“Improva were incredibly easy to work with and made the renovation process so smooth for us. All of the tradespeople we were connected to were really well suited (so much so that we are using the same builder for more unrelated work). The aspect I found most valuable was having Improva source all our quotes. The way the quotes were communicated to us made it really easy to compare everything and understand the points of difference. Improva were also totally understanding of our budget and worked within that. – Monique Cormack
CASE STUDY 1 – Terrace Renovation
About This Project
OVERVIEW
Our clients rented out their three-bedroom Alexandria terrace while they were living in the UK. It needed a major update on their return.
They wanted an extensive renovation to open up the entire ground floor. However, working full time meant they didn’t have time to manage the renovation. Also, they had not renovated before and weren’t sure who to trust with extensive changes to their home.
That didn’t stop them having big goals and dreams. They wanted to transform a long, narrow, enclosed and dark space into a bright, open-plan home. Standing in their way was a number of structural walls and a dated, U-shaped kitchen that cut the living space in two.
As a nutritionist, our client demands a lot from a kitchen. It must be an elegant feature of the home while being extremely functional. It’s not just for home cooking, it’s for work, glamorous photo shoots and TV shows.
Christmas was fast approaching, adding to the pressure to get the job done right but quickly.
HOW WE HELPED
It was clear from talking to our clients that their dream home was a space abundant with natural light, featuring open plan spaces with an eye-catching kitchen as the hero. The kitchen had to have plenty of bench and storage space hidden behind its clean lines.
1. Design service
Our in-house designers took our clients’ vision and translated it into a bold plan — flipping the floor plan to move the living area to the back of the house. We chose all the materials, finishes and colours to modernise, brighten and make the space pop in this lovely terrace.
2. Brokering service — sourcing a dream team
The next step was to pull together a dream team with the skills to wrap it all up by Christmas. We called for tenders from builders, joiners and stone benchtop companies.
After analysing each quote, we presented our comparison analysis to our client. They liked having a range of options to choose from. We were there to answer any questions they had about each supplier, cost and material.
We recommended suppliers we knew would be perfect for them. Based on the analysis and information we had provided, our client made an informed decision to go ahead and engage our recommended suppliers.
THE RESULT
The renovation was effortless. Our client loved how well-matched their suppliers were – not only in terms of ability to do the work but to themselves personally. Blakes of Sydney was also there during the renovation to help.
Today, our clients live and work in a light-filled home with:
- A galley-style kitchen fit for a professional chef
- A ground floor bathroom and laundry tucked under the stairs
- A new fireplace to warm them in winter
- A perfect dining area for entertaining
Location
Alexandria, NSW 2015