Claire Hampshire and Drew Chilcott are not planning an average renovation, but then again Claire and Drew are not at all average. Their look and their lifestyle is based around the 1940s and 50s US Westcoast era. So when it comes to taste these two have a very specific idea of what they want and applying it to their 3 level terrace in inner city Sydney.
Claire and Drew bought the home with two bedrooms, 3 balconies and a huge downstairs garage come commercial space for $670,000 and although they are keen to make the renovations uniquely theirs they still has his eyes on the main prize. “We want make the place different, but we don’t want to spend money on things that won’t add value.” They are hoping to spend about $15,000-$20,000 renovating a large proportion of the house and are banking quite literally on Drew’s handy man ability.
When Real Estate expert John McGrath visited the property he was already excited before he took a look inside. “These inner city areas are the next boom areas of Sydney and these guys bought this property for a really good price.” Inside the house John could see the potential for the unique spaces and balconies. “This is a perfect home for a professional couple and any renovations should keep that in mind.”
Builder Luke Van Dyck knows a newer building like Drew and Claire’s 8-year-old terrace needs very little repair or maintenance. “There is no need to worry about finding old wiring and plumbing and structural damage. It’s simply a blank canvas ready for Drew and Claire to style.”
Its mostly cosmetic work but it will make this house as unique as Drew and Claire themselves. “We know what we like and we will have it.” And that is exactly what they do, starting with a new kitchen. They also plan to maximize the indoor outdoor effect of the three balconies with bi-fold doors and new window frames. But their plans quickly come unstuck when they realise the expense of the new doors and windows is much more than they first thought.
Drew and Claire want to experiment with colour in their decoration, but they have to work with their existing pictures books and furniture, so they call in an expert colour consultant to help them work with their style and furnishings.
With Drew doing most of the work and Claire collaborating on the design, the plans change and the work is very organic. So this is one renovation that is cutting its own path just like the couple. Who knows how it will end?
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