation as the interior of the home has a fresh, light feel to it. And the kitchen has come up a treat.

"It was a very basic kitchen. It had a similar layout but there was no cupboard space and no drawer space," says Kate. "The laundry was in the kitchen, too, so that took up a lot of room. We had a set of bookshelves that held all our plates and cups."

Kate says she knew what she wanted to do with the space, and sat down with a kitchen designer a few times and went over things.

The couple, who have a two-year-old daughter, Sophia, set a budget of $20,000 for the kitchen but Kate, who is a keen bargain-hunter, says they probably spent only $14,000 all-up, including cabinetry, appliances, lighting, plumbing and flooring.

"It all flows really well. We can all be in here and not tripping over each other all the time," says Kate.

"I'm not a big fan of cooking but the kitchen is a place that I seem to spend a lot of time. When we have friends around I can talk to them while they're in the living room, or if Sophia's playing out the back I can keep an eye on her from here."

But the kitchen is just one piece of the couple's renovation jigsaw.

Kate and Hadyn turned one of the bedrooms into the main bathroom, and moved the laundry in there. What was the main bathroom became an en suite and walk-in wardrobe adjoining the master bedroom, which used to be the dining room.

And they opened up the living area, adding French doors and larger windows, so they had an open-plan kitchen, dining and sitting room.

"That was the beauty of this house, that it had a lot of good spaces," says Kate. "They just weren't utilised properly."

The grounds also came in for some attention with an area of stencilled and coloured concrete added to the backyard so Sophia could play outside in winter.

Kate also ripped up the mouldy old carpet in the sleepout, then painted the floor. It is now used as a playroom for Sophia and her mates.

Just three weeks ago the exterior of the house was painted, but instead of settling in to enjoy their refurbished home the family is heading back to Australia.

Kate, Hadyn, Sophia and their two Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers, Shilo and Kayla, are going to live in Melbourne so Hadyn, a lawyer, can pursue a business opportunity.

Kate has no regrets, apart from the airline's luggage allowance not extending to weatherboard villas.

"I love this house. If I could pack it up and take it with me, I would."

Kate's renovation tips:

Keep costs down by doing your homework and shopping around.

Use neutral colours but add interest with colourful accessories.

Don't let the look you want override practical considerations.

When planning a kitchen go for all the features you can afford to cover any eventualities.