A couple from Western Australia have shared how they transformed their old 1940s house into a three-level relaxing oasis in only 12 months.
Amanda Kayser, 39, and her husband Dan, 42, bought the house in Perth three and a half years ago with the intent to demolish and subdivide, but over time the pair grew accustomed to the wide 1,012sqm block and unique characteristics.
The 70-year-old home is built with high ceilings, big rooms, ornate awnings and a huge backyard, which Amanda said would have been difficult to give up.
Amanda works as a teacher but also has an interior design business and experience in project management, while Dan works for a gas company and has building skills.
Together they made the perfect pair to plan, design and build the perfect family home from the shell of the former house.
AFTER: Amanda Kayser and her husband Dan bought the house three and a half years ago with the intent to demolish and subdivide, but decided to renovate
BEFORE: The house was originally one storey with a flight of stairs leading to the front door and a wide double garage underneath
‘We basically spent all of 2020 renovating – I designed the whole house while Dan and my Dad, who’s a retired builder, helped with the construction,’ Amanda told FEMAIL.
The house was originally one storey with a flight of stairs leading to the front door and a wide double garage underneath.
The couple decided to add another extension on top of the house for a stylish retreat with a sitting area that overlooks the river near the property.
‘We basically spent all of 2020 renovating – I designed the whole house while Dan and my Dad, who’s a retired builder, helped with the construction,’ Amanda told FEMAIL
The couple decided to add another extension on top of the house for a stylish retreat with a sitting area that overlooks the river near the property
‘We employed a builder to construct the top storey, otherwise the majority of the renovation was done ourselves,’ Amanda said.
The house has four large bedrooms, three bathrooms, a wide open kitchen with white modern cabinets and bench top, laundry, living and dining areas, upstairs retreat, granny flat outside, a huge backyard, a pool and double garage with underfloor storage.
The kitchen, living area and bedrooms all look incredible spacious and luxurious with white furniture and black flooring, but Amanda said this was also done on a budget using items from Bunnings Warehouse and Kmart.
Inside the house now has four large bedrooms, three bathrooms, wide open kitchen with white modern cabinets and bench top
The kitchen, living area and bedrooms all look incredible spacious and luxurious with white furniture and black flooring
Amanda said the separate areas was done on a budget using items from Bunnings Warehouse and Kmart
While Amanda and Dan have experiencing flipping housing for a profit, this was the ‘biggest project’ they have ever attempted.
‘We bought a lot of our supplies from Bunnings and saved a lot of money doing it ourselves instead of hiring tradesmen,’ Amanda said.
The Alfresco kitchen, staircase, lawn, flooring, fencing, outside furniture, paint, lighting and tool supplies were all purchased from Bunnings.
The Alfresco kitchen, staircase, lawn, flooring, fencing, outside furniture, paint, lighting and tool supplies were all purchased from Bunnings
They pair also hired a tiler and plumber to assist with the flooring and pipework
Amanda said the total cost accumulated to 20 per cent of the property value, which would’ve almost doubled if they didn’t complete majority of the project themselves.
‘It was a huge project because we did nearly everything – build the top level, gutted the house and completely renovated inside,’ she said.
They also hired a tiler and plumber to assist with the flooring and pipework.
Amanda said the total cost accumulated to 20 per cent of the property value, which would’ve almost doubled if they didn’t complete majority of the project themselves
‘It was a huge project because we did nearly everything – build the top level, gutted the house and completely renovated inside,’ she said
‘We bought a lot of our supplies from Bunnings and saved a lot of money doing it ourselves instead of hiring tradesmen,’ Amanda said
During the renovation the family of four lived in the small backyard granny flat for 14 weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic which put Australia into lockdown in March.
‘We laugh about it now, but it was crazy all living in such close proximities while my daughters were learning online and we were working from home on our laptops,’ Amanda said.
The granny flat has a small dining area and bathroom but no kitchen, only a tiny ensuite with a laundry and fridge.
The bed mattresses needed to be stored against the wall during the day to save space.
During the renovation the family of four lived in the small backyard granny flat for 14 weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic which put Australia into lockdown in March
When asked what advice she would give to others wanting to complete home renovations, Amanda recommended ‘preparation is key’
When asked what advice she would give to others wanting to complete home renovations, Amanda recommended ‘preparation is key’.
‘Always have a plan of what you want and like, and make sure everything flows,’ she said.
‘Doing your own measurements and research will also save you a lot of money in the long run, even though it’s more time consuming.’
Amanda and her business Amanda Lee Interiors aim to help others plan and construct their dream home.
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