Transforming a bachelor pad in Mudjimba, Sunshine Coast on Selling Houses Australia
The task? Reinvent this gloomy little man cave into a functional two-bedroom beachside home with a chic coastal vibe
Photography Melissa Heath/Selling Houses Australia
Some of the stories on Selling Houses Australia really pull at my heartstrings, and this was one of them. We met Macca at his rundown little home in Mudjimba on the Sunshine Coast. Battling cancer took a real toll on Macca, divorced and now in his sixties with a son and two grandsons. He needed to sell his home so he could move closer to his son.
As for the home, it was a really small place that was so much darker than it needed to be. He only had 25K for the update, and it had to go far - the outside was in dire straights. Read on to discover how I took on the interior to deliver a relaxed coastal vibe with lots of texture and soothing colour - on a tight budget.
“It’s like things had been purposefully brought in to just suck the light out. Everything was so brown” ~ Wendy Moore
Updated a cramped and dark living room in Mudjimba, Sunshine Coast
One of the main jobs at Mudjimba was to change the colour story. It was dire. A brown timber-clad wall, along with dated flooring and a purple kitchen, left the whole place feeling sad and dark. I chose Wattyl Feather Dawn and VJ wall linings, which draw up the eye and make the ceilings feel higher.
Flooring was key, so we brought in Merseyside Vista in Slaten Oak from Flooring Xtra for the living spaces, kitchen and hallway, with textured rugs, also Flooring Xtra, crucial in a coastal look. Subtle pops of green in the styling and accessories continue the natural theme; we brought in cushions from Rapee and lots and lots of texture to help achieve this.
Window furnishings helped soften the whole vibe. These ones are Luxaflex Lumishades that drop to the floor, and the fan is a Skyfan in White from The Lighting Outlet.
No longer purple: a budget kitchen makeover in Mudjimba
There was nothing functional about this little kitchen at all, so the main task was to move things into the right place. I needed to save the original cabinets to keep it within budget, but installed some melamine ones for extra storage and painted them all to match.
The Hevea timber benchtop and new cabinets are all Kaboodle, available at Bunnings and the splashback stone is Magnolia from Granite Transformations. We added a dash of colour with benchtop appliances in the ‘Boutique Retro Design’ range from Morphy Richards.
All new appliances came courtesy of Euromaid, with the key pieces the new 54cm freestanding electric oven in White, a 474L French Door fridge in Stainless steel and new canopy rangehood.
As part of the kitchen, the laundry nook is on-show, so it needed a little upgrade. The new cabinets are Kaboodle, and the Pleon 8 sink and Linus S tap are both Blanco. To add a dash of style, we gave it a simple splashback of Estilo Statuario porcelain tiles from Tile Factory Outlet.
We also gave Macca an appliance upgrade: thanks to Euromaid for the new 7kg condenser dryer in White, and 5kg front loading washing machine.
A dash of style for the Selling Houses Mudjimba dining zone
It was a really odd experience being at Macca’s place, which was located smack in the middle of the Sunshine Coast and yet had zero view to the outdoors! I knew I had to address this as well as how people moved through the house to bring a sense of openness and welcome.
Replacing the dining room window with doors provided flow to the outdoors. It meant it was no longer a thoroughfare to the garden, and brought a light and bright beachy feeling, which was key. We wanted to make it feel like a holiday home - it was so close to the beach and the sell is all about lifestyle.
New bedrooms on Selling Houses Australia, Mudjimba
It was a nice surprise to see that Macca’s master bedroom was quite lovely! We gave both rooms a little style upgrade with fresh paint, new window dressings and some fresh bedlinen.
An outdoor room upgrade for Mudjimba, Selling Houses
It was so dark and dingy in the outdoor room and a beautiful and spacious backyard that you couldn’t see or sense from the home. This was a collaboration with Dennis; we wanted to transform it into a functional extra living space without inhibiting the flow of light into the interior. Adding a servery window into the entertaining space really upgraded this area as well as Velux skylights. All that extra light!!
The sales history of the Selling Houses Mudjimba
The median house price in Mudjimba is $1.2million dollars. It’s located about an hour from Brisbane and is close to the airport. Macca paid $400K for this property in 2012 but after his health troubles, he ended up on Government assistance, with all the money going towards the mortgage and medical expenses. He decided to sell, but the home languished on the market for 12 months because of his unrealistic expectations - he wanted $1.3 million to be able to move closer to his son and grandchildren.
Did Selling Houses Mudjimba sell?
Macca's expectations of the home were completely unrealistic. He wanted $1.3 million for a property that was likely worth closer to 900K - market feedback for Macca was pretty brutal, knowing that this was his last financial opportunity. It was hard not to feel for him.
With the understanding that the most he could get for it was $1 – 1.1 million, Macca was only willing to invest $25K in the update. Fair enough - we had to work with what we had. Ultimately, the property sold for $1.1 million. Macca was able to downsize to a Brisbane property near his son, a happy outcome!
Who pays for the renovations on Selling Houses Australia?
Macca invested $25K into the update, which mainly went towards labour, which we provided. All the products supplied for the project sit outside that budget, and we really slung some favours on this one - Dennis even managed to get a pool installed!
