House Hack: How to Customise a Cookie-Cutter House
Buying a house off the rack need not mean it lacks personality – here's how to make a new-build your own
Catherine Smith
23 June 2016
Houzz New Zealand Contributor. A design addict from way back, I can't resist looking at other people's houses. And doing a tiny bit of styling and decluttering. Just a tiny bit.
Houzz New Zealand Contributor. A design addict from way back, I can't resist looking... More
As much as we all love dreamy architect-designed custom houses, for 95 per cent of us, our new build is likely to involve using a builder to both design and build, or relying on a group housing supplier. A group building company takes away many of the headaches of managing a new build – securing land and building permits, design, managing construction and sign-off – which is why around a third of of New Zealand’s new houses are built this way. With some creative tweaking, you can add your own personal touches so that your dream home is anything but cookie-cutter.
1. Tap into the experts
Often we’ll have filled our ideabooks with gorgeous photos of finished rooms – right down to the last cushion. But before she even starts on floor plans or specifications, let alone colours and finishes, building consultant Ingrid van Leeuwen talks to her clients about their lifestyle and what’s important. Her company, Finesse Residential, builds over 100 houses a year, so she has a good idea of what works for other clients, how much things cost and where to focus the design effort. “The exciting thing is that we can make sure then that the good design doesn’t cost extra,” van Leeuwen says.
Often we’ll have filled our ideabooks with gorgeous photos of finished rooms – right down to the last cushion. But before she even starts on floor plans or specifications, let alone colours and finishes, building consultant Ingrid van Leeuwen talks to her clients about their lifestyle and what’s important. Her company, Finesse Residential, builds over 100 houses a year, so she has a good idea of what works for other clients, how much things cost and where to focus the design effort. “The exciting thing is that we can make sure then that the good design doesn’t cost extra,” van Leeuwen says.
2. Get them from hello
An entry that expresses who you are is a great way to distinguish your house from a neighbourhood of similar buildings. Some communities have covenants on building materials or colours, but you can still individualise your site with a colourful front door and creative entry-courtyard planting. Here a standout red front door says welcome, and is complemented by colourful annuals. The table and chairs on the spot of paving out front says ‘stay awhile’ and gives you a chance to say hello to passing neighbours or keep an eye on the kids when they’re biking or scootering.
An entry that expresses who you are is a great way to distinguish your house from a neighbourhood of similar buildings. Some communities have covenants on building materials or colours, but you can still individualise your site with a colourful front door and creative entry-courtyard planting. Here a standout red front door says welcome, and is complemented by colourful annuals. The table and chairs on the spot of paving out front says ‘stay awhile’ and gives you a chance to say hello to passing neighbours or keep an eye on the kids when they’re biking or scootering.
Switching out a sweep of standard concrete paths for more landscaped paving is a great way to extend a garden and add designer impact.
Some of her clients extend their decking to create steps and boardwalks, complemented by drifts of architectural planting for a swift injection of style. Judiciously using pebbles or gravel is a low-cost way to cover an area, and van Leeuwen also suggests investing in a few mature plant specimens for immediate impact while the cheaper baby plants get established.
3. Add door drama
Standard front-door handles are included in a new-build price, but consider adding to your budget to create a one-of-a-kind custom handle.
Standard front-door handles are included in a new-build price, but consider adding to your budget to create a one-of-a-kind custom handle.
Get clever with unusual shapes, or repurpose found objects.
4. Bring the outdoors in
A simple way of adding verve to your entrance is to continue the exterior material – brick, stone, or timber – into the entrance hall to blur the distinction between indoors and out.
A simple way of adding verve to your entrance is to continue the exterior material – brick, stone, or timber – into the entrance hall to blur the distinction between indoors and out.
This is particularly effective with vertical cedar or rough-sawn weatherboards, van Leeuwen says.
