Renovation and Conversion Projects

With the completion of a new extension it was necessary to reconfigure the kitchen after the removal of an exterior wall.  Initially the idea was to add on a breakfast bar to tidy up where the old exterior wall had been however it was apparent the existing kitchen was looking somewhat tired and detracted from the shiny new extension.

So, we opted to fit a new yet cost-effective gloss white "Cooke and Lewis" kitchen from B&Q and added our own touches to create a high end look and feel.  For the worktops we chose white corain which was sourced online and requested a 1 cm routed track under the bottom edge to enable LEDs to be inset.  We wanted a centerpiece for the island so fitted a state of the art Elica "Tesla" hob that has a "genie-style" centralised extraction unit that sucks all the cooking fumes down and in then pushes them out at the bottom.  For the integrated corian sinks we added a touch of style with an italian designer mixer taps and took the decision to hide all power in side the units with just a single 4-way pop-up style plug socket for the pink Bugatti kettle.  This keeps the worktops clutter free at all times.

We sourced two Samsung smart appliances (one oven and the other a microwave/grill) and installed them side by side near the dining area.  These are linked up to the local WiFi LAN.

We love our technology so we thought it would be really cool to mount an Amazon Alexa into the wall and connect it to the kitchen LEDs and cupboard strip lights, facilitated using Sonoff switches to control the power switching.  Alexa was then paired to a Bluetooth amplifier hidden in the cupboards that was wired into a network of Kenwood ceiling speakers to produce some awesome sound.

Later we added a Google Home Hub into the mix to cast music and video from mobiles into the kitchen.  This plays very well along side Alexa as they use separate Bluetooth amplifiers and speakers to operate.

A low maintenance garden with a Mediterranean look and feel.. we wanted to create an outdoor space that was usable for most of the year and not too weather dependent; let's face it, wet grass is not practical at the best of times.

We cleared the existing turf and decking back to soil and dug out a hole for the pool shell which we sourced from Poland and came delivered by trailer.  The pool and plumbing was a fairly straightforward installation.  Once a sufficiently sized hole was dug, a concrete base was added and the pool shell dropped into place.  The side wall were back-filled with "flow-crete" (a light airyated concrete mix) to keep everything firmly in place and the necessary plumbing was hooked up to pump and filter via a heater so the pool can be used all year round.  Additionally we added a hydro jet to enable continuous swimming as the pool was only relatively small at 6 x 3 m and an LED mood light.

The remaining garden was paved in a cream colour vitrified ceramic porcelain tile sourced online.  We added walled flower borders painted in white to give a Greek feel and painted the existing Venetian style slatted fence dark brown to offer a nice colour contrast.  Tropical cycas, small shrubs and heather were planted to give the borders all year round colour.

A summerhouse/shed was installed behind the garage and outdoor bulb lights attached to the exterior.  Internally we added grey wooden flooring and some gym equipment.  To every other fence post we installed up/down LED lighting and hooked this up to Sonoff switches housed in the pool cupboard.  All the lights were then linked up to Alex and Google to provide a smart garden lighting system.

Final touches included adding a rattan dinning table and low corner sofa with cushions.  Two pyramid gas heaters completed the look.

Refurbishment of a 2 bedroom riverside apartment.  Redecoration of all internal walls, carpets cleaned throughout, new applicances, soft furnishings and accessories.  Rental agreed 1 week after completion and ceiling price broken for the block.