Selling Houses Australia - North Haven

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

The Story: This mock Tudor house in North Haven was all the rage in its day and is well known in the area. But now it has lost a lot of its sparkle. David has been trying to sell for 5 years, and the whole procedure has been a long journey for everyone in the Jones family.

David underwent a back operation in 2014, which have since led to a range of other health issues and mobility problems. This means he is currently only using a small area of his very large home. Even though he's on a slow road to recovery, these health issues have really taken their toll financially and downsizing could be the answer, which means selling the North Haven house.

The Problem: The interior of the house had too much going on, and was crying out for a modern touch because everything was so out-dated. The whole house was filled with avocado and rose schemes, which just do not fit with the modern world today.

The Solution: Modernise, modernise, modernise! Painting out the house was a very large but a necessary task. The rose walls just had to go. A neutral white toned paint was used around the house, which automatically created a fresh and modern look. It made the house look bright, whereas before it was very dark and dull. 

The bar in the downstairs man cave had to go. This meant that smarter use was made out of the area by transforming it into two new bedrooms and a hall area. By adding in the additional two new rooms plus a hall area which could be turned into a study, automatically added more value towards the property.

The kitchen upright had to come down, which allowed the open living space to become just that - open. The kitchen was originally pink - literally everything was pink. The cabinets were resprayed in white and new appliances were installed. This made the space light, vast and modern, all the while still keeping the original characteristics of the house.

Luxaflex® Beach Roman Shades in Temple Blockout (Linen colour) were installed throughout the Tudor home. The Beach Roman Shades added to the classic look of the house, but with a touch of modern because the shade has a simple, yet stylish look. The colour Linen complimented all the brown wood trimmings and helped create a clean look throughout the house and also a great insulator because they extend past the window frame for full coverage. 

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Nick Hambour Window Fashions in the Barossa Valley, South Australia. 

Selling Houses Australia - Ascot Vale

The LifeStyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia Episode 8 Season 9

The Story: Professional couple Glenn and Joanna purchased what they thought would become their dream home. The property was down on its luck and desperately in need of some love. They embarked on a campaign of serious and expensive renovations starting with the recreation of the original front of the house. They also created a fourth bedroom with an ensuite and walk in robe.

Unfortunately, the couple split up leaving the kitchen, bathroom, separate toilet, laundry and family room unfinished. As the property is only half finished, buyers want it for a steal and are overestimating what it would cost to get it up to a liveable standard. Joanna says buyers cannot see what it could be, only what they have to spend.

The Problem: The house was just unfinished - everywhere!

The Solution: Finishing the house was the main objective. A new dining room and larger living space were created by shuffling a few walls around. New windows through the back section of the house were put in to keep in line with the updated front. This included a sliding door that now covered the entire back wall of the new lounge area.

Luxaflex® Roller Blinds in Designer Fabric Aria Translucent in the colour Tapa were installed throughout the lounge and kitchen areas. The grey tone of the fabric was the perfect match for the new grey paint and grey theming of the house.

Next was to move the laundry to the old bathroom area, and turn the adjoining bedroom into a beautiful brand new family bathroom. Pops of colour and a bird portrait in the bathroom created a traditional, yet quirky style.

The kitchen was gutted, and the positioning of the door was changed. Cottage style front door fronts on the kitchen cabinets matched the raw wooden shelving. By installing bigger appliance, this allowed for a large family room and greater functionality.

All stops were pulled out on the exterior, as it was technically a blank canvas. New paving, new garden, new furniture, new turf, new fencing and a new paint job. The ugly pergola was replaced with a Luxaflex® Ventura Folding Arm Awning with Trend Hood and Crank Control. The Ventura Folding Arm Awning offers the very best in Open Style awning market. It features a classic design in an elegant open style awning, the perfect compliment to the exterior of the house. The Dickson Arcylic fabric was a great match to the white exterior, and added to the quirky feel of the interior.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer A&B Interiors in Williamstown, VIC.

Selling Houses Australia - Leongatha

The LifeStyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia Episode 7 Season 9

The Story: Kate and Mark met when they were both 17 years old and were attending two different high schools in Leongatha. They dated for 6 years before getting married and starting their family. They have two girls, Ayla who is 8 years old and Talia who is 6. Mark coaches the local AFL football team and Kate coaches the affiliated local netball team. Mark works at the local sporting store in the main street and Kate teaches at Leongatha Secondary College. They are both heavily involved in community activities and both call themselves 'sports nuts'

Kate and Mark originally built a house and then decided to sell it, because it was slightly out of their budget. They purchased 35 Brumley St 5 years ago and thought that they would be able to live in it for a few years and then sell it and get something bigger afterwards. Although they were happy paying a smaller mortgage living there, they have not outgrown the house. They want a property that has more space so that the two girls can have freedom to run around and yell and scream and do what kids do.

The Problem: The quaint house was in dire need of a facelift - inside and out. The house could not compete with the prettier houses in the area. The weatherboard look of the house looked drab, where the exterior did not have a 'wow' factor. The house did not have a bad layout, it just looked old and boring, and had no style.

The Solution: The layout of the house was actually quite good, so all that was needed was a punch of colour and style to create some personality. A bold colour scheme at the back of the house was used to echo and compliment the new exterior colour scheme. The dark timber trims on the interior was left to echo the dark trims of the exterior and create a nice and simple feature to bring in warmth.

Luxaflex® Wood Essence Blinds were installed throughout the house. Wood Essence Blinds provide a practical alternative to Timber Venetian Blinds. They are perfect for high-humidity areas.

Wood Essence Blinds provide the look of real wood combined with the quality and durability of advanced technology that is resistant to discolouration and warping. Wood Essence Blinds were a nice compliment to the timber look of the house, and added a nice contrast to the flooring and dark trims.

The colour Snow White with the brown timber frame of the window created a nice focal point within the rooms. The major positive with having Wood Essence Blinds in the bedrooms, in particular the kid's room is that the blinds are virtually low maintenance. Because the slats can be easily wiped clean with a damp cloth, finger prints and dirty marks are easy to get off.

The drab exterior of the home was not competing with the much prettier homes in the area. An exterior paint job of a pastel green created a fresh new look, so did the addition of new plants at the front of the property.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Olympic Blinds in Edithvale, VIC.