LIVING WITH
Soul
Imagine taking ten years to get your home renovated. Now, imagine doing every little painstaking detail yourself. That was reality for Trevor and Paulene, whose Yerongpilly home was a labour of love from the get-go. WORDS: Natasha Pavez PHOTOGRAPHY: John Downs
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Welcome Home With a classic Queenslander colour scheme and lots of delightful nooks and details, this is a home with real charm.
Trevor and Paulene bought the old Queenslander with the intention to renovate quickly and sell, never expecting to fall in love with the house. “We’d come from this lovely, brand-new home to this one that needed a lot of work,” Paulene explains. “We both woke up the first morning thinking, ‘Oh no, what have we done!’” The brief changed over time: initially, the couple were solely focused on renovating downstairs, and Trevor obtained his owner/ builder licence to start construction himself. But living upstairs while renovations continued downstairs gave Paulene plenty of ideas on just what could be improved elsewhere. The couple sketched the designs themselves before passing them onto a draftsman. "Once we got our approvals, we just started," says Trevor. Walls came down, living spaces opened up, and little by little, the transformation begun. The design was organic, evolving to suit the couple's needs as they spent more and more time in the place.
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hadn’t worked in the trade for 35 years. "But as I progressed and got more confident, it got to the point that I could just do it. It wasn't a drama." The renovation became a community affair, with friends, family members and even neighbours assisting when needed. Trevor and Paulene's son, Tony, is an engineer (which was handy when calculating materials – "It's really good having an engineer in the family!" Paulene laughs). Family friend Eric assisted with laying the timber for the new deck, while a neighbour helped Trevor place steel beams along the roof. The couple's love for recycled and second-hand materials also helped foster new relationships. "The stairs came from a house being demolished on Brisbane's north side, and he was selling anything that could be saved," says Paulene.
With the project progressing over such a long period of time, any sense of budget had to be scrapped. Paulene and Trevor paid for the home as they went, renovating whenever they could and having the time to decide exactly what was needed.
Although the house has mainly been renovated using recycled materials – the aforementioned stairs, a stunning divider between the living and dining areas, and the decking outside have all been second-hand sources – the house also takes advantage of new pieces. The folding French doors leading out to the deck, sourced from Woodworkers, perfectly fit the house's character.
Aside from plumbers and electricians, Trevor was responsible for the renovation from beginning to end. "It'd been a long time since I'd done any carpentry work," says Trevor, who had completed an apprenticeship in carpentry and joinery after finishing school, but
Finding inspiration in their year spent living and working in England, to their travels around to world, and even open houses around Brisbane, the overall renovation and design is a reflection of the life the couple have spent together.
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The design was organic, evolving to suit the couple’s needs as they spent more time in the place.
An Entertainer’s Delight Windows from the kitchen now open on to the large enclosed verandah, so Paulene can still chat to guests while cooking.
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Ten years might seem like aeons for a renovation, but it certainly worked in the couple's favour. After all, making hasty decisions would have hindered the renovation in the long run. Renovating while living in the house let Trevor and Paulene in on the little secrets, and they took advantage of everything it had to offer. Discovering the flow of breezes was important, as was making sure the sun hit the deck for the ultimate place to bask on a winter's day. The result? A beautiful enclosed deck – able to be used in all seasons, for any occasion. (The couple's ginger cat, Harry, loves to bask in this room when the sun hits just right!). When asked if the renovation's complete, the couple are quick to answer. "Yes!" says Trevor. "We're just doing landscaping now. No more construction." The house is carrying the same feel from the inside out, with Trevor using some of the leftover wood in the landscaping. "I'm a hoarder, especially with wood. I don't like parting with it!" Paulene may laughingly describe the home as "a real hodgepodge", but every tiny detail comes together to give this house a sense of real charm. Or, to quote a friend of Trevor and Paulene, the house has simply got "soul". Pale green paint complements the bush surrounds, while indoors, Trevor's handiwork (think natural recycled timber flooring and crisp white cabinetry) meets Paulene's homey yet chic accents (soft textiles and understated artworks), effortlessly working together just as the couple no doubt do after 47 years of marriage! It's a home that truly welcomes all who walk in, reflecting the love that this couple has poured into every inch of it. "We're really attached to it," says Trevor. "We're going to have to leave one day, but I'm going to hate it when we have to go." 144
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