A full-home renovation and modernization of a rental property in Victoria

This two-storey terrace townhouse had gone unloved for many years and needed several home-wide renovations. Homeowner Elizabeth wanted to overhaul her property before renting it out and needed someone to manage the entire project while she was away in Queensland. Refresh Renovations specialist Paul Cree was brought in to handle the renovation from start to finish, and was trusted to be Elizabeth’s single point of contact while she was interstate. 

House renovation design

Elizabeth’s primary objective was to modernize the entire property in order to make it more appealing on the rental market. Once Paul Cree understood exactly what she wanted, he provided bespoke designs for the ground floor, first floor, and the bathroom, giving an initial all-inclusive quote of $69,100. 

An old house renovation

Once the designs were approved, Paul managed all aspects of the build. “We installed hybrid laminate flooring to the ground floor and plastered the exposed dark brick walls. This really helped create a contemporary look and brightened up the entire space!” says Paul.
Paul installed carpets on the first floor and proceeded to update the bathroom. “The previous bathroom was very dated with a small bath that simply included an overhead shower and only protected the space with a shower curtain. Now… the entire space has been optimised, with a large shower making the bathroom much more functional and modern,” explains Paul.

Satisfied with the interior, Paul moved on to installing an elegant merbau deck to the porch, and sleek aluminium sliding doors to the balcony. “Elizabeth loved the online project management portal as she could keep track of all the work and see in-progress pictures daily even though she was interstate,” tells Paul. Happy with the work thus far, the homeowner added several new tasks to Paul’s to-do list, including replacing all the windows and repainting the home, bringing the final cost up to $88,500.
During the project, Paul managed an electrician, plumber, carpenter, plasterer, floor installer, and carpet layerer. Having a single point of contact streamlined the entire process for Elizabeth, who couldn’t imagine dealing with all these different tradespeople on her own. 
When asked about the biggest challenge he faced during the project, Paul reveals: “Replacing the fascia required the disconnection and reconnection of the mains power to the building. Although this was easily done through coordinating with the power company, we had to ensure the day was carefully planned so that all the work would be completed in time for the reconnection of power at the end of the day.”

Final thoughts

Regarding the final result, Paul says “Everything went perfectly, I wouldn’t change a thing! The Refresh team applied high-quality controls to ensure a great result.”
We asked Elizabeth if she agreed, prompting her to state: “Paul provided fantastic service and quality! He managed all aspects for us while we were interstate, and the easy-to-use helpful app let us check all progress and any changes during the project. We found Refresh by accident, but we really fell on our feet! We’re very very happy.” 

Want to be next?

If you’re thinking of getting your home renovated, get in touch with your local Refresh specialist for a free consultation!