Selling Houses Australia- Stroud

The LifeStyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia Episode 5 Season 9

The Story: Ariana and Melissa purchased their Stroud property after Ariana got a job there with the NSW Ambulance Service. They thought it would be a nice place to settle. They have family in Newcastle and buying in Stroud meant they could afford a big property for the family they were planning.

The couple now have 3 boys under the age of 3. There is 3 year old Zac, 18 month old Eli, and 6 week old new born Tane.

All was going to plan until Ariana's job meant that they had to move to Teagardens. As a Paramedic, she has to be on call, which means the family have to live in the place she works. Ariana and Melissa are really desperate to get a sale and feel stuck with the house they own while living somewhere else in a rental.

The Problem: This house had an overall very good interior, but it just had a very old fashion look to it. which needed some modern character injected into it. The carpet was old and daggy, and made the kitchen, dining area and lounge area feel disjointed.

The backyard had a sloping garden, and a large deck which needed replacing - a beast of a project on its own. The shed created an ugly distraction from the deck/entertaining area, and needed to be hidden or covered up.

The Solution: Take the daggy out of the house by sprucing up the interior and exterior. The backyard had a sloping garden, so the old deck was replaced with a new one. Because the deck was so large, it was divided into zones for dining and lounging. A beautiful slatted screen was installed to hide the shed from the entertaining area of the deck, making it more appealing. By matching the paint at the front of the house to the back plus a clean and tidy up, the exterior was brought back to life.

Inside the house, only simple, but effective changes were made. The old fashion feel of the house was banished, injecting some modernism to create some character.

By taking out the carpet in the living/dining area and replacing it with modern laminate, it instantly created flow between the kitchen, dining and lounge areas. It also created the illusion of extra space.

Beach Roman Shades in Series B500 Translucent fabric (White) were installed in the lounge and dining area. Beach Roman Shades added that contemporary feel to the house, and was the perfect colour compliment to the grey and white tones of the house. Luxaflex® Beach Roman Shades are a great insulator, as they can extend past the window frame for full coverage, and the translucent fabric allows for natural sunlight to come into the lounge and dining area - creating the perfect ambiance.

B500 Blockout fabric in White were chosen instead for the bedrooms for privacy and coverage from the natural light. The Beach Romans in the bedroom created a timeless, yet contemporary look, injecting character into the previously dull looking bedrooms.

Selling Houses Australia - Mudgeeraba

The LifeStyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia Episode 4 Season 9

The Story: Maria and Marissa, along with Maria's partner Alan, bought this iconic windmill property in 2001. The plan was that Marissa would run the family Indian restaurant business and Maria and Alan would bottle their chutneys and spices. They decided to close the restaurant to concentrate on the spice business. A few days after that, Maria's partner Alan passed away from cancer.

Since Alan's death, the girls have found it difficult to maintain their beloved windmill. Much of their time is taken up with the cooking and mixing of their spices and chutneys, not to mention regular visits to markets and food festivals to promote and sell their product.

The property has been on the market for two long years and this is causing no end of frustration to Maria and Marissa. They need to buy or rent a small industrial space to run and attempt to expand their small business, but cannot afford to do this until their quirky windmill sells.

The Problem: This commercial residence was very outdated, and needed to be cleaned up and brought out of the dark ages. It needed to find a way to show potential buyers that the house could be used for a number of purposes. The exposed brink on the inside made it darker than it should be, making the property feel gloomy. The restaurant area was overloaded with product, making the space feel really crammed and small.

The residence area was completely dated, but everything was in good working condition. From the purple and brown colour scheme to the old furniture, it needed a modern and fresh look.

The exterior looked quite sad, because the sails of the windmill was broken. The windmill looked odd next to the residential part of the house, and really needed to pop and create that wow factor from the outside.

The Solution: Bring back the identity of the windmill property by restoring the sails and bringing some modern into the interior. The exterior of the property was given a new paint job to brighten up the windmill. The light butter colour automatically made the windmill stand out and complimented the existing brickwork. The front door steps were also re-tiled to replace all the broken tiles.

