And the story began…
The team at Renovation Rescue decided to surprise
the more-than-deserving recipient Judy and her five children, Bronwen, Alison,
Adrian, Chelsea and Jason. Judy was nominated by her closest friend,
sister-in-law Karen, who she met almost 30 years ago when they were studying
to be nurses.
Judy was widowed five years ago when her husband Bruce died of an aggressive form of cancer, leaving her to look after five children. The eldest was only 13 at the time and the youngest only 15 months old.
Without any insurance and no means of financial income or emotional support, Judy turned to her friend and sister-in-law Karen, who with her husband David welcomed Judy and the kids into their own home in 1998. Since then Judy, the kids and Karen’s family have been living in the one residence together. However, Judy’s front part of the house remained makeshift. It was Karen’s wish to make it a home for a family who have had it so tough.
What they wanted…
Judy’s decoration style is a combination of country and shabby-chic. However, the boys prefer things a little more modern. Inspired by the family’s suggestions, the Reno Rescue team set out to make renovation history.
Judy’s place seemed dark and cramped, so Reno Rescue decided to brighten up the place and create some new storage solutions.
Kitchen
The kitchen was expanded so there was more bench and storage space without making the room feel small. A new dishwasher was installed.
Tip: If you buy a kitchen benchtop with rounded edges, the laminex is less likely to peel off.
Hall
The hallway was extremely dark, so the wood panels on the walls were sanded back and painted with a lighter colour to open up the space.
Tip: Zinsser primer sealer was used as an undercoat. It takes the elbow grease out of sanding and helps make the next layer of paint stick. It’s also a great sealer and prevents any imperfections coming through when the top coat is brushed on.
Judy’s room
Judy shares her room with her daughter Chelsea, so the room was divided to create their own private spaces. The old wallpaper was ripped off the walls and a fresh coat of paint brushed on.
Wall finish tips
- To divide a room but keep it open, you can hang a long soft curtain down the middle, which adds privacy but keeps the room spacious at the same time.
- Getting wallpaper off can be difficult, but if you hire a steamer it helps moisten the paper, making it easier to peel off. Another tool to lessen the workload is a perforator, which makes tiny holes all over the paper, making it a dream to scrape off.
- If you’d like to achieve a criss-cross effect using suede paint, you should paint two coats on in a normal fashion, then lightly criss-cross the last coat.
Girl’s bedroom
The girl’s bedroom was glammed-up with new furnishings.
Furniture tips
A flatpack is a furniture kit sold at stores like Freedom and Ikea. You can hire a flatpack man to come to your house and assemble your furniture for you. Assembly of 11 pieces only costs $335.
Lounge
The lounge was given a new paint job and fitted out with a new entertainment system, along with a stylish coffee table. The old carpet was also ripped up.
Lounge tips
- Lifting up old carpets can be quite a dusty job and bad for your health. That’s why you should always wear a dust mask.
- Choosing colours can be tricky, but now you can hire a colour consultant to come to your house and help you choose a colour scheme that best suits your home.
- For instructions on how to build the storage bin/toybox/coffee table which was featured on this show, drop in to any Mitre 10 store around Australia.
- Shabby-chic was an effect used on the coffee table. To create this modern effect, you paint the furniture your chosen colour, then sand back the paint until you reach the desired effect.
Front yard
The old fence was replaced with a new country-style fence, a new front entrance was created, the porch was rebuilt, the deck extended and a new kid’s play area put in place.
Garden tips
- A concrete stock fence was used out the front. The advantage of a concrete fence is it’s termite proof. Match the colour of your gutter with your fence to give your house style.
- When digging or excavating around the garden, be careful about trees and their root systems. When digging inside boundaries, make sure you check your house plans for pipes, etc, and if you’re digging outside your boundaries, make sure you give ‘Dial before you Dig’ a call on 1100. It costs nothing and could save you thousands.
- If you are replacing decks or porches, make sure you use anti-caps on the wood to prevent termites from entering the house. Also make sure you keep the bottom of the porch or deck clear to keep moisture out.
- ST26 soft-leafed buffalo turf is great roll-on grass for a fresh instant lawn. Make sure you have your area well prepared before getting it delivered and keep it in a shaded area before laying down to prevent it from going yellow and drying out.
- While second-hand building bricks with slight imperfections mightn’t be ideal for the house, they are perfect for garden beds and garden walkways. You can purchase seconds from Landscape Suppliers.
- Gardenia florida is a plant that works well as a hedge or singularly in a pot (300mm). It grows approximately one metre and flowers throughout autumn and winter.
- Photinia Red Robin acts as a great screen plant for a fence, as it grows 2-3m quickly and is also drought-tolerant.
- Safety is very important when using power tools. You can purchase earmuffs with built in microphones, which allow you to hear everything, but cut out the sound when it gets too loud.
Rebecca Harris took Judy, sister-in-law Karen and the five kids to the fashion and food capital of Australia, Melbourne.
Judy and Karen stayed in their own penthouse suites in the Crown Towers, while the kids got their own adjoining hotel rooms down the hall. What luxury!
Hotel Crown Towers: www.crowntowers.com.au.
Human Nature: www.humanature.com.au. New album Walk the Tightrope in stores now!
Luna Park: www.lunapark.com.au
The Brasserie Restaurant: reservations (03) 9292 8888
