This is the first house we ever renovated. A single fronted worker’s cottage in Sydney in original condition and we called it Hector Cottage.
We started the project by completing our bedroom first. This gave us a sanctuary away from the building work and I learnt to cook gourmet meals with a microwave and gas camp stove.
We built a new fence & put a shed down the side for storage.
We added beautiful stained glass windows in the front that were designed by us and made by a friend.
We removed the wall between the lounge and dining area to create a more open space and built a fretwork arch in character with the home. The bathroom was also rebuilt using slate tiles with water proof lined boards. I loved the claw foot bath we installed. Lots of sanding and filling went into the walls to create a smooth finish throughout the house ready for painting. We highlighted the architectural features such as mouldings and fretwork.
Hector Cottage had beautiful Baltic pine floors which we polished and we installed new brass traditional light fittings and fixtures.
We engaged builders to add a small extension to the back of the house to create an eating area and new windows and doors were installed to add light. We bought a DIY timber kitchen from a hardware which we stained and installed. We had a kitchen company install the bench top for us. Later it was painted in all white. We laid the slate floors ourselves and though we had no experience as renovators we learnt along the way.
These finishes are now over 20 years old and are still relevant to todays décor
Finally we built a laundry and 2nd toilet shed in brick finish to match the house. We created a courtyard area and paved it with old common bricks. We used railway sleepers for the retaining walls as it was the cheapest option. Then we planted and treed the remainder of the garden to create a private oasis. Looking back we were naive gardeners and I think we put too many trees in which may have been removed by the current owners.
We learnt so much during this renovation and though we were amateurs at the time, we got the top price for this size home in the street and so our renovation addiction began.