The dark and very dated colours of the commercial space was replaced with an on-trend grey colour to brighten up the inside and create a modern look. The interior brick work around the fireplace was also covered up, which allowed for the vintage wooden ceiling to stay as something had to give.

It was important to highlight the commercial aspect of the property, but also needed to keep all options open by revamping the domestic area. In the residential part of the property, the horrible purple suede effect was painted over with a nice neutral colour, which automatically brightened up the property.

Roller Blinds in Atmosphere Translucent fabric in the colour Pure White were installed because they have a clean look and matched perfectly with the interior's colour scheme. Luxaflex Roller Blinds gave the property a stylish finish as well as offering functionality and easy operation.

The bedrooms were given some new appeal with new linen and furniture, and the dated curtains replaced with Luxaflex Roller Blinds.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Tomorrow's Home Environment in Bundall, QLD.

Selling Houses Australia - Yallingup

The LifeStyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia Episode 3 Season 9

The Story: Trevor and Susan bought this house with the intention of living a dream of running it as an art gallery/home. Unfortunately, one year after they bought the house, Susan was told the cancer that she thought was in remission was back again, and this time it is terminal. Their dreams of retiring at the gallery were shattered, so they decided to put the house on the market.

Sadly, it has not sold. This is putting extra pressure on their son (who has a young family of his own) and the extra stress of earning enough to pay all the bills plus his parents mortgage. Susan and Trevor feel very guilty about the situation.

The Problem: The floor plan of the property needed a lot of addressing to allow potential buyers to see past the 'Gallery' section of the house, and to create a more residential feel, because as a conventional family home, it just did not work. In such a large property, it did not even have a main bathroom.

The property also had a lot of windows, which was great for natural light, but absolutely horrible for privacy and insulation. The property was screaming out for new window coverings to replace the ugly retro patterned curtains.

The entrance of the property did not look very impressive and needed a bit more warmth. The back entertaining area lacked any character and felt very disconnected from the rest of the house.

The Solution: Take the 'Gallery' out of the house, and make it feel more residential. This was done by converting a large bedroom into a family size bathroom, as well as another bedroom. Dual Roller Blinds with Qmotion Qsync in Caspian Blockout fabric (Oxford) and Ultraweave Sunscreen (Midnight) were installed in the bedrooms. A new main bathroom with new bathware including a freestanding bath and shower were added, which automatically turned the 'Gallery' into a family home.

The motorised Dual Roller Blinds allowed for the combination of two different fabrics in the one Roller Blind system. This offered flexibility to adjust both light levels and night time privacy in the one application.

The part of the house that had been the gallery was transformed into a living area and kitchen. This area had no shortage of windows, which was very good for natural light, but absolutely horrible for privacy and insulation.

Duette Architella Shades in a mixture of PowerRise and LiteRise operating systems (20mm Architella Elan in Daisy White) were installed on the large doors in the lounge due to its insulating benefits. Duette Architella Shades feature a patented honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb construction, dramatically increasing the product's ability to insulate in the winter and keep cool against the summer heat.

The kitchen received a make-over with new appliances, increased bench space, and a stainless steel island for that added touch of industrial charm. The industrial charm was continued, and taken outside to the entertaining area. A new concrete top table and furniture were placed in the entertaining area. The property was brought in-line with a conventional family property, but also retaining its uniqueness - a perfect blend that buyers are sure to like.


All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Kings Window Gallery in Busselton, WA.

Selling Houses Australia - Forest Lake

The LifeStyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia Episode 2 Season 9

The Story: Julie and Pat Lovett desperately need to sell their Forest Lake home in Queensland. They're in dire financial trouble after Pat's recent illness and forced unemployment. They've been trying to sell privately for 12 months and despite a decent number of viewings, no one has taken the plunge.

The Lovett family is a very happy, tight knit group, but this situation is causing a lot of tears and anxiety. Julie is concerned the stress of not being able to sell is further affecting Pat's health.

The property is a strange mix of styles and textures, and Julia's interior design efforts are now working against the sale. Now it is time to tone down the exterior and modernise the interior.

