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Real reno: Gold Coast ’70s home in major need of some TLC

October 6, 2015 Leave a Comment

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Picking up the keys to their new home on a Friday after work, Ashlea Kerr and her husband Nathan wasted no time in startingย their reno. “Literally that night we started pulling down daggy blinds and curtains and painting the house,” explainsย Ashlea. “We had a wedding to go to the next day and we turned up with paint in our hair and all over our hands, but with the biggest smiles on our faces. We were so excited as first time home buyers and renovators!”

Before: Front
Before: Front
After: Front
After: Front

Previously a rental property, the Gold Coast home was in dire need of some TLC. Built in the 1970s, it stood out for all the wrong reasons, thanks to its brown window frames, small patio roof and noย garden or fence.ย However, it had itsย drawcards, aย 3.5 car garage and a pool โ€“ so Ashlea decided toย look pass the rental look and try to seeย the potential.

Before: Deck
Before: Rear deck
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After: Rear deck

Buying the home for $377,000 in late 2012, the reno they hoped to complete in one year, blew out to two! Spending $100,000, but doing a lot of the work themselves, they replaced all the floors, doors and windows, built a back deck and fly over roof, completely made over the pool and garden, installed a new kitchen, bathroom and laundry, updated the roof and added new internal fixtures. “We often say that the house although built in the late ’70s is virtually brand new,” says Ashlea. “Everything is new โ€“ paint on the walls, new floors, roof, gardens, painted exterior โ€“ there is nothing we havenโ€™t touched!”

Before: Pool
Before: Pool
After: Pool
After: Pool

Nowย valued atย $500,000, the couple initially thought they had renovated their forever home, however that was until theyย caught the renovation bug! “We thought this would be a long-term house for us, but nowย weย would like to purchase elsewhere and do it all over again. We didnโ€™t realise the satisfaction weย would get from doing all the hard work ourselves and seeing the changes in the home โ€“ it’s great!”

Before: Kitchen
Before: Kitchen
After: Kitchen
After: Kitchen

It is for that reasonย Ashlea is so proud of the kitchen; anย area of the home the couple did a great amount of DIY in, and as a result saved a lot of cash. “With our kitchen we went direct to a cabinet-maker and then built the cabinetry ourselves. It was dated lino that is now refreshed with a modern look of Carraraย Marble Laminex and white two pac cupboards. We also added a waterfall benchtop to make it look a little grander. It is a small kitchen so we kept the colours light and tried to keep them flowing through the rest of the home. I think we nailed it!”

Before: Bathroom
Before: Bathroom
After: Bathroom
After: Bathroom
After: Bathroom
After: Bathroom

However,ย Ashlea does admit her favourite room is actually the one area she left to the trained professionals! “The bathroom is most definitely my favourite.ย I could live in there! The tiles and fittings are so gorgeous and it turned out just like I imagined. This is one project we didnโ€™t DIY and left to the professionals and I am glad we did, as a lot of work went into it and we wouldnโ€™t have known where to start.”

Before: Living room
Before: Living room
After: Living room
After: Living room

With two years of work under their belts, the first time renovators have learnt a lot. And their biggest lesson? Be realistic with your timeline!ย “You have great big expectations that it will be done in no time at all, but you have to still have a life/work balance.ย There was one point we worked every weekend for three months on our home and at the end of it we were burnt out and exhausted. This was our first year of marriage too โ€“ so it was a real test!ย You have to be realistic and set realistic expectations. Aย reno is not something you can rush. You donโ€™t want to have to do a project again, you want to do it right the first time.”

For more on Ashlea’s renovating adventures.

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Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into tiled steps ๐Ÿค•

Oh what a night. Thankfully Hornsby Hospital were as amazing as always and we avoided stitches. All taped and glued  back together and now to keep him calm for the next few days (๐Ÿคช) and watch for signs of concussion. 

Bravest little patient ever. Yes I've had a ๐Ÿท

Funny how we go into super organised mama mode in times like these. Grabbed dinosaurs, textas and scrapbook on the way out in case we had a long wait!
Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressi Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressive!

The new @studio.xox ONLY sells Australian brands. Like @nood_co coloured basins, lead-free eco brass from @faucetstrommen and @lindseywherrett's  ceramic basins made by hand in Tassie.

And as for their Sydney showroom (they also sell online): WOW.

See and read more on the blog now via link in bio.

#interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop
#creatingbeautifulspaces #homestylingdesign
#designbywomen #homestylingtips #sydneycreatives
#homestylingsydney #interiorstyling #interiordesignsydney
#everydaydesign #interiortrends #renovationinspiration
#homedesigninspo #lovemyhome #stylingdetails
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#dreamhomeinspiration #homemakeover #personaldesign
#interiordesignaus #creatingbeautifulspaces
#creativehomes #housestyling #sydneyhomes
#interiorinspiration #myhomedesign
I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new @madeinaustshow in Sydney this August.

๐Ÿฆ˜๐ŸจForget every tacky association you ever had about touristy Australian made and prepare to see a showcase of the best of home, lifestyle, fashion and beauty made right here. If the pandemic has made you appreciate buying local even more, this is for you.

It's the first business to business trade event connecting retailers with Australian made products to champion our local makers๐Ÿ™

Apply to exhibit or find out more at their website, via their bio, now!

Are YOU buying more Australian made post covid?

#madeinaustralia #australianmade #aussiemade #aussiedesign
Do I recommend a timber vanity top? A big fat NOP Do I recommend a timber vanity top?

