Selling Houses Australia - S15 EP 5

Now, however, Jenni lives alone, and her daughters are concerned for her physical and mental health. Over the years, Jenni has accumulated an abundance of things, and the boxes are starting to pile up inside the home, making many of the spaces—including most of the kitchen—unusable.

Jenni wants to sell, but the thought of clearing out the home and preparing it for an open inspection is overwhelming. Fortunately, the team at Selling Houses Australia are able to come to the rescue.  

A diamond in the rough

Though not in optimal condition and cluttered with Jenni’s belongings, this home was very much a treasure, with solid bones, a great layout and plenty of lovely original features. The existing floorboards were also in great condition and could be maintained. 

Wendy’s main focus inside was to clear out the home, update the furnishings, and refresh the somewhat dated kitchen by resurfacing the kitchen doors, benchtops and splashbacks. 

The vinyl flooring in the kitchen was replaced with herringbone-patterned timber floorboards, which immediately added a sense of luxury to this space.

Previously the half wall in the lounge and hallway made the rooms feel cramped, so the team removed it make the overall space feel bigger.

In keeping with the feel of the house, Wendy chose cool neutral tones for the walls.  

Unfortunately, Wendy didn’t have the budget to do all four bedrooms. So, to show potential buyers what the property could look like, she installed new carpet in two of the bedrooms, and painted and styled them. 

New window coverings throughout

New window coverings were also added throughout the large interior living spaces and bedrooms to add a sense of style and sophistication. 

This included Luxaflex^® LumiShade^® window coverings in Provincial Linen fabric and Lace colour, Luxaflex^® Pirouette^® Shadings in Satin fabric and Birch colour, Everwoods Blinds with a 63mm slat size in Warm White, and Luxaflex^® Duette^® Shades in Elan fabric and Birch Bark colour. 

The LumiShade^® window coverings were chosen for their versatility, as it functions as a vertical blind, while providing the elegant appeal of a soft window furnishing. It also offers an ideal balance of style, durability and child-safety features, and allows plenty of light to flow into Jenni’s home. Made from 100% polyester, the fabric also offers durable properties such as fade resistance and UV protection to help preserve the fabric and home furnishings from fading over time. 

Everwoods Blinds were also installed—chosen for their durability. These shutters are perfect for wet areas that could otherwise warp or peel traditional timber blinds, and are durable and highly resistant to fading, cracking or peeling. 

The Luxaflex^® Pirouette^® Shadings were also chosen as they allow a beautiful flow of light into this home. They feature softly contoured, front-facing fabric vanes attached to a single sheer backing. During opening and closing, the vanes move in tandem for a fluid, graceful effect. Three-dimensional fabric vanes provide a striking and uniform interior look whilst softly filtering sunlight and providing privacy.

The Luxaflex^® Duette^® Shades were then added to two of the bedrooms, where they provide style and function—their unique honeycomb-like cells trapping air and providing all-important insulation. 

Improving access to the home

Outside, the house was looking very tired, despite its lush, tropical gardens. Decades of mould had accumulated, making the house look unappealing and unkept. Dennis didn’t have a large budget to work with, so had to devise some clever, cost-effective ways to make an impact. 

A soft pressure wash was applied on the roof and the exterior walls to get rid of mould and dirt build-up. The front of the home had a lot of overgrown trees which covered up the house. Clearing out some of the foliage made the house more visible from the street.

The home is set back on a large block of land with a big front yard. The excess rainwater run-off from the houses further up the street meant the front lawn could often become soggy and unusable. Dennis therefore created a dry creek bed starting at the existing rainwater pipe, and leading down the front of the house to drain the excess water pooling at the front. 

After addressing the runoff, Dennis also installed a footpath from the start of the street to the new steps of the house. 

Finally, Dennis and Wendy collaborated on the outdoor styling of the wrap around veranda. Using beautiful pieces, they have created an inviting outdoor space that makes the most of the home’s aspect.  

The foundations of a new beginning

While the prospect of selling and moving is still a little daunting for Jenni, she now has a beautifully renovated and styled home that’s ready to go to market as soon as she is.