It is always good to win awards. They are certainly not the only things which matter – most important is that my clients are happy with their new or renovated homes. But in days ahead, they become sweet recognitions of efforts well-spent.
I won this particular award in late 2012. The award was given by the Builder Design Association and it was for a Sydney home renovation project; remodelling a property which originally scarcely deserved a second glance.
If you ask me, I would say that the design of the original house was not bad at all. It was structurally sound and pretty decent in its construction though I fear it smelt of 1950s. The client had picked the property in an auction and he had a fair bit of brief for me.
Couple of criteria set by the client
Two things which I had to remember before other guidelines were
- The house by no means was to look like a two storey house from the front. Only an examination from the rear side was to reveal that it had two storeys (this was the primary criterion set by my clients)
- The ground floor had to be self-sustainable, flushed with every component of modern-day living. The client specifically said this, elaborating that the second storey was to cater largely to guests and could be designed like a secondary unit (yes, with bathrooms and bedrooms again).
Original house was marred by poor additions
As I have stated earlier, the original house was pretty okay. The additions made to it were of pretty poor standards and they subtracted from the look of the house. My designing comprised of demolishing these additions. I worked on new entry and new focus.
The rear of the home – two levels
For good measure, I put up the bathrooms and bedrooms asked for in the second storey. I made sure that they fell within the same roofline. The house had a skylight but it did not give any clue about a second storey from the front-yard.
It took 12 months to finish the project. I kept the colours and the feel of the house just as I was being guided by my clients. As a home designer you always want to keep your clients happy, so it was great to get a wonderful client testimonial. I certainly felt good.
Clients liked my work and the award followed
The level of finish inspired something in my clients. They said that they were “constantly impressed’ by my work and it was a perfect example of harmony between scale, scope and proportions. Naturally, it thrilled me even more when my work was recognised with an award.
I think that the awarders were not bothered too much with the style but wanted to understand if the designer met the client’s requirement to the tee. They were spot on in keeping this as the prime criterion.
I think that any designer who does not understand the market and the pulse of his clients may fail in the longer run. Those who do will bag many building renovations Sydney projects and do pretty well with them. With some luck, they may even line up for the awards.
If you have a home with some special requirements, why not give me a call? I will do my best to help.
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