So Long, It's Been Good To Know You
The Age
Sunday July 31, 1994
With their building work almost complete, the Hendersons can offer some practical advice.
THE story so far: ABC newsreader Ian Henderson, his wife, Sue, and children Tom and Angus are reaching the end of the renovation to their Elwood home. The work has consisted of two bedrooms, a bathroom and a veranda upstairs and refitting an existing bathroom downstairs.
Most of the building work has been completed, although there is lots of finishing off to be done. The cabinets under the stairs have still to be installed, along with built-in robes upstairs. The tiling in both bathrooms is almost complete and the stairs need a handrail. The upstairs floorboards are to be sanded and limed and, after all the extra wear and tear from the builders, Sue and Ian have decided to resand the floors downstairs.
``It's hard to believe it's almost finished," says Sue. ``There still seem to be so many things we have to do."
Ian took last week off work to get stuck into the painting. He thought it would be quite easy, but after just one coat upstairs, he now can see it will be quite a big job.
As this is our last instalment on the Hendersons' renovation (although we will return in a couple of months when it's finished), it's a perfect opportunity to ask them, with the benefit of their experience, what advice they can offer other would-be renovators.
``We all think things will happen a lot more quickly than they actually do, which can be quite frustrating, so I guess you need to be patient," says Ian. ``For us, the frustrating part was the time involved in the planning process. We were ready to start a year ago but council permits took so much longer than we imagined."
``Budget is another consideration," says Sue. ``It's important to be realistic and expect to spend an extra 10 to 15 per cent over the contract price. There are always small things that need to be done and extras that make sense, as well as the unexpected. We had to spend extra money on the footings and we couldn't have known about that until we started."
``It's also great if you have somewhere to move out to," says Ian.
``Particularly when the plaster dust starts," adds Sue.
But both agree that the most important thing is to have a good builder. ``After our last experience, which was a disaster, we realise how having a reliable builder, with good people working for him, can make such a difference," says Ian. ``Peter (Heilman, the builder) arrived on time right from the beginning, which is an important sign.
Peter also had an impressive list of references and he had been personally recommended by our architect."
And finally, Sue and Ian agree that using an architect has made their renovation exceed expectations. ``Martin Morrell came up with ideas and suggestions that we hadn't ever imagined and all the design problems were sorted out before building began, so the building has been quite straightforward," says Ian.
And what about making color decisions and choosing fittings? ``I really enjoyed choosing the colors," says Sue. ``We wanted a light, airy, beach effect, which made our selections a little easier. I think because we didn't have too much time to spend looking, it made things easier as well. We really only spent one day choosing the tiles and the fittings."
Although there are still builders and tradespeople everywhere, along with materials, tools and plastic protecting the floor and furniture, the Hendersons are very happy. ``It's just so good to see the renovation at this stage," says Ian, ``and it's a great feeling to have it almost finished. I'm really going to miss the guys when they have gone."
© 1994 The Age