The Way to Tile Over Cracked Floors

There is A tile floor stable and only as robust as the subfloor where it’s installed. Cracks in concrete are a sign of a problem. Cracks mean motion, and a tile floor isn’t meant to move. Should you install vinyl then most probably, the crack will show up in the tile. To avoid a crack from forming in the tile, then you need to supply ways to permit a little bit of motion in the floor without transferring it.

Mix the mortar in accordance with package directions, replacing the water additive to give strength and flexibility to the mortar.

Cut strips of ceramic tape, made to protect joints in cement backer board, to fit over the crack. If the crack is directly, cut just one piece that is long. If the crack is jagged, cut the tape into smaller bits. The crack does not need to remain beneath the tape’s center so long as the crack wills span.

Force the thin-set to the crack using a trowel, filling the crack flush with the concrete. Smooth the mortar apartment with the flat edge of the trowel.

Place the pieces of tape you ready over the crack. Work in spans so you can complete all steps prior to the starts to set. The latex will also make the mortar to stiffen. Gently over the tape together with the flat edge of the trowel and push it into the thin-set onto the concrete’s surface.

Trowel mortar about the tape. Force the mortar till you’ve got an almost flat field of tape and mortar spanning the crack, and smooth it out again. Allow the mortar to set.

Sand over the tape using a rubbing stone, hammering the mortar and tape job and smoothing out any rough spots. A little or brick piece of cinder block also work. You’re now ready to tile the floor as ordinary.

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Can You Rent With a FHA Loan?

An FHA loan is a mortgage loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration. That usually means the loan is guaranteed by the U.S. government. Because the FHA insures the loan, the agency can place its own rules for the loans that it backs. The FHA allows borrowers to rent their FHA home, but only under certain circumstances.

FHA’s Goal

The Federal Housing Administration and FHA loans were created to increase home ownership. Therefore the FHA only insures loans for people who mean to reside in the home as their main residence.

Main Home

When you shut your FHA loan then you must register a statement indicating you will occupy the home as your primary residence within 60 days after closing. If you don’t occupy the home within that period of time, are breaking up your signed statement. This could result in civil and criminal penalties.

One Year Occupancy

You clearly must move into your home immediately after closing, but FHA principles allow you to rent an FHA-insured home if you’ve lived in it for at least one year.

Mortgage Agreements

The FHA does not levy any specific restrictions or requirements for how to rent the home after one year. By way of example, the FHA does not require the rent you charge equal or surpass the mortgage payment, so theoretically you can rent the home for a reduction each month in case you wanted to. However, you must earn FHA mortgage payments. You don’t have any protection by asserting the tenant is late on rent payments.

Expert Insight

The FHA will let you obtain a second FHA home under certain circumstances, such as if you have to move for your family outgrows your current FHA home. However, to qualify for a new FHA loan you can only use the rental income on your old FHA home if you’ve at least 25 percent equity in the home. This could impact your choice whether to rent your old FHA home or sell it so you can qualify for a new FHA loan.

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How Can I Convert an FHA Loan to a Regular Mortgage?

An FHA-insured loan is a conventional mortgage loan via an FHA-approved lender guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration. The loan itself is not any different from any other consumer lending; the most notable difference is the procedure for procuring the loan. Nonetheless, homeowners that previously secured their mortgage loans through the FHA may later opt to convert their loan to a”regular” house loan. To convert an FHA loan to a conventional mortgage, you’ll need to refinance your current mortgage. The FHA must approve the refinance, even though you’re moving to some non-FHA-insured lender. The method is remarkably like a traditional refinance, even though there are a few extra considerations.

Find and study qualified mortgage lenders in your region. If you’re content with your current lender and current on your mortgage, this is a fantastic place to start. Also consider your local bank branch or credit union, as you’re likely to secure better terms as a recognized client. Consider larger, nationwide lenders over smaller, locale-specific institutions, as the former are usually in a better position to provide more competitive rates than the latter. Compile a list of your top three or four lenders for consideration.

Get in touch with the list of lenders you accumulated; schedule a meeting with a mortgage consultant at every branch, when possible. After you attend, bring along a list of your current earnings, assets and obligations; you don’t need to bring any records to substantiate your earnings at this time. Request a quotation from every lender, but don’t provide your sensitive info at this time. Don’t allow any creditor to pull your credit report until you opt for the lender with which you want to refinance.

