It was love and first sight when Patrick and Ruby Shields inspected their Mount Evelyn dwelling 5 years in the past. The couple felt crowded of their present St Kilda rental, so the second they noticed the home’s secluded and tranquil treetop views, they knew it was ‘the one’.

‘Thoughts you, the remainder of the home was in a disarray,’ Patrick says within the newest episode of TDF Talks. The home was a deceased property and was already midway by means of a renovation on the time. It featured ‘dingy hallway’, ‘a very horrible 2000s reno within the residing space,’ whereas downstairs was ‘actually simply constructing wrap and a body’.

The preliminary plan was to flip the home and transfer on, however as soon as they moved in, they realised it was going to be a a lot larger challenge than they anticipated. Ruby and Pat had been each working full-time, and renovating the home themselves on the weekends and evenings — typically on the instruments till 1am.

It shortly grew to become a shared ardour challenge, and an area to check out Ruby’s dream designs and Patrick’s carpentry abilities. They’ve been engaged on the property ever since, and have up to date nearly each floor of the house!

Hear the total story behind this five-year renovation in our podcast, and discover a few of the highlights beneath.

How they saved cash by reusing present supplies

Ruby and Pat made the a lot of the dwelling’s present supplies. They stored a few of the cabinetry carcasses within the kitchen, however put new drawer fronts on most of them, and used the corten metal they discovered within the shed to create new cladding. And every bit of stone and granite they’ve integrated into the loos and benchtops additionally got here from a ‘stack’ they discovered within the shed!

Why it’s vital to stay along with your trades from the beginning

A lot of the home has been construct by Ruby and Pat alone, however alongside they method they’ve additionally discovered a number of key tradespeople, together with a ‘great’ electrician and plumbers. ‘That could be a actually large tip, to not change electricians, particularly in the event you’re doing it over such a protracted time period,’ Ruby explains. It meant that at the same time as their design and concepts developed, they may rely on their electrician to recall the place he’d run the strains once they needed so as to add a brand new wall gentle or pendant.

Why it is best to look to the consultants for some DIY recommendation

As we speak, Pat is a professional carpenter and Ruby is a working inside designer, however the couple admit they had been fairly naive once they began out. The couple did all of the plastering, tiling, and portray themselves with nearly no prior expertise! They credit score a variety of what they learnt to easily asking different tradespeople from Pat’s work for some ideas and tips — together with easy suggestions like what glue to make use of.

How Ruby styled the house on a funds

One of many largest challenges was turning the couple’s large concepts into actuality, on a restricted funds. ‘I’m going by means of all my design books, and I select the little options in them earlier than working how how can I try this with my very own issues, and what I would like to purchase’ Ruby explains. She says a variety of the mid-century furnishings items of their dwelling have come from spending hours on Fb Market, and she or he additionally discovered their Italian travertine espresso desk at no cost, in laborious garbage! This resourceful method allowed her to splurge and buy chosen dream items brand-new (just like the &Custom Flowerpot Lamp), whereas their classic Featherstone couch was Gumtree rating.

Why it is best to beware the hardships of a live-in renovation

If you happen to can keep away from it, Pat suggests you don’t dwell within the dwelling when you renovate. ‘It’ll make the challenge go a lot faster, and you’ll plan issues out higher and your stuff doesn’t get dusty. You’re not persistently transferring stuff and setting apart time to do the construct persistently — it’s far more productive,’ Pat says.

The couple have grow to be a bit ‘addicted’ to altering and re-designing their house, and agree it’s worthwhile making a powerful plan and stricter funds. However finally Ruby’s recommendation is simply to embrace the method, and ‘be daring’!

Hearken to the total episode with Pat and Ruby beneath, or discover TDF Talks on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!