RENO WITHOUT A RUMBLE…
We stripped a tiny worker’s cottage to the shell…
Home decorator Carly Schulz and builder Leighton Brow became household names nationally after finishing runners-up in the first season of Reno Rumble. They now enjoy life as full-time renovators and their latest project was a tiny cottage from 1913 in the Adelaide seaside suburb of Glenelg.
17 VELUX skylights were at the heart of the renovations…
LOTS OF CHARACTER, NO LIGHT
“We loved the position and the character but there wasn’t much else to love”, says Carly. “It was a tiny home with two bedrooms and one bathroom.
The floors were sinking in the corners and decades of smoke had left the walls yellow. The block was only 500m2 and the house on the northern boundary was so close that it virtually blocked all natural light.
Our cottage was as dark as a dungeon.”
GROWING AMBITIONS
“Initially we wanted to keep the one level layout but one day when Leighton was up on the roof, he realised we could see the marina.
Change of plans, let’s add a storey! As the house grew on us, the project just grew bigger and bigger.
We ended up adding 140m2 and the house is now a spacious four bedroom, three bathroom family home.”
VELUX SAVES THE DAY
“During Reno Rumble we achieved great results with VELUX skylights”, adds Leighton.
“We knew that they could solve the main problem of this renovation: the house next door was simply too close to get natural light and ventilation in through traditional windows.
VELUX would give us an abundance of light and ventilation. As well as complete privacy.”
Visitors look up and go WOW!
The living room is Carly’s favourite room. “Look at it and imagine what it would be without VELUX: dark and claustrophobic. The VELUX skylights add as much space as they add light. When visitors walk in for the first time, they look up and simply go WOW!”
LIGHT AND PRIVACY
“Only centimetres behind the wall is the house next door. With traditional vertical windows we would look straight into a fence with a house right behind it.
Little light would come in and we wouldn’t have much privacy either. Look at all the wall space we gain as well.”
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
“The VELUX skylights face north”, adds Leighton.
“If you’re not familiar with VELUX, north facing skylights are sometimes considered a bit of a no-no. But the latest models of VELUX skylights are so sophisticated that they block out up to 80% of the heat and 99% of the UV rays.
One of the three skylights here is openable. It’s solar powered and the moment you open it, it releases heat and lets in the sea breezes.”
BLINDS FOR WHEN WE’RE WATCHING TV
“99% of the time we love all the natural light that flows in through the VELUX skylights.
On the rare occasion we’d like to watch a movie during the day, the blinds come in handy. They’re blockout blinds and let no light in whatsoever.”
Why have a ceiling when you can have VELUX?
Leighton thinks bathrooms are a unique challenge. “You want all the natural light you can get but you also want your privacy. You can’t have both with traditional vertical windows. VELUX skylights give you more light than any vertical window and you won’t have to worry about your privacy.”
GLASS INSTEAD OF GYPROCK
“In both our downstairs bathrooms we’ve made the shafts as large as we could. The larger the shaft, the larger the room seems and the more light comes in.
During the day we rarely need to turn on the lights, all the light we need comes through the VELUX skylights. Why have a ceiling when you can have VELUX?”
VENTILATION
“Another thing you need in a bathroom is ventilation. All our bathroom skylights are openable.
Once you touch the remote control to open the skylights, steam and heat are sucked out in a matter of minutes. It’s like an exhaust fan, only better.”
EVERY BATHROOM SHOULD HAVE A VELUX
Carly loves her bathrooms. “Every bathroom should have a VELUX. They create space, privacy and light…I just love natural light when I put on my make-up.
And after a busy day there’s nothing better than unwinding in the bathtub with a magazine, looking at the stars.”
A bright, happy place for the family
“Without the VELUX skylights, we would probably have a vertical window on the wall where the artwork is”, says Carly. “It would provide little light and we would look straight into a fence with the house next door only centimetres away. Now look at all the space, light and privacy we get from the VELUX skylights.”
NO AIR CONDITIONING NEEDED
“Both skylights above the dining table are openable.
Together with the other openable skylights throughout the house, they make air conditioning virtually obsolete. We have it, but we don’t use it. Without VELUX, it would be running 24/7.”
RAIN SENSOR AND SMART REMOTE CONTROL
“All our VELUX openable skylights are solar powered and have a rain sensor”, adds Leighton. “They require no power, no electrician to install and they close automatically if it starts raining.
We leave them open in the morning but the remote control is like a smartphone. You can program the skylights to open and close whenever you like and it’s really easy to use.”
VIRTUALLY SELF CLEANING
“VELUX skylights have a coating on the outside that pretty much takes care of the cleaning.
The coating reacts with the sun’s UV rays to decompose organic dirt before the next shower rinses it away. It works.”
Downloads
Click here to download the full Reno Rumble Velux Skylights Case Study