Complete a formal application with the lender you choose, and provide copies of your last two pay stubs, latest income tax return, statements of your personal assets (including savings account, stocks or other investments), a listing of your recurring monthly obligations (including utility bills and insurance premiums), a listing of your current outstanding loans and corresponding creditors as well as the name to your house. You might also need to provide photographic identification and your Social Security card to substantiate your identity.

Consult with an independent house appraiser to conduct an assessment of your house. The lender may require you to pick from a list of approved appraisers, but the appraisal will be at your expense. Give the lender with a copy of the appraiser’s final report as soon as possible.

Attend your final. This is very much like the final you attend if you purchased your home. If you opted to get a”no closing cost” refinance, you will not incur any extra fees at closing (although you will recognize these fees at the end of your repayment term). Otherwise, be ready to cover the closing costs in cash at this time. Assess and re-check the terms of your refinanced mortgage–the interest type and rate, specifically–until you sign the bottom line. The creditor can alter the interest rates at any time before closing, and some lenders will raise the interest rate without notifying you. You’re locked in at the rate presented on the arrangement unless and until you refinance once you sign.

Pay off your FHA-insured loan as soon as your new creditor disperses the money. Your new lender will not, by default, put on the balance of your refinanced loan to your original mortgage. You’ll need to do yourself, right to your original lender.

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How to Make an Offer on a Short Sale Property

With the recession in the housing market, millions of American homeowners are facing the loss of equity in their houses. When a homeowner needs to sell her house and the equity she is built up sums to less than that which she owes her mortgage company, with approval from the company, she’ll participate in what is called a short sale. Unlike a foreclosure, in which the creditor repossesses the house, a short sale borrower stays in the house although it is marketed in the traditional method. If a buyer makes an offer, the creditor selects whether to take the deal. This may be a long, slow process.

Contact a mortgage broker or other creditor to get pre-approved for financing. You will be purchasing the home from a bank and it is necessary that the bank’s representatives understand your offer to buy the residence is backed by a commitment from a lender to loan you the cash for your home.

Determine how much you will offer on the house. Consider recent sales in the area and compare the house that you want to buy to people. The cost should be the same as people close by, or slightly higher or lower, based on location, size, age, status and amenities.

Locate a real estate agent experienced with short sales. It costs you nothing, as a purchaser, to hire a realtor, as all commissions are paid by the seller or, in the case of the short sale, the creditor. Don’t sign a buyer’s brokerage agreement as it may bind you to pay any shortfall in commission the creditor refuses to pay. You might even work together with the listing agent if you feel comfortable doing this.

Ask the broker to structure your deal to buy. Loss mitigators in mortgage companies and banks are drawn to what are called”blank” offers. These are supplies from pre-approved buyers that contain couple contingencies (“I shall buy this house if…”). Since most short sale houses are offered”as-is,” one contingency to add in the contract is a home inspection clause saying your offer to buy is contingent upon an acceptable home review.

Ask your realtor to compile a listing of the similar properties you used to determine the price you are willing to pay and send it together with the deal, if you are providing substantially less than the listing price.

Wait for an answer from the bank. This can take months or weeks, which is stressful for both the purchaser and the vendor.

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How to Buy Foreclosures

Foreclosures need more study, paperwork and legwork than any other real estate purchase. They are not the perfect park for first-time buyers. They are the emerging markets of real estate: potentially lucrative, but complicated and volatile. You will find a buy house for 60 or 70% of its market value, but you can also waste a great deal of money and time and wind up with nothing to show to them. There are three stages in which you are able to purchase a foreclosure: during pre-foreclosure, in an auction house and as a bank-owned property, also called a real estate owned (REO) property. Each phase calls for a different approach.

Pre-Foreclosure

Look for a foreclosure. Get the owner and address contact details. There are numerous online foreclosure listing sites, such as Foreclosure.com, Foreclosures.com and RealtyTrac.com. They allow you to filter your search by area, price or even number of bedrooms. You could also find foreclosure listings in county recorders’ or clerks’ offices. They are also promoted in newspapers and public places as part of their legal measures a creditor should take to foreclose on a house.

