Talk about a show-stopper! Homeowner Lisa saw her renovation dream realised in Saturday’s episode of Renovate or Rebuild. The Stafford Heights home was transformed from drab to fab in an incredible makeover. Retaining and building on its mid-century modern charm, viewers were treated to an in-depth look at the process of renovating rather than rebuilding. We were also given some insight into battery blackout protection with GoodWe who took James Treble on a tour of their roadshow truck.
Drab to fab: transforming a tired house into a ‘60s-inspired home
The mammoth task of adding a front-of-home extension was assigned to Nic Carter, a builder in Queensland. As architect Paul Butterworth explained, the renovation of the home was going to be more cost-effective and sustainable than rebuilding.
Nic highlighted some of the key facets of the home that required attention – with one of the most important being the roof. The state of the roof meant that it required replacing, and Bondor were the solution for Lisa’s home. Bondor offers their SolarSpan® Insulated Roof Panels. These panels are manufactured in Australia with Australian materials. The prefabricated panels boast an exterior roofing layer made of COLORBOND® steel, an EPS-FR rigid insulation core, and a pre-finished COLORBOND® ceiling underside. Easy to install, these panels will provide passive cooling and heating for Lisa’s home. In addition, with Australia’s new building standards, these panels tick more boxes to achieve a greater R-Value for your home.
Total solar solution: Goodwe’s range of solar panels, batteries, EV chargers, and inverters offer blackout protection
The Melbourne Home Show 2023 was the scene of James Treble’s encounter with GoodWe. Catching up with Roshan, Energy Matter’s CEO, beforehand, they discussed the benefits of solar. GoodWe offers all the products a home needs to go solar, save money, and stay connected when the power goes out.
On the floor of the Home Show was GoodWe’s well-travelled Roadshow Truck. James met with Dean Williamson and John Wright to discuss the products on show. Dean and John highlighted the incredible backup protection that seamlessly triggers when the power goes out. One full stack of the Lynx Home F Series battery delivers up to 16.4kWh of electricity to your home. John explained that a home with battery backup should have a backup circuit established for seamless electricity when a blackout event occurs.
GoodWe also offers a holistic solution with their Galaxy Series solar panels, solar inverters, and even an EV charger. Solar components that work seamlessly together are just one advantage of choosing GoodWe to go solar.
Passive heating and cooling a must in Australia’s climate
Tye Spierings, the director of Ultimate Windows, showcased the windows and doors chosen by Lisa for her renovated home. The specially constructed PVC windows offer greater energy efficiency for the home. Magnaline doors provide an alternative to bi-fold doors with the ability to function as both swing and sliding doors. When the double-glazed doors are closed they interlock, offering greater protection from the elements and reducing your energy bills in the process.
The design of the windows and doors across the house allows for greater airflow. James commented that the home has noticeable fresh air blowing through it, which is a welcome reprieve from the stuffy Queensland weather.
Decisions, decisions: changes to the design plan
One noteworthy omission from the renovation design was the front yard pool. Budget restrictions saw Lisa put a bookmark in the plan for a pool. The decision to omit the pool, salvage and reuse what she could, and revamp rather than rebuild portions of her home led to Lisa coming in $1,000 under budget!
Repainting, refurbishing, and reimagining parts of her home not only saw Lisa’s home become a sustainable project but allowed for her existing home to retain its charm. The ’60s kitchen was given a makeover with a new yellow benchtop, which builder Nic said was the hardest part of the build. A gorgeous mural by artist Drapl finished off the new addition with pops of colour brought to the new patio.
This gorgeous home renovation is a testament to small changes having a massive impact on the functionality of a home. New roofing, added insulation, replaced water and gas pipes, updated appliances, improved lighting, and added ceiling fans transform the feel of the home. The value of the home was also increased by $400k with the potential to increase this with future additions, such as a second bathroom.
To rebuild or renovate…
The decision to renovate or rebuild is never straightforward and Lisa chose what suited her budget and her needs. No doubt she will see an improvement in her utility bills as well as her lifestyle. Tam had the final word by winning the battle of renovate or rebuild. As the winner, she chose to assign salsa lessons to hubby, Jimmy!
We cannot wait to see what the next episode of Renovate or Rebuild has to offer! Tune in next Saturday at 3:30pm on Channel 9 and find out whether the homeowner will renovate or rebuild!
