Amelia & Dylan's First Time Buy | Topology Interiors

Case study

Amelia & Dylan’s First Time Buy

Location - Walthamstow

The Project

We took a tired and old property from the 60’s and transformed it for our first time buyer clients so that they had a welcoming, refreshed and cosy retreat to settle into. From re-staining the floors, to adding in bespoke joinery, ripping out fireplaces, re-wiring etc we project managed the whole design from concept to installation.

The Budget

For this couple, the budget was £50k. With our help they were able to stick closely to their budget, even including some little extra suggestions that weren’t in the original scope of works. It was just a pesky boiler replacement that resulted in going £1000 over, as an unexpected new heating system was needed (costing around £4500 to supply & install). The £50k budget was to spread across the entire ground floor (excluding the kitchen as they wanted to save up for an extension in the future) and a new bathroom upstairs. The budget was stretched across all of the below, but not limited to the things mentioned:

all labour costs & materials (e.g. re-plastering all walls & ceilings, a new bathroom, stripped & stained flooring, new wall lights, wall of joinery, glass partition wall etc)
skip hire & waste collection
all new furniture, accessories, lighting & paint

The Before

As always at the start of a project, we always begin with a site visit usually with 2 designers from our team, possibly a contractor and of course, the client. This allows us to walk around the property and understand what exactly the client wants to do with the space.

By having designers and trades on site, we’re able to sanity check if grand plans are actually realistic (in terms of budgets or feasibility with pipes / walls etc).

For this project we discussed creating a hallway and a more confined sense of a living room. Additionally, the client wanted to block off under the stairs, but we advised against all of this, to keep the space open plan and bright. And, they’re glad to have taken our advice on this.

The Design Stages

After the site visit and formalities were done with the client, we always undergo a series of ‘design stages’ with the client. This makes the process collaborative and fun, allowing the client to ‘sign off’ decisions along the way.

First up we started with a layout for each room, which can be revised if necessary. Here we proposed a glass partition wall to create a sense of a hallway, as the main entry door opened right into the living room without any sense of boundary and no where to store coats & shoes. And for the bathroom, a much sleeker shower & bath combination with plenty of storage.

Then we created a presentation demonstrating starting point design ideas – this is mainly demonstrated through what we call a ‘concept’ (aka a mood board) for each room, highlighting key aspects like the colour scheme and key items. The purpose of this is so that the client can see our provisional thoughts and tweak if needed, before we launch into a full design.

Renovation Development

Once the design were signed off, it was time to get product ordering all the goods to our warehouse team. It’s here we have internal spreadsheets and complex logistical processes to ensure items are arriving on time, undamaged and as expected etc. Our warehouse team will notify us if anything is not as it seems and we’ll work behind the scenes to chase orders, organise returns and make sure everything is stored safely until it’s ready to be installed by the lead designer on this project.

As this occurs, work typically begins on site and demolition & renovation begins! Through the construction process, we’ll make regular visits (usually 1 or 2 every fortnight) to ensure things are being done to a good standard and as we have planned through the design process. Naturally as pipes are exposed and floors are lifted up, some decisions might need pivoting or tweaking but we’ll always ensure the end result is good as good as what would have been initially planned as we’re used to working on our toes! On this project, an unexpected boiler replacement was needed which meant added costs and moving planned radiator positions round, but it was swiftly sorted.

The End Result

As the renovation comes to an end, our team works behind the scenes to bring to fruition the organisation of an “install”. This particular install was done in 2 days with 2 of our designers & 2 handymen. The first install day allows us to install the main bulkier bits of furniture, and the remaining day to fine-tune the scheme – e.g. hang art, install pendant lights, hang the curtains etc. The above really is the crux of our work and the bit we look forward to the most as we get to see our designs really brought to life and a happy client walk into their new home.

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Amelia & Dylan

Amelia FA.

It’s AMAZING. Thank you!! Might have to shed a tear that this is actually our house!

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