Speak to the owners. Be tactful and try to build a relationship with them. They are going through a distressing situation and may not even understand their home was showcased in a public foreclosure list. At the pre-foreclosure stage, homeowners have fallen behind on their mortgage payments and received a notice of default from the lending company. From then, they have three months to make up for the default on the mortgage prior to the creditor schedules a foreclosure sale.

Make an offer. If the owners cannot afford their mortgage, they may accept a low offer that insures their mortgage balance, so as to prevent a foreclosure. If your offer is for less than the mortgage balance the sale is regarded as a brief sale. Lenders must approve a brief sale before it could go ahead.

Foreclosure Auctions

Find out how the auction process works in your county. Speak to a experienced real estate agent or a foreclosure lawyer. You can also ask the regional county recorder’s or clerk’s office for information. In California, foreclosure sales are held business days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. You are not permitted to look at the property prior to bidding, everyone can bid, and the foreclosure could be postponed to a different time and place from the trustee handling the sale. Some counties need sealed-envelope bids, others ask that you bring your bid amount in cash or in cashier’s checks. So ensure your finances is arranged ahead.

Attend the auction. The time and place will be on the foreclosure list or on the advertisement from which you found out about the sale.

Make a bid. The highest bidder takes the property. In California there are two varieties of foreclosures: non-judicial and judicial. The non-judicial path is definitely the most used. In non-judicial foreclosures the auction house is final. But with judicial foreclosure the previous owner has up to one year to redeem his house by paying off the foreclosure sale and interest and any additional expenses incurred by the lending company.

Bank-Owned Properties

Look for REO properties. Lenders usually use real estate brokers to market their properties. You are able to find a real estate broker online at REO Network (see Resource section), which represents over 8,000 brokers.

Be Aware of the Cost. REO properties are the simplest and safest foreclosures to purchase, but you stand less chance of finding a bargain. Lenders usually cost REOs in the market price or just below.

Make an offer. Start low. If the creditor has a large inventory of REOs in its portfolio, you may end up on the ideal end of a bargain after all.

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Elegant Updates for a 1928 Bungalow

RealtorChris Berry specializes in selling houses in conservation districts and historic areas, and has always been attracted to the architecture of older houses due to their character. “There is something about those old houses that feels super solid to me,” he states. “And this might seem absurd, but I love the sound of the train at the distance. There is something nostalgic about it speaks to me.”

Berry shares his 1928 house at a historic San Antonio, Texas, neighborhood along with his fiancée, Paige Blend; they’re both musical theatre actors. Collectively they’ve handled multiple home improvement jobs — remodeling a bathroom, refinishing the garden apartment and landscaping the entire property — while attempting to honor their residence’s early-20th-century roots.

Who lives here: Chris Berry, Paige Blend and their dogs, Tyson, Echo, Ruuq and Junebug
Size: 1,400 square feet; two bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Location: Monte Vista Historical District of San Antonio, Texas
Year built: 1928

Sarah Greenman

Berry and Blend did not really feel like the home had been house until they landscaped front and rear lawns in 2011. Previously the landscape was a plain patch of dirt. Once Berry planted trees, grass and shrubs, “the home actually became a little bit of paradise,” he states.

Berry unabashedly refers to Monte Vista as “the ideal neighborhood in San Antonio,” and credits the wide streets, varied architecture and large trees with bringing him to the section of town. “Taking the dogs on a walk isn’t a chore when you have great houses to look at and large, old trees shading the road,” Blend states. Most of the houses in the neighborhood were built between 1890 and the 1940s.

Sarah Greenman

A neutral, neutral palette keeps each space bright and light. The Brick fireplace supports a huge wood mantel beam which has bent slightly over time. “I love all of the quirks that come along with possessing old houses,” Berry says.

Sofa: Armoires & Accents

Sarah Greenman

Front door is first to the home, as are all of the flooring.

The few likes to groom their house with secondhand furniture from antiques stores and estate sales, like the coffee table and side table. But they also keep their eyes open for bargains in retail stores. The armchair here is from Cost Plus World Market.

Sarah Greenman

The movie is a 1938 Baldwin, revived by Tom Masinter. The frames above display old sheet songs. Blend has three of those four framed songs in performances. “We’re both musical theatre actors, and we live five minutes away in both theaters we both operate at,” states Blend.

