The public loved them on The Block, and since winning a substantial chunk of cash on the reality show in November, Caro and Kingi are now able to plough on with the renovation of their own “worst house on the best street” home in Townsville, QLD. Luckily for you, they’re going to be sharing their reno journey exclusively with Interiors Addict. Stay tuned for their updates every Monday!
The couple hope to transform their 1970s red brick veneer house into a forever home for their family in six-to-nine months. “We have a little bit more experience now after The Block that’s for sure! But before the show we had little experience,” Caro says.
“We’re still not sure how much we’re going to spend, believe it or not! Since I am known for being the budget queen on The Block, I know we won’t be going over our budget once we set it! But also, it is our forever home so we are willing to spend a little bit on this house to make it exactly what we want. We will splurge on the areas that are important to us as a family and then be tight on areas that aren’t, I think that’s the key to any renovation.”
The couple had their eye on this house for about nine months and it was passed in at auction with no bidders. “They finally accepted our offer and the house was ours. This house has such great bones. It’s massive structurally and that’s what we were looking for; something that has the potential to be a big family home without having to extend it too much or raise it to make it double story. It has beautiful hard wood timber floors which were like love a first sight.There are also stunning double-hung windows, which are so rare these days, and the bedrooms are huge, which is just what we were looking for.”
On the down side, there is no air con, no wardrobes, no storage, two kitchens (“I know, what the?”) and sliding doors everywhere! “None of the fans work and living in Townsville it is like a sauna! But this house is in the perfect location. It’s the worst house in the best street, quiet and just 4kms to the beach and Townsville CBD. This house ticked all the boxes to turn it into our new family home.”
The biggest structural change they’re planning is extending one whole side of the house and turning the extension into their new kitchen. They’re also allowing for two living areas (one where the current kitchen is) and raising the roof to let some natural air flow through. “This house is very hot and wasn’t designed very well back in 1970. The heat it holds is just unbearable!”
Caro joked the biggest challenge will be not getting a divorce! “I think any couple that can survive renovations without killing each should be applauded!”
Her advice for would-be renovators is to plan, plan and plan some more. “Do one area at a time, don’t think about the whole house if you are doing a complete renovation. You will get overwhelmed and it will become very stressful. Take on one area at a time and finish that area before moving onto the next.”
Read Caro and Kingi’s first reno instalment on Monday!
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