Future Flip 594 Twin House Project - Real Life Reno

Check out this these two beautiful properties! Future Flip designed and built this detached dual occupancy in Port Hacking, NSW. They used a number of our TileCloud favourites to create two different homes that complemented each other. We got chatting with the new owners about the design and building process.

What did you renovate?
We did a knock down of a single house and built a detached dual occupancy!

What motivated you to renovate?
We wanted to maximise the value of the land and create a new home for our family so we built 2 properties, a new home for ourselves and an investment property next door 😊

Why did you pick Future Flip to do your renovations?
We had seen their work around our local area and loved what they did with the design of the properties so went with them for the build also.

How would you describe your style?
Hmmm tricky question as we didn’t really start out with a ‘style’ in mind, our main goal was to create something unique but in tune with the area we live as well as making 2 distinctly different houses that complimented each other. I would have probably always said our main style preference is coastal but feel like in the end we have gone more Modern / Coastal feel on the Black House with a Coastal / Scandi vibe on the White House…..

For your duplex renovation did you decide to go with the same design on both sides? Why or why not?
We have gone with completely different exterior looks, nearly exactly the same interior lay out but different interior features (mainly with colour of tap wear, tile choices, kitchen colours and lighting). We did this so each home would have its own personality and unique appeal.

Talk us through the process you took in the planning stages of the renovation!
We started looking through Pinterest and on realestate.com for inspiration and have been inspecting a lot of new builds locally for a few years to get a feel for best lay outs and designs.
For the exterior design we saw a unique detached dual occupancy design that was done in Brisbane that had the 2 different coloured houses (Black and White) and that was our main inspiration when going to the Future Flip Design Team with our vision for what we wanted to create.
With the interiors it was A LOT more Pinterest and Instagram scrolling looking for ideas but in the end we found deciding on the final colours and design for the bathrooms, kitchen and other joinery was too hard as we had to ensure both houses kept their own identity so we ended up getting Lana Arnold from Edit Theory Interiors to help us work through the end designs and choices. So glad we did, we could never have finished it off so well without her help!

Did you and your partner or family butt heads over the design at all?
Ha ha of course! But this is where our designer really came into play in helping us decide which path was best when we couldn’t agree on something. We had a general rule of I was driving decisions for the White House and he was doing the same for the Black House so we both had a focus but ultimately had to agree on the final choices. Our designer (mediator 😊) was really key here though!

Were there any delays? How long did the renovation take?
No not really, Future Flip are known for their fast turn around and they estimated 5-7 months and in the end from the day it was knocked down to the day we moved in it was 6.5 months so pretty quick! We lost a week here and there due to Christmas and some heavy rain but managed to still get it done pretty fast which was great.

What was the most challenging part of the renovation? Did anything go wrong?
The biggest challenge was managing the budget and unknown costs that pop up and making sure we were allowing buffer for future stages that might also have surprises. Other than that picking all the colours and deciding on finishes was hard. We are not creative people so we found it hard to picture it all while in progress but so happy with how its all come together. Nothing really went wrong, everything was able to be overcome and solved for along the way. My hubby is an electrician and was on site a lot, it also helped that he is familiar with worksites and the building process so we could understand and quickly resolve things when anything popped up.

Did you come into the TileCloud showroom to look around at tiles? Did you order samples?
Yes and Floss was fantastic and so helpful! We actually found the initial tile meeting the most productive and really helped us start the colour pallet for each house and create the direction for the interiors. We decided on nearly all the tiles in the first meeting but ended up popping back again to sanity check some things and in the end only changed the size of a feature tile and the rest stayed in line with the initial choices Floss helped us make.

Why did you choose TileCloud / What did you enjoy best about the TileCloud experience?
TileCloud was recommended to us by our builder but we were familiar with the brand already and were more than happy to go with them. The best part was Floss who made it all feel so simple and helped with all our annoying questions and changes along the way. The showroom was also fantastic to help get a feel for everything and play around with ideas. Great experience all round and would definitely use TileCloud again!

Any advice for first time renovators?
If there is more than one of you involved (ie husband and wife or siblings etc) definitely set out your roles at the beginning and play to your strengths. There is no point everyone trying to take over and focus on the same things, divide and conquer is the best approach! For us……I am a banker so I stayed across the numbers, budget and communications with suppliers etc. Hubby is a tradie so he was in contact with the site manager and making calls on the bigger things relating to the build and any changes/issues that popped up. If in doubt on any of your choices or big decisions definitely get an expert involved and listen to their advice….by the end of the build our designer and Landscaper were saving our marriage by making the hard decisions for us 😊 and helping us invest the money in the right areas of the project.
Last piece of advice, keep the right lens on the spend when it comes to using your head or your heart.….is it your forever home or an investment (either to sell or rent)? What is the market for resale in the area? Once you know the direction here ensure you only invest what you will get the best return on. If its emotional and a forever home then spend a little more but still be mindful you don’t overcapitalise too much. Its easy to get swept up in the “fun” of a build or renovation but every little extra dollar here or there adds up quickly!