Onwards and upwards � it�s time to extend!

Buoyed by the success of the bathroom and laundry renovation, Matt and Rowena wasted no time in getting on with creating more space in their little bungalow.

Matt and Rowena�s idea was to create an open-plan living area and to do this they needed to move the lounge from the front of the house to the back. It involved a bit of reshuffling, but the old master bedroom will now become the new lounge and part of the old deck will become the new dining room.

After their bathroom reno went off without too many headaches, they�re sticking with proven professionals � Conrad Kuriger from Smith & Sons, Insitu Design and architect Martin Whenmouth. Matt and Rowena needed some help figuring out which architect would suit their project so they consulted The Drawing Board�s page on selecting an architect . Not all architects are created equal and they needed to find a balance between someone who would give their project their undivided attention and someone who would do it for the right price. Needless to say whenever you�re choosing an architect or designer it�s important they�re accredited with either the NZIA or ADNZ.

Most people who have renovated would agree that getting an interior designer is worth the financial outlay. It does mean you have to pay up front but they are worth their weight in gold when it comes to making decisions and sorting through the vast range of products available. They can quickly assess their strengths, weaknesses and costs of each product to make sure you keep your expectations inline with your budget.

It�s time for the work to get underway and the first step is to get rid of the old deck to make way for the piles to the dining room extension. Because there were relatively few holes to be dug, there was no need for fancy equipment and they did it all by hand. Nothing like a bit of manual labour to get the blood flowing!

The thing with turning a bedroom into a living area is that wardrobes look a little out of place. It had to go so Matt rolled up his sleeves, slapped on a hard hat and gave the builders a hand.

Matt and Rowena have adopted a �waste not, want not� approach to this renovation and every little thing they can salvage goes straight on Trademe. Matt has so far listed windows and doors and has been surprised how much stuff there is to sell. Saving the environment is extra satisfying when you can make a few dollars along the way!

Week 1 went well�but it�s really only a warm up for what�s coming. Next week the roof goes on and the hard work really starts!