The neighbours saw a crumbling mess while developers saw dollar signs, but Jo and Scott Goodbun could only see masses of potential in the well-loved heritage house they eventually took a punt on in Brisbane’s Wellington Point. “Everyone saw a complete dump to be capitalised on but we saw beyond that,” Jo explains.
“We knew it was going to be a great family home,” she says of the dilapidated home that was the birthplace of Queensland’s Palms Chutney and Vinegar company and a residence Jo fondly recalls from her childhood. “We referred to the house as a “grand old lady”, but it was known locally as The Palms,” she says. “We bought it off a couple in their nineties who struggled to maintain the property. The house was balancing on a third of its original stumps, every wall was out of square, the floor sagged and there was a foot drop from one corner of the house to the other.”
Unperturbed by the mammoth job ahead, Jo and Scott anticipated the renovation of the five-bedroom Queenslander home would take roughly six months. But it would be two years before the family finally finished the build.
And while many would see this delayed timeframe as a huge burden, the couple only saw the silver lining. “It was a little tough, but also great because we could consider our options,” Jo says. “The more time we had with it the more our ideas expanded. We ended up with better functionality and a savvier design.”
Given the home’s rich history, Jo and Scott repurposed many of the fixtures and fittings with gems they found on Gumtree and eBay, at deceased estates, on the side of the road and at the local dump. “We were mindful that a lot of old things could be used,” Jo says. “The tap in the kitchen was $120 off Gumtree; the 1960s rangehood I found on eBay for $120.”
RENOVATION COST
Total cost: $635,000 ($450,000 purchase price and $185,000 renovation costs, including $26,000 for re-stumping)
For nine months, Jo, Scott, Reef and their pets slept in a caravan on the 1200 sq m block. “We used the annex as a living room and play area and decked it out with plants and fairy lights. We layered the sofa with sheepskins, rugs and cushions and lit scented candles. Reef would have a bath in the esky,” Jo says. With the carport as their dining area, the family also used their outdoor pizza oven to cook meals. “We made it feel as much a home as possible.”
Taking a break helped the couple to refocus and move forward with such a long project. A surfing and yoga retreat to Bali offered some welcome respite. “While I practised yoga, Scottie and Reef would explore the towns by car and boat, feed the local cats and surf. It was magic. We thought we’d be in the house by the time the retreat rolled around, but it worked out much better this way. The floors had been done while we were away, so it was like a green light to start moving in, and I was amped that our time in the caravan could come to a close.”
JO AND SCOTT’S RENO TIPS
Keep a journal. “The book started as a sketchpad to doodle designs and keep some magazine clippings. The amount of bills was overwhelming so I wrote down every trade cost and every purchase,” Jo says.
“We took a stab in the dark with initial costs. We’d thought we could spend around $90,000 in four to six months, but a house of this heritage chews up your pennies even when you do a lot of the work yourselves. We spent $180,000 over two years,” she says.
Working within the confines of the existing home meant that Jo and Scott could be sympathetic to its rich history. Their passion for repurposing meant they left a lighter footprint on the environment while being able to create a home that was completely unique.
Jo and Scott chose to forgo an architect and instead went off a very basic “mud map”. “Our tradies are two friends of ours,” Jo says. “A lot of time was spent with them conversing and going over ideas. They had worked on a heritage home before so it was definitely in our favour.”