5. Create living pictures
Well-placed windows and doors make a huge difference to the functionality of a house. Van Leeuwen says she spends a lot of time with homeowners figuring out the best placement, particularly in new subdivisions where neighbours can be quite close. She focuses on making sure that windows frame a nice view of garden or greenery (she calls them ‘living pictures’) while adding frosting, laminating or even shutters where there is a need for privacy. She also has client think about whether bi-folds or sliding doors are easier for children to use and how they would work for furniture placement.
Well-placed windows and doors make a huge difference to the functionality of a house. Van Leeuwen says she spends a lot of time with homeowners figuring out the best placement, particularly in new subdivisions where neighbours can be quite close. She focuses on making sure that windows frame a nice view of garden or greenery (she calls them ‘living pictures’) while adding frosting, laminating or even shutters where there is a need for privacy. She also has client think about whether bi-folds or sliding doors are easier for children to use and how they would work for furniture placement.
6. Work from the floor up
One of architects’ favourite finishes is a polished concrete floor. But this may not be the most economical finish, as it requires skilled pouring, skimming and grinding to remain exposed. Concrete floors are cold too, so often also require the expense of underfloor heating.
One of architects’ favourite finishes is a polished concrete floor. But this may not be the most economical finish, as it requires skilled pouring, skimming and grinding to remain exposed. Concrete floors are cold too, so often also require the expense of underfloor heating.
Instead, van Leeuwen suggests getting a similar look with some of the modern and low-cost concrete-style laminates, which are warm, soft underfoot and forgiving when you drop something.
7. Expose and reveal
An easy architectural fix is to specify exposed trusses – much more dramatic than a standard 2.4-metre gibbed (plasterboard) ceiling, and the airiness transforms a room. Of course this works only if you have gable roof construction (rather than flat shed, or hipped roof) and needs to be planned for from the outset.
An easy architectural fix is to specify exposed trusses – much more dramatic than a standard 2.4-metre gibbed (plasterboard) ceiling, and the airiness transforms a room. Of course this works only if you have gable roof construction (rather than flat shed, or hipped roof) and needs to be planned for from the outset.
Even in a tiny space exposing the trusses visually enlarges the room. They can be stained or painted to match the ceiling.
8. Play with wall finishes
Many New Zealand architects love to play with plywood or more refined wood veneers to add dimension to a room that painted gib simply cannot supply. Ingrid says that while there are usually no cost-savings to install this sheeting in a standard build, the extra expense may be worth it for the designer finish.
Many New Zealand architects love to play with plywood or more refined wood veneers to add dimension to a room that painted gib simply cannot supply. Ingrid says that while there are usually no cost-savings to install this sheeting in a standard build, the extra expense may be worth it for the designer finish.
Also think of recycled wood finish to create a standout feature.
She suggests a cheaper way of standing out from the crowd is to use wallpaper: a roll or two of spectacular paper is not cheap but can make a big impact.
A more traditional pattern can add history to a new-build too. Here a modern-traditional paper is paired with a collection of vintage stools, a contemporary wire light fixture and giant mirror to create an anything-but-common entrance.
Indulge your love of pattern in the tiniest room of the house. Ingrid says clients love to play with a ‘jewel box’ for the guest loo, even while the rest of the public areas are in safer neutrals.
If you really want highly personal walls, beg or buy at discount a few discontinued wallpaper books to create your own one-of-a-kind wallpaper collage.
When it comes to bathrooms or your kitchen splashback, you’re usually offered a range of brands or prices from which to make your selection. If it’s within the same price band, adding a zing of colour or texture will not blow the tile budget, but it will certainly amp up the impact, so be brave.
9. Skip the off-the-shelf vanity
Nothing says builder bog-standard than a bog-standard vanity in the bathroom or ensuite. If you’re prepared to forgo the storage, ask about building a simple custom vanity bench.
Nothing says builder bog-standard than a bog-standard vanity in the bathroom or ensuite. If you’re prepared to forgo the storage, ask about building a simple custom vanity bench.
It could be as simple as a benchtop and shelf underneath (buying matching baskets is a lot cheaper than smooth drawer fittings), but the impact is huge.
