• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Interiors Addict

Heart Your Home

@interiorsaddict on Instagram   @interiorsaddict on Facebook   @interiorsaddict on Pinterest  
Subscribe
  • Job Board
  • About
  • Before & Afters
  • RENO ADDICT
  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Kids Rooms
  • Bedrooms
  • Living Room
  • Shopping
  • Expert Tips
  • Recipes
  • Parenting
  • Travel
Interiors Addict
  • Job Board
  • About
    • Our Story

      Australia’s largest interior design, styling and renovation blog for the everyday Aussie. By former journalist and magazine editor Jen Bishop, the original interiors addict!
      READ MORE

      We’re big on Instagram!
      @interiorsaddict

      • About
      • Contact Interiors Addict
      • Work with Interiors Addict
      • Advertise / Find a job in Interiors
      • Press
      • Get Your Free Ebook

        This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    • bookcover-jens-reno
  • By Room
    • Browse by Room

      Where you can search for all our posts about a specific room. Only interested in kitchens and bathrooms? We got you!

      • Kitchens
      • Bathrooms
      • Kids Rooms
      • Bedrooms
      • Living Room
      • Home Office
      • Dining
      • Laundry
      • Outdoor & Exteriors
      • Renting
    • bookcover-jens-reno
  • Before & Afters
    • Before & Afters

      Who doesn’t LOVE a good before & after? If you want to be inspired by the whole reno process, and not just the shiny photos at the end, this is the place for you!

      View Articles

      • Before & Afters
      • Jen’s reno
      • Real Renos
      • RENO ADDICT
    • 1-AFTER-SHA15-ROSELANDS-0P9A4910Before & after: this week’s Selling Houses recap: Roselands, NSW
    • Will's favourite room in the homeBefore & after: rundown boarding house to beautiful heritage home
  • Reno Addict
    • RENO ADDICT

      Looking for reno inspo? Find it all here, from other people’s projects to the latest trends, tools and products, whether you’re DIY-ing or employing trades.

      View articles

      • Reno Products
      • The Block
      • DIY
      • Reno Trends
      • Before & Afters
      • Real Renos
    • 90018691_90018692_hr_02_web_900xBest of the 2023 home and renovation EOFY sales
    • Screen Shot 2023-06-05 at 1.02.09 pmWattyl release 500 new colours after Milan design fair
  • Shopping
    • Shopping

      Want to know where to buy the latest furniture, homewares, rugs, art and more? We’re always sharing our latest finds and telling you where you can buy them.

      View Articles

      • Furniture
      • Homewares
      • Art
      • Smart Home
      • Appliances
      • Reno Products
    • 90018691_90018692_hr_02_web_900xBest of the 2023 home and renovation EOFY sales
    • PH_21953Furniture that doubles as art, by former tradies FEARON
  • Inspiration
    • Inspiration

      While Jen’s a legitimate interiors addict, she’s no design professional, so she calls on an army of the country’s best to share their expertise with you. Be inspired by their stories too!

      View Articles

      • Decorating 101
      • Interviews
      • Expert Tips
      • Before & Afters
      • House Tours
      • Designers
      • Styling
      • Renovating
      • Real Renos
      • Covet my coffee table
    • 6X05UPXRZON-Nine-Square-Bondi-2-of-15-Photography-by-Anson-Smart-loresAustralian Interior Design Awards 2023 winners
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle

      We’re mostly about the home but Jen also likes to share other things she thinks you’ll love, like food and travel.

      • Recipes
      • Travel
      • Parenting
    • Winning-Appliances_Apple-TurnoversFoodie Friday: The classic apple turnovers
    • Airbnb-Rooms-Bangkok-Bedroom-2023-Summer-ReleaseAirbnb launches Airbnb Rooms, going back to its affordable roots
  • Jobs
    • Advertise on our job board
    • Job Board FAQs for advertisers

Before & after: cabin in the woods becomes Hamptons haven

By Jen Bishop • Leave a Comment

FacebookPinEmailTweet

We’re so in love with this Hamptons style transformation which owner Michelle was keen to share to show you don’t need a huge home or budget to achieve your dream sanctuary. And gosh, we love the story behind Bloom Cottage almost as much as the renovation itself!

