Bathroom redesign!

Welcome to week one of The Drawing Board�s first featured project � Matt and Rowena�s bathroom renovation. First of all, we�d like you to meet Matt and Rowena Henshaw and their children James (2) and Lucy (6 months). With a growing family, they need a bigger place and Matt has been trying to convince Rowena to renovate for more than a year, but Rowena was set on moving. Matt has finally got his way and Rowena is now enjoying shopping for products, all the while being mindful of the budget. Matt, on the other hand, is less pragmatic and more of a dreamer. He�s even taking 4 weeks off work to give the builders a hand.

Speaking of builders, the builder on this project is one of New Zealand�s most experienced and highly awarded, Conrad Kuriger. Conrad has been in the industry for over 35 years and won numerous Master Builders House of the Year Awards. A project like this one was a perfect fit for Smith and Sons , a franchise-based venture that specialises in project managing and carrying out renovation projects of people�s dreams.

Of course, Matt and Rowena don�t know their way around a site as well as Conrad does, so Conrad started off by organising a site safety lesson for the family and our film crew � going over essential things like sturdy footwear and hearing protection. Once everyone had passed muster, he ran through all the little things to consider when renovating a bathroom. It may be the smallest room in the house but there are some big decisions to be made!

Then the real fun started � the sledgehammers came out and it was time to strip the bathroom back. The bath had to go � it was small, had mould in the corners and the screen blocked the natural light from the window. Young James used to love pulling the loose tiles off the vanity, but sadly that had to go too to make way for a new one. Rowena can finally stop making apologies for the state of the toilet bowl as that went in the Flexi Bin as well. They knocked out a wall and relocated a hot water cylinder to make things flow better. Play the video above to see all the action, and be sure to come back next and see the progress our family and team of experts make.

Working on your own bathroom renovation? Make sure you read all the tips and tricks first and if you�re stuck on something, you can always ask our experts .

Smarter Green tip of the week
don�t forget one man�s trash is another man�s treasure, think about selling your second hand goods, or re-using elsewhere in your home. Landfill should always be your last option.