Whether you’re renovating or building from scratch, no doubt you have a vision of the end product. Find out how these locals brought their dream homes to life.
Kym Wilson
When Kym Wilson bought a 120-year old worker’s cottage in West End her family was concerned she was making a big mistake.
“At the time (seven years ago), my father who was a carpenter thought I was mad,” Kym says. “There was a tree growing through the front stairs and it needed everything except a new roof.”
But being a property stylist, Kym was confident she could turn the ugly duckling of a house into a swan. “My job involves styling and staging homes that are going on the market for sale,” says Kym from Styled 2 Sell Staging. “Yes, the cottage needed a lot of work but I know some great builders…”
Kym tapped David Rose for the job, who she says “really understands the Queenslanders”.
The kitchen was the first part of the renovation as the cupboards were so bad Kym wouldn’t have put tin food in them. The next thing to go was the apricot plaster on the old timber walls.
“We went through three heat guns removing the old plaster and paint,” Kym says. “The wall is now a feature in the living area. Visitors think it’s wallpaper until they look closely and see it’s the original timber.”
My 5 top tips for renovators
1. Live in your space to get the feel of the house before doing anything major, if you can!
2. Don’t always rely on tradies who are friends of friends. Sometimes that quote isn’t all you think it is.
3. Look at your builder’s work at another property before engaging their services.
4. Think about your colour choices. Are you renovating for yourself to live in or for resale a few years down the track?
5. Consider doing some of the paintwork yourself to save on costs. I did all of the internal paintwork myself.