10. Lighten up on light fixtures
This is where thinking about your lifestyle and tweaking within the budget can really pay off. Work through how you plan to use a room and decide whether you’d rather have more wall plugs for moody lamp lighting than a ceiling full of downlights. With the rapidly lowering cost of LED lights, and a huge range of fixtures, this is an easy place to customise.
This is where thinking about your lifestyle and tweaking within the budget can really pay off. Work through how you plan to use a room and decide whether you’d rather have more wall plugs for moody lamp lighting than a ceiling full of downlights. With the rapidly lowering cost of LED lights, and a huge range of fixtures, this is an easy place to customise.
Check out hand-crafted and recycled lamp shades to add an architectural look: similar pieces can be found everywhere from low-end importers to top-of-the-line Italian brands, so you’ve plenty of choice.
11. Add outdoor living
Many new-builds are in higher density subdivisions, meaning smaller garden space. Van Leeuwen says homeowners are now adding value by designing courtyard living that uses every inch of space.
Many new-builds are in higher density subdivisions, meaning smaller garden space. Van Leeuwen says homeowners are now adding value by designing courtyard living that uses every inch of space.
Here landscapers Ivy and Bloom created layers of planting that give the sense of a bigger garden: lush creepers climbing the walls, a mid-level of flowering annuals and a foreground of clipped hedges. Changing the surface from paving to gravel also creates much-needed variety in a tiny space.
Tuck vegetables and herbs in the sunniest corner to really make the most of your builder-standard yard.
One way to beef up the landscaping if you don’t have children or pets who need play area is to do away with lawns and fill the area with planting.
With some inexpensive outdoor lighting (even solar lights from the hardware store will do), you’ve ramped up your same-same house to something uniquely you.
TELL US
What have you done to your group-build house to add designer delight? Share in the Comments below.
MORE
Kitchen Hacks: How to Customise a Flatpack
TELL US
What have you done to your group-build house to add designer delight? Share in the Comments below.
MORE
Kitchen Hacks: How to Customise a Flatpack
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I agree with BH - there's a lot of references to designers and architects when most of these houses are standard builds. I'd think that if you could afford to bring in a designer or architect in the first place you wouldn't be buying off the plans.
We built recently... our steel frame builder was happy for me to totally redraw the plan at no extra cost, as each frame is individually engineered. I bumped out a wall, totally redesigned the interior. Their people cleaned it up, made it work as regards construction.
Really, I don't like architect designed spaces... I find them mostly impractical and irritating, unless it's a shopping centre. I really don't care to be 'on-trend' either... it all dates too quickly. I designed my house for the way we live. Every spot has a purpose, a flow, and the inhabitants can stay out of each other's hair as well as congregate easily.
Our stress levels have dropped considerably. I didn't need 'design', just my own common sense and detailed knowledge of how we live, how I move around the house to do chores, who cooks, how they cook, storage, storage, storage and more storage. I flatter myself it looks great, as well as being super practical. No expensive architect designed 'angles' that I couldn't care less about in my day-to-day round.
Mind you, to achieve this is not only the sum of my experience, but hundreds of hours of research on appropriate distances, etc etc. (I didn't like the 'kitchen triangle' theory, so I made the 'kitchen square'...) I made a lot of changes to so-called rules. You need to be aware of the path the sun takes seasonally, and hundreds of other things. Don't go it alone if you really have no idea of building at all.
As for fittings, we took what we liked of the builder's range, but they were happy for us to choose things 'off range' from their suppliers (who supply builders, architects, and designers), and they just went through the process as if those items were from their range. I scouted some specialty items, got them at bargain basement prices, and brought them along at the appropriate moment in the build.
I chose a super expensive kitchen (from their kitchen maker), however only made a few sacrifices, as I was having the wardrobes, pantry and linen press joinery, floors, air con and lights done by my own contractors at significant saving and at better quality and custom design. We fitted the laundry cupboards ourselves... I think we did a better, fancier job than trades. Trades are good, but they are hurrying, and it's not their house, they don't care about things being to the millimetre unless it's a question of fit.
PS. Exposed trusses means ladder work for cleaning... please consider your physical ability, or ability to pay someone else before you do that!