AFTER front exterior

BEFORE front exterior

Police officer Michelle says: “I’ve been a single working parent for 12 years and was saving and working on my career to be able to buy my first home for my daughter and I.”

12 months ago, that dream came true when she bought a cabin in the forest in the Gold Coast Hinterland she has always called home. Fast forward a year and her first home (and first reno!) has been completely transformed thanks to a modest $60,000 budget, a lot of personal hard work and help from family and friends.

BEFORE
AFTER The back exterior

“It has always been my dream to have a home in my hometown; a home that my daughter could always call home, and one that would someday be hers. Fortunately, this was owned by a dear family friend who appreciated my dream and sold it to me while it was off market, because he knew it would be as sentimental to me, as it was to him, and that covid was pushing prices up to an unachievable amount.” 

Once it became Michelle’s, the hard work really began and it was a team effort! “My family, friends and partner Luke banded together to help me renovate the house. Uncle Bill is very handy on the tools and he dedicated a couple of months to conquer the big jobs with my father and Luke. 

BEFORE living dining
AFTER living dining

“My parents Lou (73) and Lynda (68) who are retired country folk, worked on the house almost every day, my mother and sister Kristal never without a paintbrush in their hand. My partner Luke and I live apart, however he worked tirelessly in his spare time, every day by my side, teaching himself to demolish and build and turn the house into a special home for my daughter Emerald and I.” 

BEFORE kitchen
AFTER kitchen

The one-bedroom home also has a double-sided loft, which has been turned into a bedroom for 12-year-old Emerald, with a separate area she uses as a dressing room and study. “She adores the new home and her upstairs private loft living quarters!”

BEFORE loft
AFTER loft (one side bedroom and one side dressing room for daughter Emerald

The only tradespeople were the kitchen installers, a local electrician for the kitchen electrics and a family friend who completed the tiling. 

Collectively they tore out the kitchen and laundry, replaced the toilet and vanity, painted the floor tiles, changed all the tapware, replaced all the external and internal doors, sanded the stained orange pine floor boards, painted every inch of the interior, remodelled the staircase balustrades, laid hybrid flooring upstairs in the loft, installed VJ wall panelling in the loft and down the stairwell, built a new front entrance, erected a roof over the existing side deck, refurbished the old rusted fireplace, extended a kitchen wall, removed old curtains, installed window blinds and painted the timber staircase white. Phew!

A kitchen company installed new cabinetry in the kitchen and laundry with new appliances, new wall tiling in the kitchen, laundry and bathroom. They painted the existing floor tiles in the bathroom and laundry, put in new Colorbond fencing, painted the existing blue water tanks black, and painted the exterior of the house and its guttering white. They painted and stained decks and added some exterior window trims.

Outside, there was also some new plumbing, old fencing removed, and the carport and shed repainted. “The land also needed to be partly cleared because it had a lot of old tree stumps, logs and overgrown forest,” Michelle explains. “A friend, Guy, owned some excavation machinery and helped with that.” 

BEFORE shed
AFTER shed

Michelle refurbished mostly secondhand furniture for inside and her father, a retired landscaper, has been busy landscaping. 

It’s fair to say an awful lot was achieved for the money thanks to the generosity of friends and family, for which she is forever grateful. “I budgeted $50,000 and spent more like $60,000. The biggest expense aside from the kitchen, was paying Uncle Bill to work eight hours a day on the big projects, which required skill. My family and friends practically worked for free. I shopped around for the lowest prices, purchasing from companies that supply to tradespeople, including discount warehouses and Bunnings.”

