Home renovations: How we ditched a useless yard for a family oasis

Making the most of your home and garden has never been more important. But you need to make sure you start in the right place.

The Behan family who have recently renovated home with a pool in Hurlstone park. Farrah and Chris Behan Archie, 10yrs Harriet, 8yrs PictureÕs Darren Leigh Roberts

This is part two of our Special Report: Australian Homes during COVID.

Part two: Make the most of smart home tech.

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How life has changed.

A year since COVID-19 swept into town we‘ve become accustomed to social distancing, working from home and the reality that holiday bookings and party plans are made with the knowledge they may be scrapped and at a moment’s notice.

Home isn’t just where the heart is. It’s where we find certainty and safety. We spent so much of the past year tucked inside, it’s not surprising that the way we view our houses has changed.

What our home is, has changed dramatically over the past year.

The “nice-to-have’’ became “must-have” as COVID-19 changed the way we want to live

This is the first of our new At Home four-part series that unpacks the pandemic-influenced home trends that are here to stay:

Outdoor living: we’ve turned concrete courtyards into lush gardens, put in pools and created garden zones.

Home offices: fed-up with makeshift dining table setups, we created tech hubs and comfortable, creative work and study spaces.

Nesting: furniture upgrades, room refreshes and a move from away open-plan living

Sea and tree change; after all, why live in the city when you no longer have to? And of course, everyone is getting pets, spurring a whole new approach to how people furnish their homes.

In the past 12 months our increasing focus on home saw waves of emotional and financial investment in it.

The Behan family who have recently renovated home with a pool in Hurlstone park. Farrah and Chris Behan Archie, 10yrs Harriet, 8yrs PictureÕs Darren Leigh Roberts

Stuart Tucker, chief customer officer of hipages, says the first interest was security.

“Then the trend moved towards making homes more comfortable,” Stuart says.

“Now, we’re seeing Aussie homeowners focusing on pools and outdoor entertainment spaces.” For example, between spring 2019 and spring 2020, pool builder-related jobs shot up by a staggering 175 per cent. We couldn’t get to Bali — so we brought Bali to us, or so it seems.

A survey commissioned for At Home found more than 40 per cent of respondents named a yard or garden as the most important feature of their ideal home, followed by more space in general (38 per cent). People now put more value in living close to parks (38 per cent) than work (20 per cent) or public transport (25 per cent).

Almost 40 per cent of people said they had renovation and upgrade plans this year, whether DIY or professional.

This week we meet two couples who have poured time and money into their backyards, genuinely transforming their lives.

‘A PROJECT MANAGER MADE THE DIFFERENCE’

“We bought our house in Hurlstone Park, in Sydney’s inner west, in 2010 when our son Archie was just six weeks old. He’s 10 now and we also have Harriet, eight. At the end of 2019 we moved out of the house and in with my mother so we could renovate.

It was a significant build. We kept the facade of the house and the front three rooms, but the entire rear of the house was knocked down. We added a new extension on the ground floor and a second storey as well. And we put in a pool.

Design and build company Home Impact started on the house in February 2020 and we were back in just before Christmas.

The Behan family who have recently renovated home with a pool in Hurlstone park. Farrah and Chris Behan Archie, 10yrs Harriet, 8yrs PictureÕs Darren Leigh Roberts

Having someone project manage the process made a massive difference. We both work and it meant we didn’t have to worry about dealing directly with contractors and tradespeople.

We are all loving having more space, especially as, thanks to COVID, we’re home a lot more. Before the renovation we didn’t really have an outdoor area that we could eat and relax in. We now have a nice big deck overlooking the pool and enough room for a dining and lounge area outside.

We’ve been having a lot of alfresco meals out near the barbecue and it’s just lovely to have the pool for the kids to enjoy and for us too.

We were really aiming to create a relaxed, holiday-at-home style lifestyle. We loved the idea of being able to spend time at home with the children happily entertained and to have friends and family over to enjoy the pool as well.”

Farrah, 42, and Chris Behan, 48, with Archie, 10 and Harriet, eight, of Hurlstone Park, Sydney.

PUPPY SIZED CHALLENGES

“Lockdown threw a spanner in the works for 2020, but we were fortunate to be able to buy our first home in Mentone, Victoria, in September.

When we moved in the small courtyard was barren. I had visions of filling the space with lush greenery and fruit trees and vegetable plants. We wanted to create a space we could enjoy for entertaining and relaxing, but would also provide herbs and vegetables.

Madeleine Stuchbery and Lachlan Gillies (with Nugget) moved into their new Mentone home during COVID and completely transformed the courtyard into a little haven. Picture: Rob Leeson.

The moment Bunnings and nurseries reopened, we spent our weekends improving the soil, repotting established fruit trees, and sowing seeds. We bought a fence stain in a charcoal colour, which gave the space a modern feel and makes the colourful rockery mix we planted really pop.

The constraints of lockdown meant we were able to dedicate our time to nurturing the garden. Having a puppy presented its challenges though … We had to use box planters and terracotta pots so everything was out of Nugget’s reach, especially my strawberries. He still occasionally samples my thyme plant, but if anything this just shows he has good taste.

My best tip for creating a garden is be patient. It was frustrating waiting for seeds to emerge and for flowers to grow. We still have lots to work on, and we’re now turning our attention to our front yard, but now when I look out the kitchen window while making my morning coffee, I’m really proud of the fruitful and vibrant oasis we have created.”

For more visit Home Impact.