When the real-estate dust had settled, and we knew our offer had been accepted, we immediately began planning. We started the first of our many “formal meetings” over a cold bottle of Sauvignon Blanc at Frederics and got to work on our first to-do list.
There was one thing we were sure of, that we’d need a lot of help, and that we truly wanted to work with people who saw the beauty of this house, and were excited about the vision for the business. Basically, we wanted to trust our gut in choosing suppliers that inspired us, who were creative, whose businesses we admired, and who understood our limited budget but were excited about this project.
Chris Bell was the first supplier/partner/Friend of Hosking House that we chose. It was a truly tough decision to make as we had a few amazing builders to choose from. We had heard wonderful things about his work, and as luck would have it we were neighbors to someone who worked for him, Dean.
When Chris first came into 1 Victoria, we just knew he shared our admiration for the ‘bones’ of the house. During our tour, his creative ideas, relaxed attitude and excitement for what we wanted to do helped us make the decision. He immediately introduced us to Paul from NSite to begin drafting plans.
Since then, he, Dean and Trevor and their team of amazing plumbers, electricians, tilers and jib stoppers (love this term, for plasterer,) have transformed the space and created the amazing mix of clean, modern lines combined with traditional, classic elements that we dreamed of. They came up with strikingly creative ideas such as the louvered features in the bathrooms and ensured the rooms are filled with light and are as beautiful as we ever imagined. Their vans were a daily feature in our drive way and they helped me learn how to make a cup of tea as I struggled to do anything I could to show them our appreciation. They are true craftsmen and we are so very pleased they are a part of the making of Hosking House!