Area rug: Pottery Barn

Sarah Greenman

The circular window in the front end of the kitchen overlooks the garden; it had been installed by the previous owner. “When you walk, you immediately discover that the home has good energy and good bones,” states Blend. “Hardwood flooring and intriguing windows actually steal the show.”

Sarah Greenman

Natural light pours through the kitchen window and also illuminates the slate counters, which offer a nice contrast to the white cabinets. The ample light makes it possible for the couple to grow potted flowers and herbs in the kitchen.

Sarah Greenman

Original hardwood flooring extend from one end of the house to another. At the end of the kitchen is a breakfast nook.

Sarah Greenman

The breakfast corner shares space with an integrated butler’s pantry, which is unique to the home. The office area contrary to the pantry is a newer addition.

Pendant mild: The Home Depot

Sarah Greenman

Combining households is obviously a fascinating journey, but the two owners share a common aesthetic. “We have very similar flavor, therefore it was simple to combine items when Paige moved to the home,” says Berry. “We both look for striking, different, original pieces with classic components.”

Duvet cover: Organic Cotton Pintuck at Soot, West Elm

Sarah Greenman

Blend transformed this 1920s-style dressing area, just off the master suite, into her home office. The white desk is handmade and has been made for Blend by SB Designs.

Upholstered seat: Marseilles Chair, Restoration Hardware Outlet at San Marcos, Texas

Sarah Greenman

French doors lead into the master bedroom, although the two doors at the front end of the dressing room lead to a small closet and the house’s only toilet.

Black cupboard: Hobby Lobby

Sarah Greenman

Sarah Greenman

The few most recently renovated their toilet. Tile was falling off in the shower, so they removed it and installed subway tile with black grout in the bathtub into the ceiling. After seeing a local coffee store bathroom that utilized plumbing pipe as toilet hardware, Berry made the toilet paper holder and towel bars from pipe in The Home Depot. The couple kept prices down by doing all of the work.

Paint: Intellectual Gray, Sherwin-Williams; mat: Winding Vines Bathmat, Gray, Anthropologie; subway tile: The Home Depot

Sarah Greenman

Tucked away in the rear of the property is a 650-square-foot guesthouse that accommodates visiting friends and family. The few refinished the apartment and installed a small kitchen to make a completely outfitted apartment.

“It is just a stone’s throw away from our door, but it provides privacy with a bedroom plus their own bathroom,” Blend states. “This is an ideal little apartment.”

Sarah Greenman

The couple installed all of the landscaping in the garden, following a design in a local landscaper, that also installed a puppy run to the remaining patio (not shown). The couple has since spent many hours planting trees, trees, flowers and grass. Says Berry, “Rather than watching TV, we operate in the garden.”

Patio furniture: JCPenney

Sarah Greenman

Berry and Blend, revealed here, love to sit in the rocking chairs on front porch and sip wine while neighbors wander by. “Home is where you place the foundation of your lives,” states Blend. “It does not necessarily have to be a home, but in our situation, our home is our property.”

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More: Lighthearted Charm Boosts a 1920s Bungalow

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Turn a Shipping Pallet Into a Stylish Ottoman

A low-slung upholstered ottoman is an easy, budget-friendly and high-impact DIY upholstery job. And because you create it yourself, it is completely customizable.

The first thing you’ll need for this job is really a frame. Retrofitting a shipping pallet works perfectly. When you’re delighted with your selection of a pallet, it is time to get to work creating your one-of-a-kind upholstered ottoman. It’s simpler than it seems — all you’ll need are a couple of supplies and a very basic knowledge of sewing and woodworking.

Watch out! If your friends find out the way you made it, then they will want to purchase yours or have you create one for them.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

You would never think this was a shipping pallet, right? A mixture of textured chartreuse fabric, dressmaker detailed gray velvet buttons and silver-tipped contemporary legs signifies this ottoman will take centre stage in almost any home or studio.

Materials required:
A secure pallet (read for hints on choosing a single)Enough 1-by-4 Parts of straight boards to attach to the bottom borders of your palletDrill (pieces and Phillips head chuck)11/2 -inch wood screwsStaple gun (preferably electrical)Electric knife (to cut foam)ScissorsBurlap or scrap fabric2-inch-thick foamDacron batting2 yards of fabricCovered buttonsNeedle and thread (optional)Legs and attaching hardware

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

First, let us address some concerns you might have about utilizing flashlights. Not all pallets are made equally. I’d suggest using non-chemically treated, new, dry, un-weathered pallets for this frame. If you still have concerns of using a pallet, it is possible to easily construct the exact same simple frame from scrap wood.

