Before moving into their Elwood pad, Urbis associate director Brenton Beggs and ceramicist Katie Cudal were living in a ‘dark Collingwood warehouse apartment’ where they’d just endured Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdowns.

In search of a change, they found themselves apartment hunting on the other side of town, where they found a sunny apartment inside a period building, located just a short walk from the beach.

‘Also, the apartment had an undeniably good vibe,’ Brenton says. ‘We were particularly drawn to the prospect of the shared ramshackle garden; it’s rare to find such generous spaces in apartment buildings, and it was lucky that the neighbours were happy for me to garden freely.’

The one-bedroom apartment was small but had plenty of potential, and with some research, they realised other apartments in the building featured two bedrooms — giving them the confidence they needed to purchase the home and reconfigure it the same way.

Embracing the original character was key

‘We thought it was important to reflect the qualities of the original inter-war period apartment,’ Brenton says, highlighting the rounded corners, brass fixtures, and beautiful green outlook from the windows.

Their goal was to ensure that any changes only amplified the cosy home’s special qualities. Plus, coming from the grungy, industrial aesthetic of Collingwood, Brenton says it was a ‘novelty to play with the bright aesthetics’ of Melbourne’s southside lifestyle and proximity to the bay.

Living in the house first helped guide the redesign

Brenton and Katie (and their dog Arnott) lived in the apartment for two years before doing anything, giving them a good idea of the functional changes that needed to be made.

‘Katie needed a spot for her ceramics wheel, I needed more space for my house plants, and we both needed somewhere other than the kitchen table to work from. Most of all, we knew we needed much more clever, beautiful storage,’ Brenton adds.

They rearranged the floorplan — using space from the existing living area to create a second bedroom and a much-needed study — and combined the living and dining rooms into one open-plan space. Other changes involved overhauling the original bathroom, creating new custom cabinetry to increase functional space in the bedrooms, and restoring the floorboards and original timber windows.

How they saved money

While the couple originally engaged an architect to help tailor the space to their needs, Brenton says the surge of material prices post-pandemic pushed the project way over budget and required a ‘dramatic rethink’.

In the end, they opted for a series of strategic moves to cut down costs. ‘By keeping our plumbing in place, we were able to simply have the fixtures and fittings switched over, rather than building out new pipes and walls,’ he says. Brenton and Katie took a DIY-approach to anything that didn’t need a professional, but were also fortunate to save money on trades by enlisting the help of Brenton’s family of tradies, including his Dad who runs Combined Commercial Construction & Fitouts.

Plus, Facebook Marketplace was their ‘best friend’ when it came to sourcing cheap materials. Katie found matching mid-century glass doors for the bedrooms (from different sellers!) that help give the apartment a ‘lived-in’ warmth, and they found everything from stone off-cuts to replacement floorboards from people online.

Why it pays to befriend your neighbours before a renovation

Brenton and Katie initially stayed in the apartment while it was under renovation, before deciding that living (and working) under a thick layer of dust wasn’t feasible. ‘We were lucky that our neighbours let us store our furniture in their place, and a friend nearby let us stay with them,’ Brenton says. ‘We quickly realised that when renovating an apartment, you need to be on excellent terms with your neighbours: there is no avoiding noisy disturbances and inconveniences, especially for the poor neighbour downstairs! Luckily, our neighbours are absolute gems, and we worked through any logistical issues pretty easily.’

Final word

‘An old mentor taught me there are three unavoidable variables in every project: time, cost and quality. Most renovation decisions are about balancing these, and the sooner you realise that the easier the decisions are to make,’ Brenton says. In this instance, they decided to take their time, and save up before focusing on the more costly parts of the renovation. The total updates cost them $67,495.

Brenton’s only regret was taking on some technical elements that were a bit outside his skill set — ‘I wouldn’t try to mosaic tile myself again, the original walls were not plumb and it took me three goes until we were happy with it’. That said, he did learn plenty of new skills, including how to lay and refinish floor boards, and these experiences gave him a greater insight into how to brief his tradies. Plus, being hands on gave him the chance to make some design decisions along the way that benefited both the budget and the look of the home.

Budget breakdown

Bathroom

Wall tiles: $1,500
Tapware:$1800
Sink: $400
Shower screen: $800
Cabinetry: $1,200
Toilet: $800
Benchtop: free stone offcut
Lighting: $1200
Flooring: $600
Painting: $500
Plumber: $1600
New hot water service: $2,895

Living space, kitchen + bedrooms

Doors and fixtures: $900
Wall demolition and rebuild: $6000
Flooring: $1500
Lighting: $5000
Cabinets: $12,000
Window refit: $3000
Painting: $800

Total trades cost: $25,000

Renovation budget total: $67,495