Q + A

BY LANA

We know how you guys love a chat! So much so that sometimes we’re totally bombarded with questions on social media. We promise we try to answer but it’s not always easy to explain the juicy details when typing with fat fingers in a teeny insta comment. 

So, we asked you what you wanted to know, and these were some of the questions that kept coming up….

What jobs did you all do before starting Three Birds?

In my previous life (this is Lana here), I was a Marketing Manager at Unilever, looking after the skincare team and brands such as Dove and Vaseline (somehow I still managed to have dry skin!). Sales, marketing and my loud voice are my speciality as Marketing Director for Three Birds …. along with keeping the spirits of our tradies up, up, up with some high-fives and lots of laughs onsite (watch Ep 6 if you want to see what I’m talking about).

Creative Director, Bonnie and Operations Director, Erin are no strangers to working together, having job-shared as Event Managers for years. It’ll be no surprise that Bonnie was the creative half of the role, coming up with the big ideas and styling details. Erin was the organised half who planned and ran the events. And these skills transferred perfectly into the world of Three Birds because renovating is just like another big event really!

Is it worth me joining The Reno School when I live in WA - I feel like a lot of suppliers you refer to are Eastern States only?

That’s a big thumbs up from us! 👍🏻We had students from WA in the last intake and even had international students (from France, Mexico and Singapore) who say it’s been really relevant for them too. 

The six-week course is broken into modules where we’ll teach you how to plan and then bring your dream reno to life. This info is really applicable to any location and style of home! Disclaimer: we haven’t tried an igloo yet, but #neversaynever #whiteonwhite

We have some fab offers from our fave suppliers too and they're all available nationwide. 

Hey guys!! Love your work.️ I’ve just bought my first apartment and I’m wondering what order to do stuff in. The bathrooms... the kitchen… it all needs to be re-carpeted and re-painted too! Aghhhhh indecision is my enemy!! I would love your expertise - Thank you

Oooh that’s a tricky one! We always suggest trying to do everything at once. It’s a bigger chunk of cash up front (and be a tad inconvenient) but will save you in the long run. Getting trades to do everything at once is always more cost effective than having them come and go over a longer period of time.

If that’s not possible, you’ll need to prioritise, but keep in mind when you’re planning that the more one tradie can do in one go, the better. And best leave that plush new carpet ‘til last… traipsing tradies can get messy! My worst nightmare. 

Is there a way to spray bricks DIY? Or what should I expect to pay for a TWO-storey house?

Absolutely you can DIY!

One of the best ways to transform an ugly brick exterior is to spray the bricks. We stumbled across this idea when our budget was tight and we couldn’t afford to render the properties we were flipping. Lots of people think you need to render a brick house to modernise it and add value but rendering is costly and takes a lot of time – spraying bricks is faster, cheaper and looks great when done properly. 

We usually get a professional painter to spray our bricks but you can DIY. Either way, the process is the same. Here’s how it’s done. 

1. Clean down bricks with a pressure hose or broom. Make sure the bricks are dry before you begin. 

2. Tape up any windows and doors that you don’t want to paint. This usually takes the most amount of time. 

3. Set up the spray gun with your tin of paint. You don’t need special paint for this, just a good quality exterior paint - we use Dulux Weathershield. 

4. Spray your bricks, moving the gun from left to right (warning: this is really fun – it could cause fights in the family over who gets to hold the spray gun). Apply two coats. 

5. Step back and marvel at the transformation. 

In terms of pricing for a professional, give a few a call for a quote. There are so many variables from house to house so it’s hard to even ballpark the cost. If you’re in Sydney, we recommend our fab painter, Peachy. Ph: 0414 639 440.

How do you keep everything white Bonnie? You must have a cleaner surely LOL. Please answer this! I can hardly keep my black tv unit dust free!!!!

Haha, ask me when we’ve been living in the house for a year! ;-) Black TVs are they worst for showing dust.

I know there will be some scuff marks in my all-white house, but that’s life. I’ve designed the house so that the boys have some rooms of their own that they can go and bang around in. And of course, there is loads of outdoor space for them to roam (like my cows actually). I don’t like things to be too precious because they can’t be in my life. They have to be robust and able to handle some rough and tumble. And many of my white choices came with some sensible features e.g - I opted for washable lounge fabrics and “Wash & Wear” paint from Dulux – I’ve already had to remove Dodge’s dodgy chocolate fingerprints from both, and they came up a treat. My light-coloured flooring is also really durable, being high quality engineered timber from Woodcut which can handle the indoor hockey and scooter races. 

Having said all that, my cordless Dyson is my new best friend but I actually quite enjoy vacuuming now ... building your dream home can do that to you.  xx

Bonnie - now that you’re living in your completed dream home, is there anything you would change?

