EIGHTEEN months ago, Noeleen McQueen and her husband Peter saw the potential in a replica character house at 42 Hilda St, Corinda.
The couple had been searching for a suitable Brisbane family home after deciding to relocate with their two daughters from northern New South Wales.
With a Queenslander-style property on the north side of town proving hard to find, a hot tip from a friend steered them toward what has been their fourth renovation project.
“It was for sale and my girlfriend mentioned it to me who lives over this side of town,” Ms McQueen said.
“It had the four car garage and it was basically a really good shell.
“It was brown and there was nothing in the backyard.”
“Nothing” has been transformed into arguably one of the most spectacular pool houses in Brisbane.
“We both wanted a place with a pool and thought, here’s an opportunity to do what we want with the place and turn it into something nice,” Ms McQueen said.
Nice is somewhat of an understatement for the enclosable outdoor space which reflects a similar aesthetic to the main house.
“The pool house wasn’t in the original plan,” Ms McQueen said.
“Originally, I wanted to put in a slightly longer pool and when pool guy came around and saw the house he said, ‘No, you need a pool house to compliment and tie it all in’.
“As soon as that was suggested I knew exactly what we’d want that to look like too.”
A central stone fireplace, high timber ceilings and built-in shelves add a sense of luxury but the real winner with the younger generation is the television which is hooked up to Foxtel and the internet.
“It’s great when you’ve got a hoard of kids around because instead of all coming in here, you put the telly on and they can go in there,” Ms McQueen said from the large rear deck which includes an outdoor barbecue and fridge.
Cook indoors in a beautifully constructed kitchen which overlooks an open-plan living area dressed up in the Hamptons style every buyer seems to love.
Mustard coloured walls have been replaced by crisp whites.
“I don’t like colour but I like texture,” Ms McQueen said.
“I really like a cool clean look but then I really like the textures.”
Her husband’s burgeoning friendship with their Croatian stone supplier resulted in an eye-catching office feature wall.
“He’s a passionate guy in the industry for 26 years,” he said.
“I went into his factory one day and he was swearing away about a big hunk of stone broken in half.
“I just said to him, ‘I want that’.
“I saw it as a piece of art.”
The couple had planned to enjoy the result of their hard labour but a dream of raising their daughters on acreage has come to fruition.
Their four-bedroom, three-bathroom home is scheduled to go under the hammer on Thursday, November 17 at Place Estate Agents’ in-room auctions.
Originally Published: http://www.couriermail.com.au/