Renovated house becomes a home

The West Australian, 27th February 2010

When Graham and Cheryl Chave bought this North Perth red-brick character home, they intended it to be an investment property. But so impressed were they by the renovation that Dale Alcock Home Improvement carried out on the house, they decided to movie in.

The owners said they were now enjoying everything that inner-city life had to offer, having previously lived in the outer suburbs. “Hyde Park is just around the corner and there are lots of restaurants in the area,” Mr Chave said.

The fairly extensive renovation process began with the conversion of a fourth bedroom abutting the main bedroom at the front of the home into a walk-in robe and ensuite.

“It was the smallest bedroom of all of them so it was ideal to do that,” Mr Chave explained.

Along the hallway that bisects the house, a second archway was added about halfway down to match the existing one at the entrance. As with all of the areas of the home improved during the renovation, the hall has cornicing, ceiling centrepieces and skirting boards that match the style in which the original residence was built.

To one side of the hall behind the existing study is a room that could serve equally well as a bedroom, living area or formal dining room, but is used by the Chaves as a space to display their considerable collection of ceramics and glassware.

To the other side of the hallway are an additional bathroom, laundry and powder room. The bathroom like the ensuite is finished to a high standard that combines modern conveniences, including semi-frameless shower screens, with aesthetically appropriate details such as the diamond-pattern floor tiles.

At the end of the hallway, a door, topped with stained-glass detail that matches the glass in the front door, leads to an open-plan living, dining and kitchen space to the rear of the home.

Much of this area, as well as the bathroom and laundry, occupies space previously taken up by a “terrible” 1981 addition.

“There were lots of recycled materials and a low, pitched roof, so we decided to get rid of it,” Mr Chave said.

The well-appointed open-plan space features a large living area and a kitchen that overlooks the dining table. Two banks of timber doors open onto the capacious, timber-decked alfresco area.

A paved area, surrounded by plantings in beds and pots, and a double garage with access to a rear laneway, round out the backyard.