To be honest, there’s not actually that much I’d change. I’ve planned my dream home in my head for like EVER, so I’d had loads of time to think through floor plans and details.

There are a few minor things that are bugging me:

·I need some sort of scarecrow to scare the pesky cockatoos that are having a great old time breaking all my palms. Don’t they know how much I LOVE those trees! 

·Oh, and more power points… you can never have enough power points, and I definitely don’t. 

·And perhaps I would have covered in the whole outdoor entertaining area, not just the BBQ area. I love it how it is, it lets in so much light but would be so much more versatile if we could use it when it’s raining too.

·Oh, and I can’t believe I forgot to put a bin in the Butler’s Pantry! #facepalm

How much did Bonnie’s Reno cost?

Let’s just say… A LOT! 💸💸💸

Any chance we can see the floor plan of your most recent home? We have four kids too so would love some inspiration!

We actually reveal the full floor plans of both Bonnie’s Dream Home and Lana’s Forever Home In The Reno School.

When is it Erin's turn for a home reno?

Great question! We’re dying to get our hot little hands on Erin’s place ;-) She just needs to make up her mind about what she wants to do. Pick the thinker of the trio!

Okay you all have THE best clothing style! I’m sort of obsessed! Could you guys start blogging about your outfits too?!

Oh shucks, you’re too kind! ☺ We thought you were all too busy watching Erin rolling her eyes at Bon constantly changing her mind. And rolling your eyes at Lana’s gags (do you find them as funny as we do?), to notice what we’re wearing. But watch this space… we feel a ‘what we wear’ blog post coming on…

WHAT HAPPENS WITH ALL THE FURNITURE YOU PUT IN YOUR FLIP HOUSES? DOES IT STAY OR GO?

For our flip houses the furnishings came from a real mix of sources. We bought some, borrowed some – from stores, from Bon, from Bon’s Mum (yep, her style’s genetic) - and were gifted a few pieces too.

The houses were all sold without the furniture and when we’d exchanged contracts it was all returned to the rightful owners. Except the items we had purchased which we stored at Storage King, ready to use again in the next house! 

Did you spot any double-ups? Like the blush velvet West Elm chairs from House 5 that are now at Three Birds HQ…

and that pretty Ahoy Trader cross you may have spotted in House 1… well it reappeared in House 2, and has now found it’s forever home in Bon’s Adults’ Retreat.

WOULD YOUR PROGRAM (RENO SCHOOL) BE BENEFICIAL FOR SOME WHO LIVES IN THE STATES? NZ? UK?

That’s a big fat YES, YES and YES! The course is 100% online, so you can do it from anywhere in the world. 

Over the six weeks, we will teach you how to plan your reno, how to get it done fast, how to save money and how to style it like a magazine-worthy space. It’s really applicable to any country!

There are six modules filled to the brim with everything you need to know...

DO YOU USE 2PAC ON ALL YOUR CABINETRY DO YOU THINK IT’S DURABLE?

Yes, we’re big fans of polyurethane A.K.A. 2-Pac #nottherapper.It’s the bees-knees of custom cabinetry and usually the most expensive option, but if this is your Forever Home, it may well be worth the investment. Poly is also referred to as ‘2-pac’ or ‘2-pack’ because it requires 2 packets of liquid to be mixed together as part of a highly- specialised manufacturing process requiring a spray booth (like a car spray booth, not a tanning spray booth!). The main reason you pay a premium for poly is the variety of door profiles and colours that can be customised to your exact specifications. 

They look and feel luxurious and are also durable and easy to clean. I chose poly for my kitchen, as did Bonnie. 

For property flippers, flat-pack is a great option. Unless you’re flipping multi-million-dollar properties, a quality flat-pack kitchen should add just as much value as a custom one – but at half the price. We’ve used kitchens from IKEA and Bunnings in our previous flip houses.

WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW BON MANAGED NO FLY SCREENS WITH A BAL-40 RATING?

Good spotting… her fly screens are on order and they’ll be fitted as soon as they arrive. It’s just the back part of Bon’s house (where the boy’s playroom and cottage are) that is BAL-40 rated. And the bi-folds don’t require flyscreens.

Wondering what a BAL-40 is?

Many Australian homes are located in areas prone to bushfires. In these areas there are stringent requirements around the building materials that can be used in renovations or new build projects. Bon’s dream home in the bushy Hills District of Sydney and falls into the high-risk category. Hence, she needed to use aluminium frames and have fly screens fitted on some windows and doors. Furthermore, you can have different BAL ratings for different parts of your home. It was only Bon’s rear façade that was BAL-40 rated (as it faced the bush), but the front of her house was a much lower rating, allowing her to choose timber window frames instead.