The Problem: The biggest problem with the Forest Lake house was that there was too much going on. From the suede colour to the beachy styling and the overuse of corrugated sheeting, something had to give. The exterior of the house was bombarded with the overuse of zinc sheeting and needed a good clean to create better street appeal.

The colour scheme on the walls around the house were outdated, and were screaming out for an update. The house was filled with outdated suede mustard coloured walls and there was the over use of matching dark tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms. The high upright in the kitchen created a barrier, which disconnected it from the eating and entertaining areas of the home.

Downstairs, the bar in the rumpus room needed a good clean up, and was overwhelmingly covered with a lot of corrugated zinc. The bedrooms also needed de-cluttering, and were crying out for a fresh look.

The Solution: Tone down the house and add a modern touch. To change the initial impact of the property, the exterior sheeting was replaced with rendered green-board and a new front door. A general clean up and mulching of the front yard really helped the overall street appeal.

A big focus area was the back deck area.  The dated timber and catenary-wire fencing were replaced with a glass balustrade. This opened up the area, giving it a nice modern twist. Painting the deck and rafters in a light shade also helped brighten up the area. The cabana got a spruce up as well.

The barrier in the kitchen was removed and new appliances in the kitchen installed, which automatically modernised the entire room. New tapware and vanities in the bathroom created a fresh look, and brought the bathroom to life.

All the mustard browns were taken away and replaced with warm neutral colours, which dramatically transformed the look of the house.

Dark Sheer Roller Blinds were installed in the Rumpus Room to stop people looking into the home through the carport during the day and providing overall privacy. The Moorea Sheer fabric in the colour Black complimented the new neutral colours of the home, while adding a dramatic pop of colour to create a nice focal point in the room. The use of Luxaflex Roller Blinds also created a more stylish and trendy look for the Forest Lake house.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Lifestyle Blinds & Awnings in Tarragindi, QLD. 

Selling Houses Australia - The Dapto Home

The LifeStyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia Episode 1 of Season 8 aired last night.

The Story: Sharon and Brad are facing financial disaster. They thought they had the perfect business opportunity, but when their investor pulled out, they were left with a mountain of debts. The only escape is to sell their Dapto home for the best price possible. 

The Problem: Sharon and Brad's house was a sizeable property, just two decades out of date, where all the signs of wear and tear were showing. The other problem was that property buyers could get a brand new house and land package for the same price as this two decade old home. And there's also the fact that there is a railway line right behind their home. 

The Solution: The Dapto home was given a complete interior revamp, where a sleek window transformation was created with Luxaflex Roller Blinds in the rumpus room, formal lounge and master bedroom. Moorea fabric in the colour White was mainly used, with Harper in Glacier and Ultraweave Plus in Midnight making their notable appearance. Ultraweave Plus provides a level of day time privacy without compromising your view with a 6% openness factor. 

All Luxaflex Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex Window Fashions Gallery Kiama Window Fashions in Kiama, New South Wales. 

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

Selling Houses Australia - Nightmare Investment

The Lifestyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia Episode 4

ERSKINEVILLE - Nightmare Investment

OVERVIEW: When Natasha lived overseas, she thought she would get ahead in the property market by purchasing a 2-bedroom terrace in Sydney's inner western suburb, Erskineville, without inspecting it first. Big mistake. Damp walls, dark, pokey rooms and a dilapidated kitchen were all in need of urgent renovation.

PROBLEM: Natasha's terrace was a wreck with crumbly walls due to rising damp. The home had lost all of its original unique features - except for the windows.

SOLUTION: Luxaflex Newstyle Polyresin Shutters in 'White' were the only solution for the terrace. They were selected to help bring back life to the original windows and were the ideal option to sustain a damp, humid environment.



HOW IT WORKS: Luxaflex Newstyle Polyresin Shutters offer the traditional look of Plantation Style Shutters without the maintenance problems. They are manufactured from a unique Polyresin compound, are water resistant and will not warp, shrink, peel or fade, making them ideal for inside and outside the home - particularly in Natasha's damp terrace.

Selling Houses Australia airs every Wednesday, 8:30pm on The Lifestyle Channel, only on Foxtel.

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