Author // Georgina Auton, Place Graceville
Petroh and Alison Daczynski have lived in Jamboree Heights for the past 15 years, and their house looks COMPLETELY different now to when they first bought it.
We chat to Petroh about the highs and lows of renovating and their life in the home.
Before
After
When did you buy the house and did you see potential when you bought it?
I bought the house in 2003 and it was without doubt the worst house in the street but I saw the potential in it.
It’s a highset home which had been turned into two units, however the previous renovations were appalling, to say the least.
My intention was always to convert it into a two-storey executive-style home, but still with a distinct separation between upstairs and downstairs, including a kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms on each level.
The master bedroom after renovations.
When did you begin renovations and how long did they take?
The renovations started straight away and continued over 15 years.
I wasn’t a carpenter at this stage, but a good majority of my mates were either chippies or builders.
With that being said, I have always had a great eye for detail and when it came to the structural side of things, I always had an amazing group of blokes that were keen to lend a hand and impart some advice.
The renos happened in stages as I could afford it over the years, which is why it took so long.
The living area post-renovation
So did you do the renovations yourself?
I did the bulk of the carpentry work with qualified carpenters helping and keeping a watch over proceedings to ensure everything was done by the book, as I’m a little OCD and believe if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing right.
I had a mate of a mate start the plastering work and watched what he was doing and asked a few questions, so I did the bulk of the plastering work myself as well.
I built some of the cabinetry, installed the downstairs kitchen and also some of the tiling.
I have always had the mindset of “how hard can it be?” and worst case scenario, I can always pull it down and get someone in.
Of course, everything had to get certified and council approved.
One of the bathrooms post-reno
Why did you become a carpenter?
I started my apprenticeship around a decade ago after labouring on site and also spending a couple of years in other related professions.
As for becoming a carpenter, a builder mate of mine offered me a trade’s assistant job and a year into it offered me an apprenticeship.
We worked on some amazing homes, specialising in renovations to Queenslanders, post-war and Federation style homes around the Brisbane western suburbs.
We also had a niche in doing pressed metal ceilings, with one of our jobs being featured in Woman’s Weekly and we got commissioned to renew the Sandgate Town Hall.
Love the wooden floorboards!
What do you love about the renovated property?
What I love the most about the renovated property is everywhere I turn I can say “I did that”, but my favourite features are the kitchen, the spiral staircase and the front deck.
Can you talk us through the renovation process?
There was constant fixing or replacing of previous work from the prior renovations.
I had to make sure that was right before I could advance and make it look like I wanted.
I ended up doing a complete mains rewire of the electrical systems as it was a shambles with cables running under carpet.
Coming home to find the hot water system on fire because of previous dodgy wiring is always fun!
I also removed a wall to open up the kitchen, lounge, dining area.
There were, of course, the milestone moments, like when the spiral staircase went in, finishing the ensuite, re-cladding and rendering the external walls to modernise the look.
The back of the property after renovations.
Do you plan to repeat the process or do you want to buy an already renovated property next time around?
I have since bought another renovator from hell with my wife. This time, we have a baby on the way.
People I talk to think I’m nuts to undertake such a big job on with an impending family, but I can’t help myself, I just see the potential in something and go for it.
I’m of the mindset that I have these skills I’ve spent over half my life fine-tuning, and it would be a waste not to use them to make myself and my family money!