A Reader Who Designed Her Kitchen Using Houzz for Inspiration
This kitchen makeover in Sylvania, Sydney was inspired and supported by a reader, using all the tools she could on Houzz
Vanessa Walker
20 December 2021
Houzz Australia & New Zealand Editor-in-Chief
Photos by Paul Wheeler.
Answers by Mel Wheeler.
Who lives here: Mel and Paul Wheeler and their son, Ned
Completed: 2020
Location: Sylvania Waters, NSW
Room purpose: Kitchen
Budget: Approx $43,000
When Mel and Paul Wheeler relocated from a four-bedroom house on 782 square metres to a three-bedroom unit on 210 square metres in 2019, she inherited the kitchen below and understood it had some great qualities.
“The kitchen’s colours were lovely. The colours and stone of the kitchen hadn’t dated as they were very neutral. As it was built around 2009, it definitely needed redoing as things had chipped and sagged. It also needed upgrading for our personal use,” says Mel. “But, I am an ex-nurse with a terrible back and there were flaws in the original kitchen from a back-health perspective.”
Answers by Mel Wheeler.
Who lives here: Mel and Paul Wheeler and their son, Ned
Completed: 2020
Location: Sylvania Waters, NSW
Room purpose: Kitchen
Budget: Approx $43,000
When Mel and Paul Wheeler relocated from a four-bedroom house on 782 square metres to a three-bedroom unit on 210 square metres in 2019, she inherited the kitchen below and understood it had some great qualities.
“The kitchen’s colours were lovely. The colours and stone of the kitchen hadn’t dated as they were very neutral. As it was built around 2009, it definitely needed redoing as things had chipped and sagged. It also needed upgrading for our personal use,” says Mel. “But, I am an ex-nurse with a terrible back and there were flaws in the original kitchen from a back-health perspective.”
They included:
- The original microwave position, down low in the island.
- An under-bench oven.
- Most of the available cupboards were under the bench and in the island bench.
- The kitchen was too small overall. The space had not been utilised well and the layout needed to change to make it larger and functional.
- “The sink was pretty small but had a second sink making it (I assume) a 1.5 sink. That was super-small though – more like a 1.25 sink! The second part of the sink was so tiny we didn’t use it at all,” says Mel.
- “Storage was lacking. Coming from a big house with a big kitchen, it was a shock to the system to have not only small storage but ineffective storage, with no pot drawers and the like.”
- Appliances were either older or replaced, but cheap.
- “Creating a kitchen that was sympathetic to my back injury was a top priority,” she says.
Mel wanted to:
Transform your kitchen from ‘before’ to ‘after’ with a kitchen designer near you on Houzz
- Raise the benches.
- Put as many cupboards up high as possible.
- Use as many drawers as possible to save having to bend over to get to the back of the cupboard.
- Raise the positions of the oven and microwave.
- Keep the plumbing the same, but change the layout of the kitchen to increase storage and usability. “We ended up rotating the island 90 degrees to make best use of the available space,” says Mel.
- Incorporate plentiful storage. “I wanted as much storage as possible,” she says.
Transform your kitchen from ‘before’ to ‘after’ with a kitchen designer near you on Houzz
Mel’s storage wish-list included:
- Extra-wide drawers in the kitchen island for cutlery storage.
- “I also have a designated herb and spice drawer that I love,” she says.
- “We have alcohol storage on the part of the island that doesn’t have drawers (where the stools are). We keep our alcohol and glassware in here.”
- New appliances, but within reason: for example, they kept the gas cooktop, even though it’s not a premium model, as it is in good condition.
- “We really wanted a Billi tap. We had wanted one in all of our other kitchens but could never afford it. This time we made it happen,” says Mel.
- “We tried to think about exactly what we wanted versus what was realistic. We looked on Houzz, asked friends and family and generally got as much information as possible before starting. I also asked people online what they wished they had done differently for their new kitchens,” she says.
Starting point
“We didn’t use any sort of designer for the kitchen, we did it all ourselves. I got my mum and aunties over to help us. They all decided to turn the island. I was more the person who perused Houzz and trends and colours,” she says.
Mel originally wanted to go with a Hamptons-style feel, with Shaker doors. “To be honest, they raised the price quite a bit, so I decided I would rather have a Billi tap instead.
“We then chose our granite (we always choose our granite first and then design around it), which Shaker doors would not have suited anyway. We ended up going with a two-colour kitchen with all panels including the doors made from vacuum-formed materials.”
“We didn’t use any sort of designer for the kitchen, we did it all ourselves. I got my mum and aunties over to help us. They all decided to turn the island. I was more the person who perused Houzz and trends and colours,” she says.
Mel originally wanted to go with a Hamptons-style feel, with Shaker doors. “To be honest, they raised the price quite a bit, so I decided I would rather have a Billi tap instead.
“We then chose our granite (we always choose our granite first and then design around it), which Shaker doors would not have suited anyway. We ended up going with a two-colour kitchen with all panels including the doors made from vacuum-formed materials.”
Total budget: $42,720
Appliances: $12,715
The couple retained the original kitchen’s hot plates, dishwasher and fridge.
Materials: $27,005
Granite for island and benchtop: $5995.
Splashback: $2816.
Kitchen cabinetry: (Thermoclad cupboards) $17,394.