She came a cross a few challenges along the way but never gave up, finding solutions for everything. “Unfortunately it wasn’t plausible to tile over the existing bathroom and laundry tiles and I could not afford a complete new bathroom. The cheapest option was to repaint the floor tiles, which was a challenging task in itself. I initially tried a popular brand of floor tile paint, which was poor quality and peeled quickly when exposed to foot traffic and water. I then tried to rectify the issues by repainting with water-based enamel paint, then oil-based enamel paint, before having to remove all the silicon edging, sand the peeling paint and finally finding a better finish using the same paint I’d used on the exterior, Taubmans Ultimate enamel gloss.”

The things she feels were absolutely worth spending a bit extra on were installing hybrid flooring in the loft and lining the walls with VJ board (making it look less like a storage area and more like a living space), as well as creating the new front entrance and doorway. “It made the house look less like a cabin and more like a cottage home.”

And while juggling this all with working as a full-time police officer and a volunteer first responder for the ambulance service was a big task, Michelle says it was more than worth it. “We moved in March and it immediately felt like home. There is nothing more satisfying then leaving the hustle and bustle of the busy Gold Coast and driving back to a quiet mountain home where I can sit on the veranda and have the birds fly up and sit right next to me. It’s a dream come true to be able to purchase a home on a single income and renovate it to make it feel like our own.”

BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Michelle saved money painting the bathroom and laundry floors when she eventually found the right paint!

Due to rising property prices, she already has some equity in the home but it means nothing to Michelle as she never intends to sell. “It’s important to leave a piece of land for my daughter and generations to come, so they will always have somewhere to return to, if life gets tough.” She learned the importance of home from her parents, who bought 10 acres of land in the area around 50 years ago, starting with a caravan and gradually building a house where they raised her and her four siblings. “At different stages in life, we’ve always been able to return home to the family property, where they still live today, a few kilometres from my new home.”

Michelle and daughter Emerald love their new home

She adds: “One day, I’d love to be able to afford to put a new bathroom in, add on another room and finish things like fencing, landscaping and air conditioning which I couldn’t afford to do. Balancing shift work, parenting and renovating is hard work, but it is achievable.”

What an inspiring story about the importance of home and what can be achieved with hard work and the help of friends and family! 

Single mum achieves amazing home makeover on a budget
They say first impressions count and we were so blown away with the difference Kat Marshall made to her entry…
AFTER lounge
Before & after: farmhouse coastal makeover on the Gold Coast
There’s no doubt that our readers are always very excited for a before and after (it’s the most popular category…
Before & after: Stylist shares how she made over rental home
We’re massive proponents of colour around here, and today’s before and after is a great reminder of just how transformative…

FacebookPinEmailTweet

September 20, 2022

Primary Sidebar

Popular This Week

  • Tiny house living Australia: stylist finds it cosy & affordable
  • Australian kitchen dimensions: standard sizes for every last detail
  • Man behind stylish Sydney bars applies magic to apartment reno
  • Palette Cam 15 apps to help you build your dream home
  • A closer look at this year’s Dulux Colour Awards winners

Follow us on Instagram

I don't regret the extra expense of my bathroom li I don't regret the extra expense of my bathroom lighting for a minute.

Although at the time I may have been a bit "HOW MUCH?" 😂

Thrilled to have our bathroom shared in an article about lighting on @bhgaus where I talk about 2 things we chose in particular.

Firstly the LED light in the bath niche which is the PERFECT relaxing bathing light (and you know I have one every single night!).

Second, (swipe) a sensor light under the vanity which makes it easy for the kids and visitors who aren't familiar with the light switches, to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night with ease! 

Do you have either of these things in your bathroom or would you consider them?

Read the full Better Homes & Gardens article via link in bio now. 