A big fat NOPE! ๐Ÿ’ง 

Which is why we have recently covered ours with a Caesarstone top (thanks to @justinplace_sydney for the advice and supply) and the sweet RELIEF of not having to worry about this high traffic area anymore, I'm telling you!๐Ÿค—

Doesn't matter what they tell you or how many times it's sealed, I'm not sure it's a great idea in a room which is so, well, wet!

I love having the warmth of timber in the bathroom and it's a beautiful piece, but timber on the top? Never again.

Ours probably lasted a year (if that) before it started to go downhill (and we want a good decade out of a bathroom, right?!). 2.5 years on, everything else in this bathroom looks virtually brand new and the water marked vanity top was really letting the side down and making me sad!

But I'm so pleased with this solution, I have to say! Took the plumber less than an hour to remove the sink, install the top and connect the sink back up. We didn't need to move the tap and it isn't too close to the basin.

The kids are allowed to brush their teeth and wash their hands (liquid soap ๐Ÿฅด) in here again and I can leave my hair straightener on there with gay abandon ๐Ÿ˜†

The reflective surface (which I can clean with whatever I like!๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป) brightens the room up too!

Next week I'll tell you what I really think of my brass tile trim too ๐Ÿ˜‰

#interiorsaddictbathroomreno2 #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #timbervanity
Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than F Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than French onion?

I think not!

Grab the recipe on the blog this morning via link in bio.
Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

โœ”๏ธ I'm English ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008๐Ÿ˜† 

โœ”๏ธ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. ๐Ÿ› 

โœ”๏ธ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) ๐Ÿ““ 

โœ”๏ธ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London ๐Ÿš” 

โœ”๏ธI had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK โค๏ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 

โœ”๏ธ At school, my favourite subject was French ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท and I was head girl ๐Ÿค“๐Ÿค“

โœ”๏ธ I'm addicted to โ˜•๏ธ , long hot baths and๐Ÿ’„ (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

โœ”๏ธ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My favourite cuisine is Japanese ๐Ÿฃ ๐Ÿœ and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

โœ”๏ธ I have zero design qualifications. I just started blogging about my passion, which is trying to persuade everyone to #heartyourhome That was 11 years ago...

โœ”๏ธ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or๐Ÿท 

โœ”๏ธ Cheesy as it sounds, ๐Ÿ’โ€โ™€๏ธbeing a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life ๐Ÿง’๐Ÿ‘ฆ

โœ”๏ธ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view ๐Ÿ“– 

โœ”๏ธ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

โœ”๏ธ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker ๐Ÿ˜ฏ ๐Ÿ…ฟ๏ธ

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better ๐Ÿ˜˜

๐Ÿ“ธ @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ 

@nood_co coloured concrete basins is a great Aussie business success story. Although co founder Matt Di Costa first found fame as one half of Matt and Kim on The Block, he hasn't relied on this to build his brand.

โ€œWe are very honoured to have been a part ofย The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,โ€ he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

๐Ÿ™Share your favourite colour basin in the comments!

#colouredconcrete #noodco #colouredbasin #blockheads #the block #bathroomtrends2022

Pic 1 by @naibudesign_ and 2 by @twostyleinteriors
I'd love to see more colour in Aussie interiors! I'd love to see more colour in Aussie  interiors! ๐ŸŽจ 

At the end of the day though, it's a matter of personal taste. I love pops of colour but it's not for everyone. 

We couldn't resist featuring this Canadian house tour today. The amazing Kelly Green  hutch (swipe) was an upcycled $200 find ๐Ÿค—

Head over to the blog via link in bio to see the rest including one of the best playrooms we've seen in ages!

Project by @in.house.design
๐Ÿ“ธ @philcrozier
Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis o Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis on light and nature.

That was the brief for the conversion of a corner shop and a warehouse bakery into a luxury family home in Sydney's Newtown. And how about the library?!

Take the tour of this very special @annacarindesign project on the blog now, via link in bio.

Pic: @justinalexanderphoto
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarAshlea @ Glamour Coastal Living says

    October 6, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    Thank you so much Olivia for sharing my home on Reno Addict – love your work and your writing! ๐Ÿ™‚
    x A

    Reply
    • AvatarKaren C says

      October 9, 2015 at 7:40 am

      Hi Ashlea

      You have done an amazing job. I love the back deck and pool. You are right about the bathroom too. It is stunning.

      We own a 70s house too (complete with brown laminex kitchen and bright green bathroom). It looks like we have a similar layout to your original bathroom. I was wondering where you put the shower. Are you able to share a an/layout of your new bathroom?

      Karen

      Reply
      • AvatarAshlea @ Glamour Coastal Living says

        November 1, 2015 at 11:53 am

        Hi Karen, feel free to send me an email to [email protected] and I can send you plans and more photos if you like! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    • AvatarSally says

      October 9, 2015 at 9:26 am

      Brilliant job Ashlea… I have really enjoyed following your renovation and can’t wait to see what you do with the next one!

      Reply
  2. AvatarKaren says

    October 9, 2015 at 11:10 am

    Looks amazing! Just wondering if you changed the windows or just painted the frames? If so what did you use? We have khaki brown frames too!

    Reply
    • AvatarAshlea @ Glamour Coastal Living says

      November 1, 2015 at 11:52 am

      Hi Karen, we replaced all windows and doors with white aluminium frames. My sister painted her brown frames on her home, but you do always see brush marks and it is difficult to get a perfect finish! ๐Ÿ™‚ x Ashlea

      Reply

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