Renovate or Rebuild Episode 3 Recap

In this episode we head to the south-eastern Sydney suburb of Malabar, 15kms from the CBD. Here we meet Carl, Kerensa, and their two active kids.

The young family moved to Malabar just under 5 years ago. Previously living on a busy main road in Randwick, they were not only looking for a new house but a new lifestyle offering peace and tranquillity.

Malabar delivers this in spades, with a picturesque 200 metre sandy beach framed with sandstone rocks and cliffs, calm swimming conditions, rock pools, and relatively few visitors. One of Sydney’s best kept secrets, Malabar is a top choice for young children and families.

“Driving around the corner you feel like you’re coming into a peaceful coastal town”, said Kerensa.

Like most suburbs in Sydney, the price of a great lifestyle doesn’t come cheap – the median house price range is $2.5M.

The family is at a crossroads – they need more space and they know the house really doesn’t take advantage of its incredible beachfront location. They question is, should they renovate or rebuild?

The block itself is long and narrow. They are restricted on the sides with neighbours, so would have to build up to achieve a larger footprint and see the full horizon of the ocean instead of just a snapshot.

In terms of design, they want a mid-century modern beach house, infused with colour and textures of wood, stone, and brass. If there was any feature from the existing property they would like to retain, it would be the classic breeze blocks at the front of the property.
As much as they like the existing property, Carl and Kerensa don’t feel there is much worth retaining and are leaning towards a rebuild.

Team Renovate: Andy and Deb

As our Team Renovate duo, Andy and Deb approached Carl and Kerensa’s home they were immediately drawn to the breeze block design. While they liked the ‘cute’ exterior, they couldn’t ignore how small and dark the entrance and lounge room is. They also decided the wall running through the front of the house needs to go.

Moving to the back of the house, they were wowed by the money-shot ocean views, and knew they needed to plan the renovation to maximise them. It wasn’t long, however, before they felt the impact of the sun through the windows. “You’d absolutely fry in summer”, exclaimed Andy.

Knowing they’d have a tough job on their hands, Andy and Deb still agreed that the house showed great potential for a renovation.

Team Rebuild: Norm and Jess

“Is this it?”

It was clear from the get-go that Norm and Jess weren’t fans of Carl and Kerena’s beachfront abode. Not even the breeze blocks could impress, with Norm commenting that they looked a bit dated.

Heading inside, their impression of the house only worsened. They joked that the lounge room was so small and dark that you could develop photos in there. Like Team Renovate, they could tell that the back of the house would get uncomfortably hot during summer.

The house reminded Jess of her old teeth – the dentist said they had no hope, so she got new ones! To them, the solution is obvious – knock it down and build a beautiful sustainable home. “You could make a fortune having a flash house in this area”, Jess added.

Design Consultations

Assisting both teams with their designs is Todd Small, a talented architect at award-winning Architectural Designer Arkhaus.

Team Renovate were left flabbergasted after their consultation with Todd, who told them in no uncertain terms that, from a practicality and cost perspective, the house should be knocked down.

“It isn’t cheaper to renovate”, said Todd. He explained that, given the logistics of a major renovation, particularly getting things in and out of the site, it would be cheaper to rebuild. Not only that, but a rebuild would leave the owners with a healthier, more practical product designed for 21st century living.

Although the news was both ‘brutal’ and ‘soul-crushing’ for Andy and Deb, they reassured us that they aren’t ‘Team Give Up’ and they don’t mind a challenge.

Norm and Jess were clearly thrilled to have Todd in their corner for a rebuild. When discussing the issue of climate control, Todd shared that one of the advantages of a rebuild is that you can implement a ‘passive design‘ which employs sensible measures and philosophies that allows a building to cool itself.

While the teams left Todd to work on their designs, they visited some incredible properties for inspiration and ideas.

Norm and Jess took Carl and Kerensa to visit a luxurious Penthouse in Bellevue Hill, Sydney. The gorgeous property was a hit with the couple. They loved the feeling of space that was achieved through lofty ceilings and big, open Deceuninck uPVC double-glazed windows manufactured by Integra Windows. The innovative windows not only looked great but provided excellent thermal insulation.

Meanwhile, Andy and Deb visited a stunning family home in Wollongong for some ideas on how to insulate and scale Carl and Kerensa’s existing home on a budget. The property owners had recently used Panelups prefabrication system together with prefabricated Bondor panels that not only provide insulation year around but also helped builder Unique Style Homes get from slab to lockup in only 7 days.

The Verdict

The two different solutions were judged by an expert panel on style, sustainability, and cost. The judges are real estate expert, Nick Papas, building and property expert, Natalee Bowen and interior designer, James Treble. Each judge will give a final score out of 10.

Ultimately the decision will come down to Carl and Kerensa — will they renovate or rebuild? Their decision will add an additional two points to the final tally.

If you want to watch this episode before seeing the scores you can watch on catch up TV on 9Now.