Pix by @jacqui_turk

#bathroomlighting #bathroomlights #timbervanity #bathniche #bathroomniche #smartbathroom #bathroomlights #bathroomlight #bathlover #bathlove #interiorsaddictbathroomreno2 #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #jenbishop #heartyourhome #realhomes #brassshower #brasstrim
Brothers Jack and Mark Fearon, of Australian desig Brothers Jack and Mark Fearon, of Australian design and fabrication company, @__fearon__ first started their business in 2019 as a creative outlet and antidote to their more commercial work.

Their pathway to design was somewhat unusual. Jack, a plumber by trade and Mark, a boilermaker, worked as industrial fabricators making large-scale water trucks.

Jack says he’s conscious of making pieces that are sculptural, but also very usable. “We don’t think our pieces are there just to look good,” Jack says. “We love seeing our pieces in people’s homes and in galleries, restaurants and hotels, with things all over them. They’re for real life.”

FEARON’s handmade pieces are aluminium and designed for longevity. Jack says the material choice means pieces are lightweight, easy to sculpt and entirely recyclable.

Read more on the blog now, via link in bio.

#aluminiumfurniture #australianfurniture #australianfurnituredesign #australianfurnituredesigners #sculpturalfurniture #furnitureasart #modernheirloom #modernheirlooms #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #fearon #aluminiumart #funfurniture #careerchange
Known for his stylish bar and shop fitouts, @jform Known for his stylish bar and shop fitouts, @jform__ this year turned his hand to an apartment reno and created something really special!

Come and tour this beautiful one bed warehouse conversion in Sydney's Surry Hills on the blog today via link in bio.

Currently for sale though @bresicwhitney

#apartmentinterior #apartmentlove #apartmenttour #mezzaninefloor #mezzaninebedroom #warehouseconversion #factoryconversion #surryhillslife #surryhillssydney #surryhillslocal #shopfitout #barfitout #shopfitters #jform #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #heartyourhome #jenbishop #coolapartment #funkyinteriors #customjoinery
When her styling business took a hit, @vaultinteri When her styling business took a hit, @vaultinteriors decided to reduce her outgoings by moving to a tiny house. And we're not sure we've ever seen a more stylish one!

Although the move to a container home was motivated by financial pressures, Justine Wilson is loving her new simpler way of life.

Read her refreshingly honest, positive interview on the blog now, via link in bio.

It'll make you want to downsize too!

#tinyhomes #tinyhouse #tinyhome #tinyhouses #tinyliving #livingbiginatinyhouse #tinyhousemovement #tinyhouseonwheels #tinyhouseliving #tinyhousenation #tinyhouseattractive #tinyhomedesign #containerhouse #containerhome #containerhomes #containerhouses #containerhomedesigns #interiorstylist #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #heartyourhome #jenbishop #smallspaceliving #smallspacedesign #downsizeliving #downsize #downsizingandminimizing #escapetothecountry #hawkesburyriver #hawkesburyriverlife
Appliance colour trends: They've certainly change Appliance colour trends:

They've certainly changed over the years. Remember when ALL fridges were white?! I remember the original BROWN wall oven in our 60s kitchen here pre-reno! I think the dishwasher was brown and beige (and it tripped the electrics every time we used it!) 😜

What do you think of this new dark stainless steel option (pictured) from Westinghouse as seen in @dnaofdesign_'s latest reno? Yay or nay? 

What colour do you like your appliances?

See the rest of this home and kitchen and laundry design tips from the ex Blockheads on the blog now via link in bio.

#kitchenappliances #walloven #wallovens #combioven #combioven #microwaves #builtinappliances #builtinoven #builtinovens #homeappliance #westinghouse #kitchentrends #ovens #laundryappliances #darkstainlesssteel #stainlesssteelappliances
SALE ALERT! Listen up Sydneysiders, one of my fav SALE ALERT!

Listen up Sydneysiders, one of my favourite home stores @shack.furniture.homewares are having their annual warehouse sale this week, from Thursday until Saturday.

HUGE savings on furniture, homewares and decor with 30 to 80% off. Wowsers!

I'm a big fan of SHACK and can never leave one of their stores without a few styling goodies for my place! It's just too tempting!