DO YOU PREFER A CENTRE BAR OR SIDE BAR FOR SHUTTERS?

We actually prefer no bar! Shutters with no bar look much more clean and contemporary and give you an unobstructed view. In our homes, Bon and I both chose Polysatin shutters from Luxaflex, which not only look great but come with a 20-year warranty – perfect for a forever home.

BONNIE - NOW THAT YOU’RE LIVING IN YOUR COMPLETED DREAM HOME, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD CHANGE?

To be honest, there’s not actually that much I’d change. I’ve planned my dream home in my head for like EVER, so I’d had loads of time to think through floor plans and details.

There are a few minor things that are bugging me:

+ I need some sort of scarecrow to scare the pesky cockatoos that are having a great old time breaking all my palms. Don’t they know how much I LOVE those trees! 

+ Oh, and more power points… you can never have enough power points, and I definitely don’t. 

+ And perhaps I would have covered in the whole outdoor entertaining area, not just the BBQ area. I love it how it is, it lets in so much light but would be so much more versatile if we could use it when it’s raining too.

+ Oh, and I can’t believe I forgot to put a bin in the Butler’s Pantry! #facepalm

HOW DID BONNIE ACHIEVE THE FINGER PULL/HANDLE LESS DOORS ON HER INTEGRATED APPLIANCES?

It’s all smoke and mirrors - they’re there, they’re just discreet. The plan for Bon’s kitchen was always to look seamless – so she’s thrilled they didn’t jump out to you!

Handle-less doors on integrated appliances are possible though! In my kitchen, the magicians at Carrera by Design used a ‘shark nose finger pull’ for my cabinetry, including the integrated appliances. You can see the moulding all the way down the side of my fridge door and along the top of the DishDrawer.

HOUSE NUMBER 5 WAS A VERY SPECIAL RENO. DID THE PREVIOUS OWNER EVER COME BACK TO SEE THEIR FAMILY HOME RENOVATED AND WHAT WAS THEIR REACTION?

Yes! Helen came back to view the house before it was sold… and she loved it 💕

Want to know the story behind House 5? This reno came about as a result of a heartbreaking time in Bon’s life. Watch Bon explain it in her owns words here. Grab your tissues… you’re going to need them.

WHAT TYPE OF HEATING AND AIRCON DO YOU USE FOR YOUR RENOS - AND WHAT DID BONNIE & LANA USE FOR THEIR HOMES?

In all our flip houses we’ve used Daikin split systems with reverse cycle heating and cooling. They do a great job and are perfect for a flip house where you don’t want to over invest.

When Bon and I designed our own homes, we chose ducted systems because comfort is paramount when it’s your forever home. We’ve worked with the fantastic team at Airomania Air-conditioning for all our houses and they recommended Daikin for our ducted systems too.

It’s important that your unit is ducted in zones so that you can choose where you heat or cool, rather than blasting the whole house. Bonnie actually chose a split system for her cottage as she wanted it to be totally self-contained from the rest of the house. 

And remember don’t just rely on your aircon/heating unit! It’s vital to invest in the right insulation, window glass and window coverings to ensure maximum comfort and energy efficiency.

Bon also added a Lopi gas fire in the main living room of her dream home. She wanted it more for the ambience but it’s great for helping quickly warm that huge room too. Tip – lots of fireplaces are primarily decorative and don’t blast heat, which is fine if that’s what you want, just something to be aware of. 

WHICH PAINT COLOUR/CARPET/TILES DID BONNIE & LANA USE IN THEIR HOMES?

Did you know we’ve got a room-by-room guide of all the details of our houses on our website? It’s called Get The Look. 

It’s a super handy go-to page for all the details of every room and there are even links to all our favourite suppliers. You can get all the nitty gritty details right here.

WHICH PAINT COLOUR/CARPET/TILES DID BONNIE & LANA USE IN THEIR HOMES?

Did you know we’ve got a room-by-room guide of all the details of our houses on our website? It’s called Get The Look. 

It’s a super handy go-to page for all the details of every room and there are even links to all our favourite suppliers. You can get all the nitty gritty details right here.

AND FOR MARISSA FROM CALIFORNIA WHO ASKED FOR SOME TRANSLATIONS FOR OUR US FOLLOWERS…

Haha sorry, we didn’t mean to confuse you! 

Apparently, what we call a ‘power point’ is a ‘power socket’ or ‘power plug’ in the US. And Frangipanis are those gorgeous trees with white and yellow fragrant flowers in Bon’s garden – do you call them Plumeria? 

Until next time, Lana xx