A Victorian family has completely overhauled a brick veneer home, turning it into a luxury four-bedroom abode in nine months.
“The potential I saw was in the view. We look out over green rolling hills and see hot air balloons flying over the Yarra Valley. For me, that is priceless,” said owner Kelly Berghella who estimates the extensive renovation has doubled the Wonga Park home’s value. “People thought we were a bit crazy to take on such an ambitious renovation as owner builders. A lot of people questioned why we didn’t simply demolish the whole house.”
The roof frame and half of the original home was torn down and demolished, while the remaining half was stripped back and walls repositioned. “A lower level garage and theatre room with bathroom was constructed, while continuing on the upper level, a new kitchen, family room, alfresco area and study were built. The whole house had new double glazed windows installed. Externally, all old existing brickwork was removed and the whole house was re-plastered, along with new floor coverings and cabinetry,” said Kelly.
Kelly and her husband Claude, a concreter, completed all the demolition work, poured the concrete footings and slab and landscaped the acre block, painstakingly moving each boulder into place with a bobcat over two years. “I’ll be happy if I never hear a bob cat again!” said Kelly, who warns others considering such a big landscaping job that “an acre is expensive and time consuming to landscape, it’s like seven ‘normal sized’ backyards!”
But the biggest challenge of all was project managing the build with a newborn, while sticking to a deadline and running a full-time business. “Don’t take on a job this big when you have to be out of your rental in nine months while becoming first-time parents. It’s very stressful!”
That said, Kelly, who has now renovated three homes with her husband, says perhaps stupidly, she would do it all again and her favourite part of the renovation is the new living space which they love to spend time in as a family. “Reconfiguring the floor plan to allow for an open kitchen and living area, really capitalises on the view,” said Kelly.
As for advice for would-be renovators, Kelly says “use reliable trades which have come from trusted recommendations and get friendly with your bank manager!”
You can contact Claude here or via Instagram. To see more before and after images, follow Kelly on Instagram.