If you do choose to use a pallet, steer clear of anything with an HT or MB stamp. These indicate heat treatment (possibly with compounds) or methyl bromide treatment. The pallet I used here has no marks, so it appears like new wood and it is a smaller dictionary, occasionally called a quarter-pallet. I got mine from a kitchen cabinet distributor beside my shop, but it is possible to find new pallets on the internet for under $20.

Pallets can have powerful threaded nails in them, too. Make sure you’re aware of all nails before cutting into a pallet.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

Measure, cut and attach 1-by-4 parts of wood to the underside edge of the pallet.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

Quantify and attach leg hardware. You are able to add a dust cap to the bottom of the ottoman after it is upholstered; it’s no problem to find the holes in the leg plates.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

Put the frame in addition to a piece of 2-inch-thick foam. Trace across the top edge with a marker and use an electric knife to cut out the piece of foam.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

Measure and cut burlap or scrap fabric to shut in the frame. Safe with shovel or spray adhesive.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

When the frame is wrapped in burlap, add spray adhesive to ensure the centered foam to the top of the frame.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

Here’s the foam connected to the burlap-covered frame.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

Measure and cut cotton Dacron to cover the top and sides of this ottoman frame. Don’t wrap the Dacron below the frame. Use spray adhesive or staples to secure the Dacron set up, but stop at the bottom edge. Again, do not wrap the Dacron below the frame!

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

Measure, cut and attach top fabric to the ottoman frame. It’s important to keep the fabric grain straight here. Secure 1 side of the fabric below the frame at the center, then move out toward the corners. Staple a bit at a time, then move to the other hand, pulling firmly and evenly and out toward the corners. (This pulls out lumps and bumps.) Secure each side with a line of basics, moving out toward the corners but stopping at 6 inches brief of every corner.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

Here’s where you want to be kind of convenient. The corners are completed like tidy hospital corners, except you are able to cut and eliminate a number of those tight fabric under the corner folds. Be careful not to cut out any top fabric. Pull 1 side across the corner edge, pulling slightly down and on the diagonal. Secure with principles.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

To fill in the staple dimples, put a small bit of poly fill on the principles.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

See? A perfectly smooth finish. It’s possible to screw the legs into the plates or wait till the dust cap is on the bottom. I used a few of my custom-designed thighs, but it is possible to find unique styles elsewhere on the internet.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

If you would like to sew the corner closed, then utilize an upholsterer’s sew (ladder) or an invisible stitch. Another choice is carefully running a small bead of hot glue within the fold and then pressing on the fold right into position.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

It can be difficult to put buttons evenly, so I cheated. Instead of attaching the buttons with a nail back or hand stitching them into position, I used a template, then marked the button placement with chalk and subsequently made an “X” with two principles where the coated buttons will be glued into position.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

This dressmaker detail about the corners adds a bulge of sophistication to this dressed-up wooden pallet.

Upholstery Club’s Shelly Leer

That is it! Isn’t she lovely? The completed upholstered ottoman adds softness to an industrial studio area, and can be completed by anyone with a couple added bucks plus a basic knowledge of sewing and woodworking (and I mean basic).

More: Build Your Own Wooden Deck Chair From a Pallet for $10

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Stop by a Living Room Designed for Art, Beauty and the Grandkids Too

This Melbourne couple wanted to combine their passion for beauty and family in a complex, comfortable space. They were eager for fabrics and furniture to stand up to four seeing grandchildren, plus they wanted to emphasize their art collection in an open and entertainment-friendly space.

Melbourne interior designers Massimo Speroni and Andrew Frost collaborated on the area’s neutral palette, statement furniture and blend of design styles, injecting individuality and elegance into a formerly blank space.

MASSIMO interiors

Considered design often starts with one hue. This design’s jumping-off point was that the aubergine upholstery about the bergère chair.

Speroni and Frost divided the sitting part of the wonderful room into two zones. They designed the smaller zone with light in mind; the custom sofa and sprinkled cushions invite guests to soak up the Melbourne sun.

