Architect Turns a Former Investment Apartment into a Family Home on a Tight Budget

A rental-oriented “grandma apartment” in Ness Ziona, originally bought by another couple as an investment, ended up becoming the home of architect and interior designer Ariel Maroz and her family. Maroz, 30, was first hired by a couple in their 50s to renovate the unit so it could be rented out now and possibly used later by one of their children. But during the project, her husband was diagnosed with cancer, the family had no home of their own, and she says they were effectively living at Ichilov Hospital while the renovation was still underway.

That crisis turned the assignment into a personal project. “I did what I know best, build a home,” Maroz said. The owners eventually agreed to rent the apartment to her family, and today, about two and a half years later, she lives there with her partner and their one-year-old son, Uri. The 108-square-meter apartment, once awkwardly divided and dated, was transformed in about two months into a bright, open, family-friendly space.

The renovation included knocking down walls to create an open-plan public area, replacing the kitchen, upgrading plumbing, and redesigning the bathrooms. A tiny toilet and bath were merged into one space, and the main bathroom was expanded at the expense of a walk-in closet. Maroz kept the design restrained, using neutral modern tones, light colors and dark wood accents. She said the budget shaped every decision, and stressed that “the magic happens in the small details.”

The total renovation cost was about 160,000 to 170,000 shekels, not including furniture and accessories. The kitchen alone cost roughly 55,000 to 60,000 shekels with the stone countertops included, helped by design choices such as reducing the island units and avoiding ceiling-high cabinetry. She used a mix of custom carpentry and IKEA, online-bought lighting, cheaper polymer doors at about 1,000 shekels each instead of 2,000, and ceramic tiles for about 100 shekels per square meter. “There is a lot of room to negotiate,” she said. “Most stores start high and expect you to haggle. Whoever does not, pays more.”

Maroz also documented the renovation on social media, first as a work tool and later as the apartment became her home. Her Instagram following grew by more than 5,000 in less than a month, bringing new professional inquiries and projects. She warns, however, that what looks good online does not always fit a real home, a real budget, or real family life.