10 Years of Renovation: How a Family Updated an Old House by Themselves

Owners of this cottage in Melbourne's suburbs—Peter and Helen, with their son Hudson and two dogs Jeffrey and Byron—have been gradually transforming their dream home for the past ten years, and they're doing quite well.

The house spans two floors and three levels, with the back wall replaced by panoramic glass windows leading to a pool. Peter and Helen chose not to change the non-standard layout but instead made it a distinctive feature of their home.

On the first floor, they placed the dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and guest room. On the second floor of the first level—guest living area and owner's bedroom. The study and Hudson’s bedroom are located on the second level.

Peter and Helen run a family business: their company specializes in construction. The family believes that their home is the best project they’ve ever worked on.

The idea of purchasing a new house came to the owners after a relaxing vacation following a grueling school year.

At that time, we were living in another suburb, and every day we had to drive 45 minutes one way to take Hudson to school. It was quite tiring.

After the vacation, Helen started searching for a new place to live and found exactly what she needed almost immediately. When the future owners visited the property, opinions were divided. The run-down exterior and outdated interior made Peter want to leave quickly, but Helen had different plans.

I grabbed his hand and said: "Don't you see what could come from this?"

Helen couldn’t take her eyes off the high ceilings made of cedar panels and the spacious interior. She convinced her husband to buy the house, and they moved in 30 days later.

During the renovation, the couple divided responsibilities: Peter handled the exterior and facade of the house, while Helen focused on space zoning and interior design. For the next six months, the family lived in their old house, planning what to do next. Then, over the course of ten years, they slowly brought everything into order—after work, on weekends, and even during Christmas holidays.

There are many decorative elements in the interior that help set the mood. To define spaces, they used color: white and black tones divide the space into vertical and horizontal lines.

The kitchen remains in its original form and is still waiting for its turn to be updated. The only change—Helen painted the top shelf and the lower part of the bar counter black to contrast with white, creating a sense of space and light. By the way, updating the kitchen is still the main topic for family discussions.

Currently, what we both definitely want is to make the kitchen larger.The bar counter doubles as a work surface and a curtain hiding the dishwasher, microwave oven, and storage space.

Thanks to the panoramic windows in the living room, there is plenty of natural light. One wall was chosen as an accent and decorated with a collection of family photos and meaningful gifts (the family even calls it the 'love collection'). There’s also a fireplace that brings the whole family together on cool evenings.

The bedroom follows the same color palette: black and white tones enhanced with warm wood tones. The dark walls help define space, and the darker hues on vertical surfaces don’t look gloomy.

Paintings above the bed were created by our son when he was six years old.

Hudson’s bedroom is furnished according to the interests and preferences of this 16-year-old teenager. Minimal furniture and decor, maximum air and open space.

The bathroom, like the kitchen, has remained untouched. It also features two main colors—white and black—with a green fern adding freshness to the interior.