Selling Houses Australia – The House by the Sea

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 13 Season 8

The Story: Angela Service always dreamed of a little holiday house by the sea. So when she saw a pint-sized ex motel unit at the bargain price $79,000, she snapped it up. For a while she made great use of the place, then life got in the way. Now she’s desperate to sell, but in 2 years hasn’t had a single offer. Can Charlie and Shaynna think outside the box and turn tiny into terrific?

The Problem:  The Batehaven home was a tiny home, full of little challenges. The entrance led straight into the lounge room, where the lounge room was enough to send buyers away because it was small, had no character and connected to the kitchen and dining room. The blue wall and cupboards just gave the room a tacky and run-down look.

The bathroom was literally a hole in the wall, where the water tank was smack bang right next to the sink, and not to mention the horrible bright blue walls. The outside of the home was not any better. It lacked character, was small and very bare. And then there was the very tiny courtyard screaming out for a transformation.

The Solution: For the interior, a lot had to be fitted into the tiny space. Smart hidden storage space was created throughout the home, as to not take up anymore room. Space efficient appliances were installed and a brand new coat of paint, and new floor boards in the lounge and kitchen area created that whole new difference to the lounge room. Grey, navy and cream tones were used in the lounge and kitchen area to give the room a sophisticated look. Complimented with Roller Blinds in the fabric Havana Blockout and colour Fog, the grey tones of the Roller Blinds was the perfect match for the navy wall, and the boat feel of the room.

The bathrooms were given new fittings to add a bit of bling, where cupboards were added for extra storage along with the Luxaflex® Roller Blinds to compliment the white-toned bathroom.

The master bedroom was given a brand new bed with under compartments of storage – perfect for a small space, which added great functionality. The bare sliding door window was given a revamp and replaced with Luxaflex® Roller Blinds.

The fabric Soltec and Silpcast Blockout in the colours White and Versailles were used throughout all the bedrooms and were the perfect match for the décor and colour tones, working with the white and neutral tones of the bedrooms, but also adding a pop of colour.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Platinum Blinds and Awnings.  

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

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. 

A Fish Out Of Water

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 11 Season 8

The Story: Margarita’s Art Deco home is a fish out of water. Nestled amidst an industrial suburb, it’s hardly your standard offering. The style is quirky, the floor plan crazy and the décor plain outlandish. It’s a sale that would challenge the most seasoned agent, yet Margarita wants to sell the place herself.

The Problem:  The art deco home had a lot of difficult issues, where the art deco design and look of the home polarised buyers. The house lacked street appeal because the garden was messy and the front fence was literally falling apart.

Also, in a million dollar plus home, buyers expect a big kitchen, and the kitchen in this home was far from big. There was also a bedroom that was literally in the middle of the house, which wasn’t very functional, and the home had a very dark and heavy feel.

The Solution: Broaden the appeal of the home without losing the home’s wow factor as the Brookvale house demands a grand approach.

The backyard was given that little special touch – new landscaping, plants and a beautiful pergola. Recycled timber posts were used to enhance the aged and worn in look. The pergola looked formal, yet still keeping with the heritage feel of the home, giving the backyard a whole lot of character.

The wall in between the kitchen and dining room was taken away and the floors were levelled to create a fantastic looking kitchen with more room and an island bench. High end finishes and kitchen appliances along with the dramatic black and white floor tiles added to the big money feel and the prefect compliment for the era of the house.

Traditional and Tiered Modern Roman Shades in the fabric Sheer Linen and colour White Dawn were also installed throughout the home to add a modern, yet classic touch, perfect for the art deco home. The neutral tone of the Modern Roman Shades made it easy to match any tone of colour. 

The non-functional bedroom in the middle of the house was changed into a living room, which made a lot more sense. A feature wall was painted a rich teal colour to add that pop of colour, which was a huge transformation from the old looking shades of brown, cream and maroon. Luxaflex® Duette® Architella® Shades in the fabric Menage and colour Daisy White were installed into the new living room. The neutral colour of the shade was the perfect complement to the colourful teal feature wall. Luxaflex® Duette® Architella® shades feature a patented honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb construction dramatically increasing the product’s ability to insulate in the winter and cool against the summer heart.

Duette Shades in the fabric Sheer Linen were also installed throughout the home. It gave the home a more open and airy feel, as a lot of the rooms throughout the Brookvale home were looking dark and claustrophobic. Duette Shades offer the ideal balance between function and energy efficiency together with versatility and style.

The master bedroom was transformed from uninspiring to inspiring. A new bed, a pop of teal colour and Modern Roman Shades in the fabric Sheer Linen and colour White Dawn were enough to give the master bedroom some selling power and that wow factor it was lacking.

Overall, the house had been transformed, adding a modern feel, yet still being sympathetic to its art deco period. The great mix of old and new will hopefully appeal to a wider range of home buyers.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Stuart Blinds in Manly, NSW. 

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