Back to front in Chipping Norton, NSW on Selling Houses Australia
We struggled to find the front door in Chipping Norton, NSW - here’s how we rescued this tired home!
Photography Melissa Heath/Selling Houses Australia
This episode of Selling Houses Australia tools us to Chipping Norton, NSW. Located in Western Sydney, the homes in this area had a strong 1970s and 1980s “display village” vibe, according to Andrew. I couldn’t disagree – almost everywhere we looked, we saw mission brown.
As for Tina and Mick’s place, the truth was we couldn’t even find the front door! Our biggest challenge was going to fall to Dennis – to literally make the back look like the front, or the front look like the back. If you saw the episode, you know what I mean!
I knew it was going to be a huge challenge to transform this home into a desirable pad for the modern family. Luckily, upstairs didn't need much attention, but downstairs was a jumble of small rooms that were dark and dated, the layout that makes it feel like a maze.
“We need to open up the space and redesign the living areas, so you actually wanted to spend time in them” ~ Wendy Moore
Introducing the kitchen triangle on Selling Houses Chipping Norton
An original display home kitchen – of exceptional quality, thankfully – featured little in the way of modern conveniences, or even layouts. With a tight budget, this 1980s non-functional kitchen needed to appeal to a modern family. I decided to work with the original cabinetry of the square-shaped kitchen and follow the basic rule for maximum functionality and minimal congestion, creating the golden triangle’s tried and tested formula: placing the three main workstations near the cook, without putting them too close together or too far apart. In reality, it was as simple as replacing the pantry with the fridge!
I also added a new bench top and created a cosy meals area. We also painted over all the timber to make this whole kitchen feel more modern and fresh.
A comfortable, lovely living room
The main living area was completely devoid of charm, style or personality. Bereft and gloomy, it was the biggest room in the house yet was used the least, and you could tell. I chose a light colour scheme downstairs to make it feel fresh, bright and more spacious, bringing softness through off-white and warm timber tones. The living areas are now clearly defined lounge, meals and dining,
A hodgepodge of different floor coverings left the house feeling confused and uncoordinated, so I prioritised this unused lounge. New carpet from Flooring Xtra now lifts the brown out of this room, while window furnishings from Luxaflex let natural light flow. Then it was all about styling, with some nice comfy furniture.
The sales history of the Selling Houses Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton is a popular suburb, 27kms southwest of Sydney, CBD. It's family friendly boasting, two lakes connected by the Georges River and lots of parklands. Tina and Mick bought this home in Chipping Norton in the early 2000s as a former display home. They paid $364,000 for it and worked hard ever since, paying it off and raising their family of three girls. When they decided to sell, it sat on the market for 12 months. It just wasn’t market ready. But yet, offers were received – they actually rejected an offer for $1.32 million, then $1.25 million mark, and finally at the beginning of the year, $1,000,080.
Did Selling Houses Australia Chipping Norton sell?
Unrenovated, the real estate agent put the value at around the $1.05-1.1 million mark. We were nervous about this one, we knew that Mick had high expectations. The couple invested $ $35,000 in the renovation, and we were thrilled to hear that they accepted an offer of $1.2 million! It’s a great result that will help send them off into a well-earned retirement.
Who pays for the renovations on Selling Houses Australia?
The homeowners on the show are the ones who stump up the cold hard cash – Mark and Tina chipped in $35,000 towards this epic renovation! For the budget, we had to be very creative with how we spent the money, and relied heavily on products from sponsors and our own labour to keep the costs down. This was a tough one – it nearly killed me!