Handles: $800
Trades: $3000
Plus extra for painting the bulkhead and walls.
“Houzz was super-useful to me to actually see products in a working space; I’m quite a visual learner so being able to view pictures and spaces works well for me,” says Mel. “I loved Houzz so used it a lot to look through ideas for cupboards and basically just to look at styles of kitchens, splashbacks and so on.
“Our major splurge was the Billi tap. We had previously wanted one for years but could never afford it. It’s the sparkling, boiling and chilled water version and it’s hands down the best thing in our kitchen (apart from the magical granite),” says Mel.
Browse more open-plan Australian kitchens
Appliances: $12,715
The couple retained the original kitchen’s hot plates, dishwasher and fridge.
Materials: $27,005
Granite for island and benchtop: $5995.
Splashback: $2816.
Kitchen cabinetry: (Thermoclad cupboards) $17,394.
Handles: $800
Trades: $3000
Plus extra for painting the bulkhead and walls.
“Houzz was super-useful to me to actually see products in a working space; I’m quite a visual learner so being able to view pictures and spaces works well for me,” says Mel. “I loved Houzz so used it a lot to look through ideas for cupboards and basically just to look at styles of kitchens, splashbacks and so on.
“Our major splurge was the Billi tap. We had previously wanted one for years but could never afford it. It’s the sparkling, boiling and chilled water version and it’s hands down the best thing in our kitchen (apart from the magical granite),” says Mel.
Browse more open-plan Australian kitchens
The workflow
Mel says:
Mel says:
- We drew up some rough plans after measuring what we believed was possible. This was relatively easy after placing various appliances in rough positions.
- We had Leigh Bricknell from Bricknell Kitchens come over for a consult with Paul, mum, me and my aunties. One was even over from England so it was a true collaboration.
- He produced CAD images that pretty much nailed our original design.
- On the basis of the CAD design, we advised Bricknell that we would utilise their services and he began construction of the carcasses after a final measure-up.
- We then chose our granite and appliances.
- The kitchen was gutted and additional services, such as plumbing and electricity were chased in (new plumbing was minimal – just an additional water source for the Billi tap).
- New electrical work was more involved as a second 20-amp power circuit was required for the microwave in addition to the existing 20-amp circuit for the oven. Additional power was also run in the island (15 amp and low voltage) to accommodate additional power points and LED skirt lighting.
- The air-conditioning vents in the bulkhead were white and were never going to work, so they were taken down and repainted in flat black to better blend in with the bulkhead colour.
However, while the workflow was smooth, the couple did encounter problems with the granite benchtop installation and Mel says she would not hire the same company again.
“The granite is a particularly special piece and we would purchase the same granite again in a heartbeat. I would definitely get someone else to install it, however. A two-man team arrived to install the benchtop and we definitely needed a third and possibly a fourth person to lift the island into position,” says Mel.
“The granite is a particularly special piece and we would purchase the same granite again in a heartbeat. I would definitely get someone else to install it, however. A two-man team arrived to install the benchtop and we definitely needed a third and possibly a fourth person to lift the island into position,” says Mel.
“They also arrived with none of the cut-outs done (sink, mixer, cooktop, Billi tap), even though the company had been out twice to double check all measurements. They proceeded to fire up the grinder and dry cut the sink and cooktop cut-outs in the brand-new kitchen (everything had been installed apart from the sink, cooktop and splashback),” says Mel.
“They literally filled the entire unit with a fine coating of granite dust and didn’t cover anything or advise that this is what they intended to do. It took the best part of two hours to do all of the cut-outs,” she says. “You can imagine the mess.”
“They literally filled the entire unit with a fine coating of granite dust and didn’t cover anything or advise that this is what they intended to do. It took the best part of two hours to do all of the cut-outs,” she says. “You can imagine the mess.”
Finishing touch
“When we chose the handles, I looked to see if they were on Houzz so I could see what they looked like in-situ as we ordered them online. They were on Houzz so the (one) photo of them, attached to cupboards, reassured us they were the right handle. They were fairly pricey so it was a bit nail-biting until they were installed in our kitchen,” she says.
“When we chose the handles, I looked to see if they were on Houzz so I could see what they looked like in-situ as we ordered them online. They were on Houzz so the (one) photo of them, attached to cupboards, reassured us they were the right handle. They were fairly pricey so it was a bit nail-biting until they were installed in our kitchen,” she says.
Your turn
Have you also used Houzz for inspiration? Tell us how in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Want more practical advice and information on kitchen renovation budgets? Look no further than this Design Masterclass: A Classically Beautiful Kitchen & Laundry
Have you also used Houzz for inspiration? Tell us how in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Want more practical advice and information on kitchen renovation budgets? Look no further than this Design Masterclass: A Classically Beautiful Kitchen & Laundry
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Great question hcrwatson ! We actually designed a kitchen table that slides into our TV cabinet 😀. Otherwise outside in courtyard or on lounge 🤫🤫🤫
I agree with Stephen, the cost is important as it gives people a guideline for their own renovations and the confidence to manage themselves. Great kitchen and app. I’ll be doing extension and Reno existing house so am looking forward to reading more stories.👍
Wendy yes! I always love seeing pricing. I know it fluctuates but it's great to give a guideline :)