Last night saw the last episode of the current season of Selling Houses Australia and today we have all the before & afters for you!
The back story
Mary and Tom are hardworking parents of three grown children. After saving for many years while both working at a supermarket, they finally purchased their two-story dream home. Eight years on though, they need to sell. Mary has received an unfortunate diagnosis that she is suffering with a degenerative disease that affects her mobility. Their dream house has become cumbersome for Mary to get around in as she struggles to make it up and down the stairs, clean the house as well as standing on her feet all day for work.
The weight of it all is becoming too hard to bear so they decided they need to sell to ease some of the pressure. They’re hoping that they can go mortgage-free and downsize to something more suitable for Mary with retirement on the horizon.
The house has been on the market for over a year when Andrew Winter and the team turn up. It had been passed in at auction with no bids. Mary and Tom have no idea why their house is so undervalued, as they believe it’s well built. The agent feels the property could do with updating and that potential buyers are put off by the completely concreted backyard!
What they did inside
The house itself had been built well and had some great features about it but the dated styling and tiled floors were turning buyers away. Wendy Moore wanted to address some of the main issues of the house to entice buyers in. The house was dated and was lacking style, the colour scheme was overcrowded and uninspiring. The kitchen, being the heart of the house also needed addressing – it was missing warmth and personality.
The rooms in the house were good quality but the purpose of the rooms was confusing with the existing layout. A clear flow from the entrance to the back door needed to be established.
Wendy didn’t have a lot of money to work with so she concentrated on the things that would be the most beneficial and provide a big impact for Mary and Tom. First, the flooring. The front-to-back pale floor tiles were screaming 90s! So they replaced them with a timber flooring in a warm tone for a contemporary look.
The first room had no clear purpose, so it became the dedicated TV room, freeing up the open plan area at the back of the house to be a warm, inviting, living and dining space leading into an elegant kitchen. Select feature walls, combined with neutral tones, subtle downlights and stylish European pendant lighting, brought a much-needed cohesive theme to the interior.
The kitchen and bathrooms weren’t too bad, but they were dated. The budget didn’t extend to the bathrooms, but they’re clean, intact, and functional, so instead the team focused on the kitchen. It’s the heart of the home and needed a change.
The interior architecture already suggested a European style (tiled flooring and stairs, a black ornate balustrade) so they used that European cue and went with dark cabinetry and white granite benchtops. The monochrome look provides sophistication and elegance. They didn’t rip anything out though. They resprayed the existing cabinetry and resurfaced the benchtops. They did decide to make one small addition by extending the end of the bench into a breakfast bar. To finish it off a new sink, cabinet handles and tapware were all installed to complete the look.
The master bedroom was not inspiring to walk into. It was functional and practical but didn’t scream relaxing retreat. Wendy used colour and texture to add dimension to this room. A dark feature wall behind the bed adds warmth and reduces shadow and reflective light from the harsh setting sun. A textured, timber, graphic pattern, was also painted the same colour and installed on the feature wall. This created a visual interest for a moody and distinctly European look. The “squashed” diamond design accentuates the width of the room and combined with the dark colour, it makes the room feel larger, more balanced, and luxurious.