While you're at the sale, mention Interiors Addict for an extra 10% off!

Unit 16a, 1801 Botany Rd, Banksmeadow NSW 2019

Thursday 1st to Saturday 3rd June 2023, 9am to 4pm. Not online.

#sydneyshopping #sydneysale #sydneysales #sydneyfurniture #shackfurniture #shackfurniturehomewares #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #comeshoppingwithme
A door to door continuous curved stone ledge in th A door to door continuous curved stone ledge in this bathroom is one of the cleverest designs we've seen in a while!

This mega ledge, made of Corian, even incorporates a sink, seamlessly.

Combined with venetian plaster on the walls, it's no wonder this Illawarra bathroom by @birdblackdesign feels like a day spa!

Come check it out via link bio.

Lead designer Stuart Gibson says: "One smooth curve, right around the room, from either side of the door opening. As it moves around, it creates a ledge for the bath: for bath oils, lotions, a book and a champagne glass. The ledge continues around and becomes the vanity, widening out to create a custom seamless basin."

#bathroomhappiness #bathroomdetails #bathroomshelves #bathroomshelf #venetianplastering #coriandesign #coriansolidsurface #spalikebathroom #spabathroom #sustainablebathroom
Catch the season finale of @sellinghousesaus last Catch the season finale of @sellinghousesaus last night?

We have all the before and afters for you on the blog now, via link in bio (and swipe for a taster).

#sellinghouses #sellinghousesaustralia #foxtel #lifestylechannel #beforeandafterkitchen #beforeandafterlivingroom #beforeandafterrenovation #realitytv #housetours #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome
😍 Not sure what's better: the custom mirror abo 😍 Not sure what's better: the custom mirror above the fireplace in this Art Deco one-bedder or the wallpaper in the kitchen (swipe)?!

It's been a while since we featured an apartment makeover on IA. Would you like to see more apartment interiors? Head to the blog now to see more of this one. Via link in bio.

#artdecoapartment #artdecointerior
#artdecomirror #artdecofireplace #artdecomelbourne #artdecofurniture #artdecobuilding #artdecointeriors #apartmentrenovation #apartmentinterior #smallspaceliving #melbourneapartments #melbourneairbnb #kitchenwallpaper #wallpaperaustralia
Follow on Instagram
Visit Jen's profile on Pinterest.

Get Your Free Ebook

Ebook cover

Never miss the latest renovating and interiors products, news and inspo again! Sign up for our newsletter and we'll send you the best bits from the blog, direct to your inbox. Plus you'll get our latest eBook: What Made The Biggest Impact in Jen's Own Reno.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Avatar

About Jen Bishop

Jen Bishop is our owner and publisher and an experienced journalist and editor. Interiors Addict has been her full-time job for more than 10 years. She is mum to two young boys and lives in Sydney.

More from Before & Afters

Before & after: this week’s Selling Houses recap: Roselands, NSW

Will's favourite room in the home

Before & after: rundown boarding house to beautiful heritage home

A massive en suite gets style to match its size!

New bathroom & laundry layout brings beauty and functionality

AFTER lounge

Before & after: This week’s Selling Houses recap, Ipswich QLD

Before & after: This week’s Selling Houses recap, Maroubra

1890s Victorian house gets a new, modern and luxurious extension

A playful and exciting revamp for a mundane dining room

Before & after: This week’s Selling Houses recap, Elanora QLD

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Footer

Interiors Addict

Interiors Addict

  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Jen
  • Press
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Policy

Browse

  • RENO ADDICT
  • Jen’s Reno
  • House Tours
  • Real Renos
  • Interviews
  • Styling
  • Designers
  • Bedrooms
  • Covet My Coffee Table
  • Expert Tips
  • The Block
  • Art
  • Furniture
  • Recipes

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RENO ADDICT

Copyright © 2011–2023 Addicted Media Pty Ltd
Website care by ClickWP · Log in

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!