Anyone who has undertaken any home renovations knows, it’s often a painful, and expensive process, no matter how much planning has gone before.
And unless you’ve got the ‘bug’ it’s unlikely you’d consider doing more than one; something that’s clearly not the case for ‘pro’ renovators Belinda and Chris Todd, of Palm Beach.
The Queensland duo are now on their fourth home and this project – an entire rebuild from the ground up – was renovation-mad couple’s biggest yet.
The Todd’s bought the 1970s brick-and-tile for $584,000 last May with the intention of demolishing it
‘Keeping it simple’ said Belinda helped when it came to Council approvals
Belinda’s daughter, Marley, four, pitching in on the build with a special ‘fairy blessing’
Speaking to Femail about the incredibly fast build – one which makes The Block look like a doddle – Belinda Todd said going in with great plans made a massive difference.
‘We already knew what we wanted which was very much your classic Hampton’s style.
‘We were able to take our ideas to our draftsman who is a family friend and he created the plans.’
Once the build got going it was all hands, including Belinda’s, to the pump
The Todd’s vision was to create a four bedroom, three bathroom Hampton’s inspired mansion
The 34-year-old said the pair tried kept things as simple so they could get council approval without any issues.
‘We wanted to get underway pretty quickly so we didn’t push any boundaries.’
Although the couple had purchased the property last May, their renovation plans were pushed out to the beginning of this year – when, Belinda said, it was ‘all go’.
‘When the New Year hit all the foundations went in. We had no stops along the way.’
Luckily the mum-of-two explained, her brother-in-law is a multi-award winning Master Builder and works with an ‘amazing team’ who kept everything on track.
The pair, along with the team, worked at breakneck speed to create mansion which is set to go to auction later this month
Mates celebrating a milestone moment as the roof goes on
Keeping to budget was another story though, with their draftsman’s budget and their builders estimated costs both being different.
Undaunted, the ‘pro’ who has flipped three previous properties, said a rejig of the square meterage, as well as tackling jobs themselves including a lot of the demolition and landscaping, bought the overlap back into line.
‘We came in right on budget which we’re really happy about.’
It’s hard to believe that within three short months the pair created this stunning dream home – and without blowing the budget
Belinda used her ‘fashion eye’ to create the elegant, and inspired, interiors throughout
The spacious home features stunning American oak floors throughout
A child-friendly pool compliments a garden entertaining area
The pair, along with the team, worked at breakneck speed to create the four bedroom, three bathroom style mansion which is set to go to auction later this month.
While it’s impossible to tell what the Hampton’s style home will fetch when it goes under the hammer, it’s likely it will be much more than the $584,000 the Todds originally paid.
Once the property sells the family will head off on a caravan adventure around Australia.
When they return in the New Year Belinda revealed, a fifth project is on the cards.
Chris Todd (pictured left) Belinda (in the middle) and Rick Addinsall – the couple’s Master Builder (pictured right) are now all ‘old hands’ at the renovation game
Given the pair are now ‘old hands’ at the renovation game, would they consider a stint on The Block?
‘It’s something we usually joke about, but we had a more serious conversation about it the other day.
‘We’re still married after this many renovations so obviously we’d be able to handle the pressure.’