Pass or fail? Property expert Amy Lunardi rates her home renovating decisions

Renovating is not for the faint-hearted. Even with experience, expert support and a healthy budget, it’s easy to make mistakes that you are forced to live with.

As a busy buyer’s advocate in metro Melbourne, Amy Lunardi has inspected her fair share of houses. She has also renovated three of her own and recently built townhouses. Her family home was gutted and remodelled two years ago, and Lunardi says she has learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t since moving in.

“I thought I was really well prepared, and I was!” she shares with a laugh. “This was a longer-term family home. I thought I had considered everything. I had a bigger budget to work with. But even with an interior designer and draftsperson helping me make decisions, there are still a lot of elements where I’m like, ‘I wish I did this differently, I wish I did that differently’.”

Luckily, there have been some pleasant surprises, too – additions that have improved life for the whole family.

Lunardi was inspired to rate her hits and misses and share them with her Instagram followers. The post has now reached 3 million views and sparked plenty of lively debate – Lunardi is a little bemused but also feels vindicated.

“A lot of people will share their wins but don’t share their mistakes, the stuff that’s not quite right,” Lunardi says. “I just think for anyone who’s renovating, it’s invaluable to have someone ask, ‘Oh, did you think about this? Did you think about that?’

“Whether it’s preventing a mistake or including something that will add a lot of value to your lifestyle, I wish I had this information before I started.”

What failed?

Heated towel rail

Score: 2/10

A heated towel rail sounds like a luxurious bathroom addition before you consider the practicalities. If you don’t remember to turn it on before you run the shower, you won’t be met with a cosy towel upon exit.

Lunardi says a timer would have solved the problem, but she didn’t consider it at the time, and it is now too difficult and expensive to rectify.

Butler pantry design

Score: 5/10

When the microwave cupboard in Lunardi’s butler’s pantry is open, there is no way of moving around it to access the rest of the space.

Lunardi says this is an example of how important it is to see your blueprints in 3D and imagine how they will translate into real life.

She recommends Big Plans Melbourne, where home renovators can beam their plans onto the floor, allowing them to walk about and conceptualise the space they are creating.

Small kitchen sink

Score: 7/10

Lunardi knew she didn’t want a double sink, but now wishes her single sink was much bigger.

“At the time, the really big ones felt like overkill but, in hindsight, I think sacrificing 10 centimetres of bench space would have been well worth it to be able to hide more dirty dishes in there.”

Missing hand towel rack in the bathroom

Score: 1/10

It’s a real failure when you forget to include it altogether, Lunardi jokes. “I have no idea how we all missed this one, I pored over the plans 10 times. Until you’re living in the space it can be really hard to visualise it all.”

Gas fire

Score: 5/10

“I love my gas fire, it looks stunning,” Lunardi says. “[But] it’s cosy for five minutes and then I’m feeling like a rotisserie chicken!”

Great for mid-winter but otherwise rendered useless, Lunardi says having an option to lower the heat would make a huge difference. Next time, she will research different models and consider functionality alongside aesthetics.

What passed?

InSinkerator

Score: 100,000/10

“If you know, you know,” Lunardi says with a laugh. “If you don’t, it eats your food scraps so you don’t have to scrape them into the bin. It’s faster to clean up but does give me a mild heart attack every time it turns on.” Lunardi says she will never live without one now. The rating says it all!

Heated bathroom floor

Score: 11/10

Lunardi did remember the timer for her heated bathroom floor tiles and, boy, have they been worth the investment, especially through Melbourne’s winter months, she says. They pick up a bonus point because the cats are big fans, too.

Hiding all the nasties

Score: 11/10

A cupboard for the robo vac to hide away? Tick. Another for the kitty litter, complete with a cat entrance? Tick. Hidden hampers for dirty and clean laundry? Tick.

Custom joinery, for the most part, has been a huge success story for this renovation, and Lunardi says the sense of space and calm the lack of clutter brings is invaluable.

Garden “racetrack” paving

Score: 1000/10

The paved border around the back lawn has been an unexpected hit for Lunardi’s family.

“It looks beautiful [and] it makes it easy to get around. I can walk to the back shed without getting my feet wet but, also, the kids love it, they ride their bikes around it. That was my idea and I am so happy with it.”

Retractable awning

Score: 8/10

Worth the considerable splurge, the retractable awning Lunardi had installed over the back decking has been a “game changer”.

“We use the outdoor space so much,” she says. “We don’t have to permanently block out the natural light but when it’s really hot, a touch of a button means we have full shade for entertaining or for the kids to play comfortably.”

One disclaimer, Lunardi adds, is to consider what you are renovating and why before you start splurging on luxuries such as retractable awnings and heated tiles. Even the beloved InSinkerator may not be worth the investment if you are flipping a house for resale.

“A lot of the things in my Instagram post were about improving lifestyle, improving the liveability of a home, not necessarily a direct value add,” she says.

“Whenever you’re spending any money on a renovation or doing any kind of work to a property it’s about understanding, ‘Is this for me or is this to value add?’, because your decision might end up being different.”