RENOVATORS’ RULES INTERIOR DESIGNER RESTORES MAJESTIC QUEENSLANDER GLORY
TELEVISION shows such as The Block and My House Rules have spurred a surge in renovating projects in Townsville.
Franzmann Constructions owner Kiall Franzmann said it was important renovators hired professionals to do any work that might be beyond their skill set and to start with finding a qualified builder.
“People are doing large- scale renovations on bigger blocks and renovating Queenslanders has become really common,” Mr Franzmann said.
“Make sure you get a good builder because you could end up paying more if you have to pay someone else to fix a bad job or a DIY job.
“If you’re looking to add value to your home, kitchens and bathrooms are good areas to renovate or adding a deck and some kind of outdoor area. But if you’re wanting to do a full renovation, it will be cheaper to do it all at once rather than stage by stage or room by room.”
Harcourts Kingsberry Townsville agent Julie Mahoney said there had been an increase in renovated Queenslanders hitting the market but warned against overinvesting in a renovation if the goal was to make FOR interior designer Pam Ellis, 31A Nelson St is a childhood dream come true.
Ms Ellis who styles homes for Ellis Developments’ Haven, had always dreamt of renovating an old Queenslander.
When she saw the Nelson St home on the market she knew it was the perfect choice to make her renovating dreams come true.
Twelve months later, after a meticulous renovation, the project is finished and the South Townsville Queenslander, once a profit. “I’ve been a lover of Queenslanders for 10 years and I’ve seen thousands of these inner- city properties,” she said.
“I love these wooden structures because it allows so much flexibility and you can use wall paper, put aluminium louvres in, move walls and put a kitchen in when it was never there in the first place.
“I think people are more creative now than they used to be and they showing its age, is now transformed into a beautiful home.
From soft- close drawers to a huge walk- in wardrobe, no detail has been forgotten.
Ms Ellis had planned to live in the home once the renovations were complete but she and her husband have decided to stay in their inner- city apartment and have instead listed the house for sale.
See the before and after photos in the Real Estate guide in today’s Bulletin. have a clearer vision, but I have seen people caught out because they have run out of money or overcapitalised.
“The reality of a good renovation is dollars, dollars and more dollars and people underestimate the cost.”
Ms Mahoney is selling a renovated, two- bedroom Queenslander at 20 Estate St, West End.
She said the renovation was superbly completed by the vendor, interior stylist Kym Wilson.
“There are some unique concepts in this home and the feature wall is not wallpaper, it’s actually the original boards and the original layers of paint from over the years,” Ms Mahoney said.
“She used a heat gun to go right back through all the layers of paint.
“The kitchen is stone and really beautifully modified and it connects with the hard wood deck and the garden.”