Selling Houses Australia – Great Bones and Character, But That’s About It

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 12 Season 8

The Story: Divorce can lead to some odd living arrangements, as Cherie and Bryce found out. The couple bought an old Queenslander as their family home and for time they were very happy. When Cherie and Bryce split, Cherie and her new partner bought Bryce out. But Bryce didn’t move out, he stayed put as the tenant and moved his new partner in! This complex plan was to keep a stable base for the kids, but now they’ve grown up its time to sever ties. But there’s one big problem, the place is in such a state, nobody wants to buy.

The Problem:  This house had plenty of space, great bones and character. But the main thing that kept buyers away was its lack of curb appeal. The exterior of the home looked awful. All the paint on the exterior of the house and on the fence was beyond pealing. It looked as if it had gone to hell and back. The concrete path was ugly and overgrown with weed and grass.

The entrance into the home led directly into a bedroom, which was completely off-putting for buyers and the lay-out of the home needed a lot of rejigging. The bathroom was too small for the size of the house, and placement of rooms throughout the home did not make sense.

The Solution: The home was automatically given street appeal with a new coat of paint on the house and fence – and what a huge difference that made. The grey tones of the house matched with the white fence brought life back into the home. It gave it a modern touch, and made it pop against all the other houses on the street.

A wall was created in the entrance bedroom to create two useable rooms so that buyers would not be walking straight into a bedroom, but instead a foyer. The wall meant that a functional foyer and functional bedroom were created.

At the back of the house, doors were blocked up and new doorways created and walls knocked down or moved. The old bathroom was transformed into something spectacular. It was bigger, better and even had a bath tub. 89mm NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters in the colour White were installed in the bathroom, the perfect complement for the white and grey tones of the room. NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters are perfect for bathrooms because they will never blister, peel, flake, corrode or fade, even under intense sunlight or exposure to water due to the technologically advanced Polyresin compound.

Two of the old bedrooms were transformed into a fabulous master bedroom with a walk-in ensuite – something which property buyers really value today. Again, NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters were installed in the bathroom to create an elegant look with the soft, matte lustre look of fresh paint.

Roller Blinds in Blockout Cotton White and External Louvres outside the windows were chosen for the home because they help battle the Queensland heat and harsh sun. Metal Lourve Awnings are extremely effective for providing privacy, light control and air flow because you can control light and privacy by adjusting the awning panels.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer CBD Blinds in Milton, QLD.

Watch Selling Houses Australia every Wednesday, 8.30pm AEDT on The LifeStyle Channel, only on Foxtel. 

Selling Houses Australia - Playing Ghost Busters in Miles End

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 7 Season 8

The Story: When Carol and Michael bought their 100 year old cottage, they thought they had the perfect renovator. Then they discovered the ghost! Every time they fixed things up, the sulky spook showed its displeasure. Their renovation costs have spiraled out of control and they’re desperate to sell up, buy a cheaper place and use the rest of the funds for their wedding. Can our team turn ghost busters and evict the sulky spook to the land of the spirits?

The Problem: The problem wasn't really a ghost, but instead it was the endless list of half-done renovations. With a traditional house like this, one would expect the inside to be full of character, which it definitely lacked, and it had no street appeal whatsoever. The home also had a completely out of character spiral staircase, and complete wreck of a backyard.

The Solution: Inject character into the home. The barren front lawn full of nothing was transformed into a beautiful traditional formal garden. It became a place to relax and unwind, with attractive water features. Street appeal was created by giving the home and walls a new coat of paint.

The endless list of unfinished jobs that needed a finishing touch were tackled, and the out of character spiral staircase was too costly to remove, so instead was disguised by painting the staircase the same black colour as the black wall, which minimised the impact of the modern feature.

The modern kitchen felt very disconnected from the classic looking house, so a look of modern heritage was added into the kitchen. And the backyard was transformed from an unfinished wreck of a shed into an entertaining area.

The team from Luxaflex installed NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters in White throughout the home. The Polyresin Shutters were a perfect match for the home as it brought an elegance into the traditional home. The Polyresin Shutters created the perfect mix of contemporary and traditional, and complimented the mismatch wall colours of each and every room in the home. They are also set to withstand time, as they are guaranteed to not blister, peel, flake, corrode or flake.

Luxaflex NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters are energy efficient as they are completely adjustable, allowing you to fully control the solar energy entering your windows and doors. Their macrocellular construction creates effective dead-air insulation, and coupled with the vinyl’s low conductivity they greatly reduce heat exchange. Luxaflex Newstyle Polyresin Shutters reflect inbound solar rays back to the outside during summer, but can be opened to allow the warming sun into your home in winter, thereby reducing air-conditioning costs and making the shutters very versatile for any home.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Solomons Flooring at Gepps Cross, SA.

Watch Selling Houses Australia every Wednesday, 8.30pm AEDT on The LifeStyle Channel, only on Foxtel. 

Top Trends for 2012

Modern Home Magazine’s Associate Editor, Selina Gordevich, shares her insights on the top trends in home design for 2012.

“This year is all about black. As interior designers and decorators celebrate styles like Hollywood Regency, it’s collections by Versace Home and Kelly Hoppen that are truly reflecting the black trend in home design.

Using white as a neutral base, black is taking the lead in accents and is working its way into everything from sofas to cabinetry, tap ware to lighting. While vivid shades like turquoise, denim blue, sun yellow, apple green and chromatic pink being used to complement the dark hue.

The Hollywood Regency trend combines a mix of French and Greek design combined with Modernist touches. This exciting design trend was popular in the homes of movie royalty during the golden age of Hollywood.


Another style that continues to be popular, particularly in Australia, is Coastal Chic– think lots of white with soft accents of baby blue and creamy yellow.”

If you’re brave enough choose Luxaflex Duette Shades or Roller Blinds in a black or charcoal colour. Otherwise, keep it neutral with whites and creams and pick up the trend in other home accessories. Coastal Chic is perfectly complemented by the timeless look of Luxaflex Newstyle Polyresin Shutters available in Vanilla, Pearl or White.