David and Angela's Penrith pad proved to be the DIY team's toughest challenge yet, as we set about remodeling the entire rear section of the house. Tara was keen to create an open-plan kitchen and dining area, which meant Luke needed to do a lot of re-building. The entire area was decorated with new furniture and accessories from Living Edge Furniture, creating the perfect space for family meals and entertaining for years to come.

Kitchen

The old, pokey kitchen was carefully removed and given to Angela's brother, who had his own DIY plans. The wall separating the kitchen and dining room was demolished, as was the wall between the kitchen and sunroom. As this was a load-bearing wall, Luke and the team supported the roof with Acro props while a five-metre steel I-beam was fitted to take the weight of the roof.

With the space opened out, Tara's plan for a classic kitchen/dining area began to take shape. A custom-made kitchen from Harvey Norman was installed, complete with stainless steel Whirlpool appliances and a beautiful island bench from Caesar Stone. An easy-to-maintain Amtico vinyl floor was laid to capture the look of polished floorboards, while Tara's floor-to-ceiling mosaic tiles added a touch of pizzazz to the kitchen.

The tired old laundry was cleared of clutter and updated with new tiles, whitegoods and a splash of citrus colour, using Dulux Bitters.

Greg chose classic magnolias, gardenias and lillipillies for the garden beds and added a sprinkling of citrus, using mandarin, lime and cumquat trees. He used Loc-A-Bloc for several retaining walls and created sandstone borders to define the different sections of the garden.

A new timber deck was built, with a retractable awning from Luxaflex to keep the elements at bay. To truly bring the outdoors in, a triple-panelled Stegbar sliding glass door was installed to connect the living room to the garden. Greg completed the look with a paved sandstone courtyard and added a stainless-steel barbeque for family festivities.

Council permission was obtained to remove the old derelict shed and lay a slab for a new sewing studio for Angela. Luke and the boys from Cubbitt's Classic Home Improvements began assembling the pre-fabricated frames and before long a cottage-style studio was ready for Tara's decorating touch.

The workshop was fitted out with 12 white cupboards adorned with large, colourful buttons, before being filled with sewing and craft tools. David's French doors finally found a home in the studio, while the exterior walls were clad to match the Weathertex weatherboards added to the rear wall of the home.