"With a bit of DIY, we now have three bedrooms, an ensuite, an office, and a walk-in scullery." Sheryl details what "a bit of DIY" involved.

"We took off all the cladding, put in new windows and new cladding, took out all the plaster board and replaced that.

"We pulled all the ceilings down, a horrible chip-boardy thing. Pretty much everything was replaced, from fixtures and fittings, to completely rewiring the house - and, we installed a completely new bathroom and kitchen. It’s basically a brand new house, except for the floorboards."

That’s quite "a bit" of DIY. And it’s not over yet; there’s still one side of the house to go.

The couple is living on-site while the renovations go on around them. "It means we can just do little bits and pieces when we have the time, and I love seeing the project evolve over time."

Living conditions during a major renovation can be a little challenging, but Sheryl takes it in her stride. "I think I’m probably used to it, living with a Master Builder."

Most of the design ideas Sheryl found on Houzz - a website for home renovation and design. More than 40 million homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals from around the world contribute to the site.

"It’s great. You go to the site, and there are so many ideas. I took bits and pieces from some of them, and for the bedroom I just about copied one on there. I’m inspired by seeing what other people do, and evolving it into something cool that suits our space."

In the bedroom photograph on Houzz there was a picture on the wall with all the colours Sheryl wanted.

"When I went to Thailand I saw all the artists on the side of the road. I downloaded the picture, gave it to an artist, and three days and $80 later she had it finished."

The biggest issue during the renovations so far has been the floor.

"The original wooden flooring was all out of level. Mark went under the house and had to pack a few piles to level up a couple of places."

The dust while living amongst a renovation project is also "a tad annoying", as it means more vacuuming. At this stage of the renovation project, if they had the chance to go back and start again, would they do it differently?

"I think Mark would probably have preferred to bowl the building and start from scratch. I think that would have been quicker. But this way it has a bit of character, and it has the original flooring. "I guess we ended up pretty much building a new house."

The striking front path reutilises sleepers from the original house, where they were part of the old conservatory.

"I wanted to keep the sleepers, and I liked the idea of the big concrete pavers, as their grey matches the house; and then I wanted to bring some more white in, which is where the stones come in."

Sheryl took her inspiration from an existing path. "I drove past a house, and thought, I like that. I wanted an entrance - something to draw your eye in when you come up to the front door."

Sheryl’s’ final advice to others is do a lot of research. "Have an idea in your head about the theme you want going through your house. And visit: www.houzz.co.nz Houzz is great."