Knockdown in lockdown: how the pandemic proved an ideal time to rebuild

Most people spent April 2020 bunkered down after Covid-19 triggered a ­national lockdown. But not the Conisbees, who were in the midst of knocking down their northern Sydney home.

Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee at home with her family Anna, Tom and husband Damien in Freshwater on Sydney’s northern beaches. Picture: Nikki Short

Most people spent April 2020 bunkered down in their homes after the first wave of Covid-19 triggered a ­national lockdown.

But not the Conisbees, who were in the midst of knocking down their home in the northern Sydney suburb of Freshwater.

Nerida Conisbee, who is national real estate network Ray White’s chief economist, still remembers the feeling of seeing the empty block after the 1920s structure quickly crumbled under the might of machines.

“At the time, the bulldozer was coming through and all I could think was, ‘Oh my goodness, now we don’t even have a house to live in’,” Conisbee says.

Although, hindsight is always handy.

Nerida Conisbee’s Freshwater home.

Conisbee and husband Damien purchased the original beach house in 2015 when they relocated their young family from Melbourne to Sydney. They had talked to friends and did some research, choosing the Northern Beaches suburb because of its proximity to some of the best ­pieces of sandy coastline in the city.

“We wanted to live somewhere that was quintessentially Sydney,” she says.

“The house we bought was in a great location, it was close to the beach. But it was a very old home that was built in the 1920s and hadn’t really been looked after. We had a nice garden and a big block but the house itself was quite decrepit.”

They always had the intention of knocking the house down and building something new and, after five years, the stars had aligned despite the pandemic.

Starting the build early into the pandemic was a blessing in disguise. Massive building demand from government stimulus and supply chain issues caused costs to skyrocket, but the family were lucky to have dodged a lot of the extra price pressures.

Clean lines and airy-light whites and creams were used throughout the home’s styling.

While they rented nearby, Clarendon Homes was charged with the ­design and construction of the Hamptons-style, four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with study that was chosen to fit in with the broader streetscape of the suburb. A large entertaining area with a pool was built, while ample space was included inside for when family from Melbourne wanted to come and visit.

“It was a good process,” Conisbee says. “We were building through the pandemic so there were periods of lockdown, particularly at the end.

“At the end of 2021, we were a little bit caught out with the lockdown, which was also quite stressful because rents were going up.

“We had to negotiate with our landlords, which was quite an interesting process.”

While the couple had some experience in home building – they previously completed a large renovation on their Melbourne home in Heidelberg and Damien Conisbee is a carpenter by trade – they were surprised by the number of decisions they had to make, from the orientation of the pool to the style and colour of the ­cornices.

Clarendon Homes was charged with the ­design and construction of the Hamptons-style, four-bedroom, two-bathroom home.

Clean lines and airy-light whites and creams were used throughout the home’s styling, under the direction of BoConcept Furniture interior stylist Corey Kenny. Conisbee didn’t want the home to be bland, with pops of mustards and earthy greens covering signature furniture pieces and quirky art.

“It’s very much that Hampton style that we were after, clean lines and the like,” she says.

“We’ve kept it fairly conservative, we haven’t gone too overboard in terms of furnishings (but) we did put in some fun elements.”

After 18 months, the home was complete – neither Nerida or Damien Conisbee wanted the process to stretch out and become more of an impediment than an excitement. After getting the keys, landscaping was quickly sorted so that the family could sit back and enjoy.