Check out this amazing renovation that could add $130k of value to your home

We all know that first impressions count. And when it comes to our homes, we want potential buyers or visitors to see them in the best light possible – after all, our homes are a reflection of us.

That's why making sure the outside of your property is well-kept and presentable is so important. It doesn't matter how big or small your home is; adding a few thoughtful finishing touches can make all the difference.



One young family from Kurnell in NSW found this out the hard way when they decided to enlist the help of TV renovation queen Cherie Barber to give their property a facelift.

The family had two garages on either side of their home filled with old junk and knew they needed to do something about it if they wanted to add value to their home.


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One family from NSW had their garage transformed by a renovation expert. Credit: Cherie Barber.



Thankfully, Cherie Barber, who is also popularly known as 'Australia's Renovation Queen', was up for the challenge.

In just three days, she and her team managed to transform one of the grungy old garages into a lavish living space – and added an impressive $130,000 in value to the property in doing so!

Here's how they did it…



The first step was to get rid of all the junk and let the natural light in. So, the renovation experts demolished one wall that faced into the backyard and installed a brand new, three-metre bi-fold door.

'The face of the garage, which had the new door installed, was clad in exterior grade VJ panels that were quick and easy to install,' Cherie detailed on her website.

She recommended these types of panels to anyone who wants to instantly improve the feel of a space but doesn't have the time to break their back on projects.


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The interior of the garage before the renovation. Credit: Cherie Barber.




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The interior of the garage after the renovation. Credit: Cherie Barber.



Following this, the family allowed Cherie to install a wooden deck outside of the bi-fold door.

One of the hardest elements of the renovation was installing proper drainage under the deck. This ensured that the deck could catch any excess water in heavy rain.

Cherie also installed lights around the deck and two external wall lights on either side of the door. 'They not only look good but add a touch of resort glamour at night,' she said.



Anyone who wants to add value to their home should go for painting – or 'liquid gold' as Cherie calls it. She opted for Taubmans Weathershield for this garage and applied it with a spray gun over four hours.

Finally, she added a folding arm and retractable awning from Wynstan to the outside of the garage to provide the family with some shade in the scorching sun.

'It was a luxury addition but adds so much, not only for practicality but visual aesthetics too,' she said.


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From the outside, the garage looked like this before any renovation was done. Credit: Cherie Barber.




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This is how it looks now. Credit: Cherie Barber.



The family gave Cherie free reign to design the interior, just specifying that they wanted a home office and a separate, comfortable sitting area.

'Rather than playing it safe with traditional lighter or creamy hues, I went with moody, dark colours that lend a sense of drama to the space, choosing a dark chocolate brown colour called Star Anise for the main feature wall,' Cherie said.

She put up a curtain to hide the 'ugly' garage door from inside the house, and she used a combination of vinyl and wood for the flooring because of its resistance to water and scratches.



The garage restoration added $130,000 to the home's worth, according to an appraisal done after the project was completed.

After paying for everything (all trade labour at retail rates, all building supplies, and all the furnishings and interior design) to the tune of $42,870.39, the net profit was an astounding $87,129.61.

'A nice bonus for this family to receive,' said Cherie.

Wow, that's quite a change; if we hadn't known better, we wouldn't have guessed that the before and after photos were of the same location! What are your thoughts on Cherie's garage makeover, members? Share them with us in the comments!
 

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The transformation is unbelievable. The before and after pictures of the garage remind me of those home renovation shows where a designer changes the house completely, making it look more spacious and glamorous. Now I’m thinking about renovating my garage, to make it look more pleasant. My garage is not cluttered, I’m pretty organized, but I mostly use it for storage. The garage in the picture now looks like a living room, which also adds more space to the home. I would love another room furnished in a modern style, with big UPVC French doors and sidelites, so the light comes in. Of course, for now it’s just a dream, as I don’t have the money to renovate, but thanks for the inspiration.
 
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I don't have any spaces that need renovating as my house is only five years old but I do love seeing what other people have done.
In years gone by I have knocked down my fair share of walls and moved internal services etc. to modernise a space, part of me is glad I'm past that now but another part of me misses the chance to change a vision into reality. ;) :rolleyes:
 
I don't have any spaces that need renovating as my house is only five years old but I do love seeing what other people have done.
In years gone by I have knocked down my fair share of walls and moved internal services etc. to modernise a space, part of me is glad I'm past that now but another part of me misses the chance to change a vision into reality. ;) :rolleyes:
Know how you feel, I just love renovating and interior design.
Have done 16 houses over the last 30 years. Have just finished the one I currently live in.
Need to stop, at 75 it's getting a bit like hard work, nonetheless was back looking at property on the internet last night.
Am also addicted to buying and selling realestate. Sell the properties myself after renovating. Do not believe in paying realestate agents astronomical fees for showing people around my house, can do that myself and the paperwork for the sale is reasonably straight forward.
Obviously don't do the settlement, not so simple, leave that to the people who know what they're doing.
 