Mirror: Boyd-Blue; table lamp: Diez; side table: Saarinen Tulip Table, Dedece

MASSIMO interiors

This artwork, titled “Madigan Gulf,” by Judith White, represents an aerial perspective of a bushland river stream. The acrylic frame connects with all the obelisks on the coffee table.

Italian coffee table, obelisks: supplied by Speroni and Frost

MASSIMO interiors

A cozy oversize rug joins both chairs. The larger area exudes comfort and warmth. A white palette highlights that the room’s 10-foot high ceilings; the neutral colours create the couple’s furniture and art collection the heroes of this design.

Custom four-seat sofas seem tasteful, but their durable fabric will stand up to the wear and tear of seeing grandchildren.

Black and white photo: Stu Morley

MASSIMO interiors

Patterned ottomans divide the sound, neutral tones. The fabric colours harmonize perfectly with the striking statement painting by George Raftopoulos over the sofa.

Rug: habit, The Rug Establishment; ottomans: habit

MASSIMO interiors

The designers blended several styles for a brave design. The open-plan living room exercises restraint with components of traditional, modern and eclectic design. The magnificent scenery of Maria de Tassis, a reproduction of Anthony van Dyck’s 17th-century first, spouses perfectly with the custom dining table’s Corian shirt and polished stainless steel base.

Chairs: Zanotta, Space Furniture

MASSIMO interiors

This gorgeous great room has good flow and tons of natural lighting, inviting all to devote plenty of time. The exquisite European oak flooring — stained in a darkened brown-black — contrasts the neutral colours and provides a lush, classic feel to the room.

Drum pendant lighting: habit; accessories: Italian, supplied by Speroni and Frost

More: Browse thousands of living room photos by style

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Classic White Clapboard Shows Timeless Charm

From the Kennedy compound to FDR’s Little White House, white clapboard homes are a part of America’s history. The timeless design and style of these charming houses might have originated in a different time, but thankfully, they’re far from outdated. Take a look to see for yourself why these houses have a look that has interpreted across generations.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

Asphalt and slate are fantastic, but there’s nothing like the pitter-patter of raindrops on a tin roof. The darker colours look fantastic on white clapboard homes but may pose an energy difficulty in regards to summer air conditioning. We adore the way Smith & Vansant turned the perceived problem to an advantage by adding solar panels, making this house brightly white and green.

Richard Leggin Architects

Nothing adds instant charm and character to a home like a fantastic outbuilding. A garage, a secure or a guesthouse adds space and function.

Frederick + Frederick Architects

Fireplaces go hand in hand with the historic feel of white clapboard cottages. Inside or out, they’re an ideal place to unwind and get comfy. Plus, they are spectacular for decorating.

Browse fireplaces in the Products section

Greystone Interiors

Cupolas is the crowning glory of any home, but we believe that this one is especially well done. It melds with the feel of the home and balances out the chimney on the other side, adding cohesiveness to the entire residence.

Kikuchi + Kankel Design Group

Outdoor spaces are some of the most important areas of any home. Why don’t you include personality with a pergola? It is aesthetically pleasing and adds a little shade for those hot summer afternoons.

Carr, Lynch and Sandell, Inc..

Shutters aren’t necessarily a terrible place to get creative with colour, but on a traditional white clapboard home, nothing seems as striking as plain black. The contrast is beautiful and the combination classic.

Helios Design Group

Like white clapboards weren’t magical enough in their own right, adding even more style is straightforward. A white picket fence and two or three well-planted window boxes include curiosity in droves.

Watch more about window boxes

More:
So Your Design is: Conventional
Home Styles: New Traditional Layout

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A Australian Circus Family's Home Juggles Extra Room

High ceilings would be liked by A lot of people . But Australian couple Nigel Martin and Louise Clarke Necessary the extra headroom. Circus actors with Bamboozled Productions, the couple updated their 1890 bluestone cottage with an extension to allow lots of space for juggling, practicing show patterns and adapting to a constant stream of traveling actors.

