Real reno: An unrecognisable family home transformation

This real reno for profit was completed by our resident expert Naomi Findlay in Newcastle NSW. I’ve had the pleasure of looking around it myself so I can vouch for what a beautiful and clever job she did!

This four-bedroom brick and tile home transformation took the serial renovator and her team six weeks with a budget of $110,000. To look at it now, you’d never know what a challenge it was: “It had an impossible layout and floorplan with disproportioned spaces and rooms with far too many doors,” says Naomi. But of course, she saw the potential. It wasn’t straightforward; the whole place had to be rewired and pretty much re-plumbed.

The floorplan changes were complex but as you can see, more than worth it!

I’d agree with Naomi that creating the master suite (a bedroom large enough for a lounge area with the benefit of having a deck off it, and an en suite so generous most people would be delighted to have it as the main bathroom!) made the biggest impact. Not surprisingly, it’s also her favourite part of the reno, along with the main bathroom.

Creating the large deck area brought the yard and the house together and Naomi says the best bargains were the locally made timber vanity tops and above bench bowls.

“The biggest learning was to keep it simple. Good design does not have to be tricky but instead simple and clever.”

As a true reno addict there’s no question of Naomi doing it all over again!

Her advice for would-be renovators:

• Have a plan from the get go
• Have a budget and a healthy buffer
• Be surrounded by a team you trust
• Be proactive and assume nothing when it comes to communication. Comms are key!

Naomi runs staging, styling and design company Silk Home in the Newcastle and Hunter Region, NSW and the International Institute of Home Staging (IIHS). If you’re interested in home staging, check out her conference happening in Sydney next month.

If you’d like to ask Naomi any questions about this reno, please comment below.