Know how you feel, I just love renovating and interior design.
Have done 16 houses over the last 30 years. Have just finished the one I currently live in.
Need to stop, at 75 it's getting a bit like hard work, nonetheless was back looking at property on the internet last night.
Am also addicted to buying and selling realestate. Sell the properties myself after renovating. Do not believe in paying realestate agents astronomical fees for showing people around my house, can do that myself and the paperwork for the sale is reasonably straight forward.
Obviously don't do the settlement, not so simple, leave that to the people who know what they're doing.
Would love to see photos of your work !
would love to buy houses , renovate and sell
 
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Know how you feel, I just love renovating and interior design.
Have done 16 houses over the last 30 years. Have just finished the one I currently live in.
Need to stop, at 75 it's getting a bit like hard work, nonetheless was back looking at property on the internet last night.
Am also addicted to buying and selling realestate. Sell the properties myself after renovating. Do not believe in paying realestate agents astronomical fees for showing people around my house, can do that myself and the paperwork for the sale is reasonably straight forward.
Obviously don't do the settlement, not so simple, leave that to the people who know what they're doing.
I used to do all the paperwork myself too, up until this last move when I had an agent. He wanted me to accept a lower offer on my place so I made him drop his fees by the same amount so I wasn't worse off! He wasn't happy but he did it! ;) :)
 
This has inspired me, I was only saying the other day about turning my garage into a granny flat .
My only problem is getting hubby to move his tools and work bench out !
That's the problem, the tools and bench need a home so that's a shed, the one housing the mower and gardening equipment would never do so the new one has to be bigger and better. If he's like my hubby you couldn't possibly downsize the number of tools, each has a specific job, even if you've never seen it being used! Suddenly the quite easy job turns out to be bigger than Ben Hur, been there, done that, had those conversations!!:rolleyes:
 
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That's the problem, the tools and bench need a home so that's a shed, the one housing the mower and gardening equipment would never do so the new one has to be bigger and better. If he's like my hubby you couldn't possibly downsize the number of tools, each has a specific job, even if you've never seen it being used! Suddenly the quite easy job turns out to be bigger than Ben Hur, been there, done that, had those conversations!!:rolleyes:
Maybe I can send him on a holiday and have my kids clear it out. Goodness thus man has a double garage which I now want plus 2 sheds wich he can have. 🙂
 
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That's the problem, the tools and bench need a home so that's a shed, the one housing the mower and gardening equipment would never do so the new one has to be bigger and better. If he's like my hubby you couldn't possibly downsize the number of tools, each has a specific job, even if you've never seen it being used! Suddenly the quite easy job turns out to be bigger than Ben Hur, been there, done that, had those conversations!!:rolleyes:
We are doing a bathroom renovation atm and they have disconnected the plumbing and electricity and the guy came today to see what he has to demolish and hubby wouldn't let him in as he looked really sick and when hubby said to him he doesn't look good he replied that he had Covid pretty bad last week.
Now another guy is coming out Saturday, hopefully won't put everything else behind.
 
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We spent $35,000 dollars to modernize our family home that was 27years old we still like it but my son helped me decide how to make it saleable after we put it on the market we achieved $100,000 more than before the reno
 
Don’t talk to me about renovations 😤
I’m living in one that should have been finished end of October!
Too many poor quality trades with more work than they know what to do with - and no integrity!
I’m sure it will be nice when it’s all done but it’s hard to see that far ahead😐
 
Don’t talk to me about renovations 😤
I’m living in one that should have been finished end of October!
Too many poor quality trades with more work than they know what to do with - and no integrity!
I’m sure it will be nice when it’s all done but it’s hard to see that far ahead😐
Omg and I'm complaining about my upstairs bathroom and loungeroom.

We should take photos and put up
 
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I used to do all the paperwork myself too, up until this last move when I had an agent. He wanted me to accept a lower offer on my place so I made him drop his fees by the same amount so I wasn't worse off! He wasn't happy but he did it! ;)
Would love to see photos of your work !
would love to buy houses , renovate and sell
Would like to send you some photos but one thing I am not good at is tec. Would have to be the most untec savvy person on the planet.Oh hang on that's a lie, my husband had trouble even figuring out how to make a phone call on a basic flip top phone ( as per my previous post).
Used to get my d-i-law to help me but they recently took off to NSW, I need to go take some classes then I might be able to keep up with my 6 year old grand daughter.Have to stick to the Renos for now I think.
Enjoy your evening.
 
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Used to get my d-i-law to help me but they recently took off to NSW, I need to go take some classes then I might be able to keep up with my 6 year old grand daughter.Have to stick to the Renos for now I think.
Enjoy your evening.
I'm not tech savvy either, I spend hours on the phone to my son with him walking me through how to do stuff and when I still can't do it he remotely takes over my laptop and does it for me! ;) :rolleyes:
 
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I used to do all the paperwork myself too, up until this last move when I had an agent. He wanted me to accept a lower offer on my place so I made him drop his fees by the same amount so I wasn't worse off! He wasn't happy but he did it! ;) :)
Good for you, they charge too much anyway. I think most people don't realise that you can use and post your home for sale on many websites where you get exposure on realestate.com and domain, which is definitely where you need to be if you want to sell. They don't charge you anywhere as much as the agents.
Have helped many people to do this in the past and usually got them more than agents said, they're always looking for a quick sale.
Recently got my son $50,000 more than agents told him as well as sàving him the commission.
 
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The bath , tiles and walls were supposed to be ripped out tomorrow but is happening Saturday unless hubby chases them off again

I'm doing a large shower recess instead of a bath. Dark grey floor tiles and lighter grey wall tiles

20221130_212627.jpg20221130_212633.jpg
 
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