The home is within, ahem, unicycling distance of the Adelaide central business district, and the couple collaborated closely with designer-builder Philip Monaghan to tailor it for their needs. But unlike the couple’s carefully orchestrated and practiced carnival patterns, the design procedure was more natural. “Home design is instinctual for me,” Clarke says. “I don’t have any established formula; I just go with what I think could work and hope for the best.”

at a Glance
Who lives here:
Louise Clarke and Nigel Martin with their kids, Jai (age 16) and Onni (two)
Location: Norwood, South Australia
Size: 140 square meters (1,507 square feet); 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms and a home office
Price: Extension: $354,000 Australian (about U.S.$339,521); garden: $61,000 Australian (about U.S.$58,895)

Jeni Lee

The aim was to create a home that would be cozy and warm in the winter, yet cool in the summer — and of course would have room for Martin (shown here) to manage. “I think we could have been more experimental. I threw from the rammed-earth walls last moment, but I knew they’d work, and I love them,” says Clarke.

Sofa: Jardan; Persian rug: Kavir Rug Gallery; chairs: Flourish Gift and Home; side table: handmade, Council of Things; credenza: Danish, Hans J. Wegner; Roman dividers: Rainfords

Jeni Lee

A connected layout helps the relatives keep an eye on one another’s routines. Clarke, from the bathroom here, states, “I can stand at the kitchen chair and see Onni from the tub while conversing with Jai in the living room and others in the kitchen, and watch outside all at precisely the same time.” That’s Onni on the bench and Jai from the door.

Sink: Oliveria; sink fixture: Methven; couch: Jardan; tiles: Eco Tile Factory

Jeni Lee

The counters have been custom made using recycled jarrah timber, a very sustainable and durable hardwood from Western Australia. Windows help deliver northern lighting in.

Benchtops: Total Joinery

Jeni Lee

Philip Monaghan constructed the 10-seat dining table, windows and door frames from recycled jarrah.

Art: David Bromley, Flourish Gift and Home; kimono storage: Church Studios; pendant lighting: David Turbridge

Jeni Lee

Block-mounted circus posters have been clustered onto one main artwork wall in Jai’s room with a huge painting by Martin’s grandfather, Western Australian artist John Lunghi. Martin based on a drawing the painting as a boy.

Plantation shutters: Rainfords; jute rug: Ikea

Jeni Lee

This teenager’s retreat includes a loft bed, making extra space for audio and circus practice.

Pendant light: Ikea

Jeni Lee

The music room includes built-in storage for circus gear and a foldout bed for guests.

Rug: hand-tufted Persian, Kavir Rug Gallery

Jeni Lee

The master bedroom features original hardwood floors, a traditional Victorian fireplace and ceiling roses, an Indian bedspread and a Chinese brush painting.

Nighstands: Like Butter; table lamps: Ikea

Jeni Lee

The contemporary bathroom includes Moroccan-style wall tiles in a stunning shade of turquoise and a hand-crafted silver-plated light colour. The floor tiles are rough-cut slate.

Tiles: Eco Tile Factory; fixtures: Methven; basin: Villeroy & Boch

Jeni Lee

The home office is a transitional room between the old cabin and the brand new extension at the back. It was the original lounge room and has a combustion woodstove.

The couch and trestle table are secondhand locates, and the storage cabinet is a classic painted Tibetan cabinet. The art is by John Lunghi.

Rug: Birds of Passage; wall stencil: Scandinavian Design Center; chairs: Hans Wegner replicas, Church Studios

Jeni Lee

As frequent travelers residing in a drought-prone region, Martin and Clarke had a self-sufficient garden with drought-tolerant plants. The couple worked with designer Caroline Dawes and Stuart McHaffie of Garden Partner to create a low-maintenance landscape fed by rainwater tanks.

The couple wanted the layout of the garden to reflect the home, so the decks and collecting areas are all placed at different angles and use many unique materials.

When Clarke is not on the road, her favourite spot to be is to the patio, sitting on a beanbag with the fire lit and looking back at the home. “I always think I live here; that’s amazing; it is beautiful,” she states.

Jeni Lee

A small courtyard connects the main home with a fourth bedroom, currently setup as a music room. The main bathroom also overlooks this personal courtyard.

Jeni Lee

Corrugated iron, a classic Australian construction material, partially clads the new extension. Hebel was also used as cladding because of its insulating qualities. The window frames were all made by Philip Monaghan by hand from recycled jarrah timber.

Jeni Lee

The symmetrical bluestone outside is heritage listed and has a distinctive California bungalow gate. Wisteria paths over the classic Australian veranda.

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