WHEN Gaye Davies first saw her West Orange home nine years ago she fell in love with it, despite it needing extensive renovations.
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Gaye's husband Fred, who had been an owner/builder on the couple's previous house, knew the task ahead was massive but realising how much his wife loved the property,
agreed on the move and immediately started planning his work schedule.
"When I saw the house we didn't have any intention of moving from our house," Gaye said.
"But I really liked the house, and I still do."
Even before the couple had moved into the house Fred began measuring it up and meticulously planning everything from reconfiguring the main bathroom to widening the kitchen doorways and moving archways in the formal lounge and dining wing.
However it's the state-of-the art kitchen complete with AEG appliances and a three metre long Ceasarstone bench top, that's one of the most impressive re-modelled rooms in the house.
Fred, who loves to cook, admits to spending hours planning the high-end kitchen, taking inspiration from decorating and design magazines.
The couple said they were trilled with the attention to detail given by Kitchen and Cabinet's Tom Priest.
However the ground floor of the property was one of the first areas of the house that needed attention, with large expanses of exposed brick and slate flooring making the area dark and uninviting.
"The area was very dull and claustrophobic," she Gaye.
Now light and airy the family room and adjoining library are where the family spends much of their time, when not enjoying meals in their adjacent al fresco dining area which makes the most of the house's landscaped gardens and fish pond.
"In Summer we use the area outside a lot, we have breakfast or dinner there or sometimes sit there and read in the afternoons," Fred said.
While the couple didn't plan on buying a five bedroom house they appreciate the extra room, especially when family and friends come to stay.
With only the master bedroom's ensuite left to be renovation the couple are proud of what they've achieved.
"You never find the perfect home but we could see the potential," said Gaye.
"This just feels like it's our home now."
tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au