Dream suburb too good to turn down for Michelle and Brooke
The second house transformed on air on this seasons House Rules was South Australian parents Michelle and Brooke.
The Adelaide parents have a 1920's Californian bungalow with a mortgage of $426,000, their prize should they win the Channel 7 competition.
Michelle and Brooke were ecstatic to have bought a house in their dream suburb.
“We love the area; we love the people," Brooke said.
"It’s a great little community especially for Michelle as it’s very arty.
"We are so close to the city, the trams, the beach, close to everything.
Brooke, 43, is a landscaper and ex-footballer who spent a year on the Adelaide Crows books and notched up 165 games in the SANFL for West Adelaide and Glenelg.
“We are set up for retirement - we are next to the bowls club, the tennis club and the croquet club," added wife Michelle.
But the only reason they could afford their house is the fact it sits, literally, right next to the freight train main route from Adelaide to Melbourne.
“Even though we are used to them and they don’t bother us that much, every now and then this massive freight train comes by.” says Michelle.
The inside was a bit of a shambles as well, bringing the price down into their price range.
“I had always wanted a house we could do work to; an old character home we could put our love and inspiration into,” says landscaper Brooke, who admits to having plenty of love but not enough money to bring his ideas to life.
But he had a good start with some basic renos when they first moved in, mainly because cooking in the original kitchen ended up producing inedible meals.
“The chimney was still open so every time you were cooking if there was wind then soot would come down all into your food,” explains Brooke.
So they installed a new kitchen, but admit it is in the wrong location in the house as the bathroom sits right to it.
They did other basic necessities like painting, floorboards and fixing the ceilings – but alas, they have cracked and sagged again already.
“They are still the original horsehair ceilings so they have all dropped and so you can see all the gaps and the dust coming through,” he says.
Designer Michelle admits to being extremely nervous about handing over her keys and the design of her home to anyone else.
“I’m really particular and I know how I like things,” she admits.
“People say that when they buy me presents they are really nervous as I’m quite fussy; it’s rare that someone buys me something I love.”
Parents to Addison, eight, and Tildie, five, they wrestled with the idea of leaving their kids behind to embark on a national renovation tour, but in the end they say they are doing it for the benefit of their family.
“The reason it is all happening is for them, we stressed to them the whole time we are going to build a new house so you have a new room and can invite people over,” says Brooke.
The first couple on 2016's House Rules were Fil and Joe, who have a 1950's weatherboard house in Melbourne.
The third house renovated on this year's House Rules series was Team NSW Nancy and Daniel, who's rundown 60's house lies halfway between their parent's homes.
