After shot of the house from Selling Houses Australia episode one.
The devastating Brisbane floods of 2011, left a trail of destruction in their path, homes lost and possessions destroyed. But months after the murky waters subsided the victims are still trying to rebuild their lives.
Paul and Gloria and their daughters Helena and Rachel lost everything when the floodwaters engulfed their Yeronga home. Traumatised by the event, they decided to take an insurance payout and sell their house in its uninhabitable state.
But their escape plan turned out to be flawed. First the Brisbane market crashed, devaluing their home even further. But more seriously, the banks wouldn’t loan money on a house that couldn’t be insured as it’s uninhabitable, so potential buyers couldn’t get a mortgage. The only way out is to fix up their shell of a house and restore it into a liveable home.
Budget: $70,000
Summary of work – Inside
When we arrived the house was a shell, so the first job was to line all the walls with gyprock. While this was being done, Shaynna reconfigured the floor plan to change the house from a 4 bedder with one bathroom, to a 3 bedder with a family bathroom and master bedroom with dressing room and ensuite. The old bath and toilet in the main bathroom were re-used and Reece supplied the remaining fixtures and fittings for the new bathroom.
The house also needed a new kitchen so Shaynna used a flat pack system from Kaboodle kitchens. By using standard off-the-shelf sizes, rather than having cabinets custom made, she was able to save money. When fitting the new kitchen, Shaynna reconfigured the layout and removed the old island bench. She also increased the size of the servery opening to the lounge room, so one side of the new bench could be used as a breakfast bar. The floor was resurfaced in a new wood floating floor supplied by Carpet Court.
The bedrooms were recarpeted in a simple neutral colour and the whole house was painted in a pale blue colour called Taubmans Endure Happenstance.
Summary of work – Outside
As Shaynna took most of the budget inside, Charlie had to spend his money wisely. He spent the main bulk of his funds on a new garden to enhance the front entrance of the house. Oversized pavers were laid like stepping stones, with native violets set into the gaps. The garden beds were planted out with tropical species including Persian Sheild and Peace Lillies. As a feature, a large pot from Potsonline was set into the flower bed and planted up with a red bromeliad.
The pool area out the back was already in good shape. Charlie gave the decking a fresh stain with a merbau tint and added another large feature pot to match the one at the front, but this time planted it out with Elephants Ears. The look was finished with a daybed from Valiant Hire.
Taubmans Paint Chart
Interior ceilings - Taubmans Endure Interior Ceiling “Flat White”
Interior walls - Taubmans Endure Interior Low Sheen “Happenstance” Half Strength
Interior Doors & Trims - Taubmans Endure Interior Doors & Trims Gloss “Crisp White”
Exterior front wall - Taubmans Endure Exterior Low Sheen “ Viking Grey”
Exterior Doors & Trims - Taubmans Endure Exterior Low Sheen “Aspen Snow”
Many homes still being slowly restored in Yeronga. A year on it still continues including my own and surrounding neighbourhood. Great to see this family got a helping hand.