Reimagining Everett Street: An IT Pro’s Bold Leap into Property Development

DEVELOPHER Kerryn Baguley

LOCATION Brunswick West, Victoria

ARCHITECT Little Brick Studio

PHOTOGRAPHER Dylan James

With a background in IT and years in the corporate world, Kerryn decided she wanted a challenge! Working on her own home, renovating room by room, she then wanted a bigger project – a full-scale home renovation!

Finding a property that had good bones in Brunswick West and with some inspiration from Instagram, Kerryn envisioned blending the home’s charming period features with modern touches perfect for families or professional couples.

“I have worked on delivering projects so I saw that there are a lot of transferrable skills that would apply to property development.”

Though the process had its hurdles, like managing quotes and working with tradespeople, she fell in love with the process, getting on the tools and seeing her vision come to life!

We chat to Kerryn about her Everett Street project, what she loved, what she found challenging and what she found helped her manage trades given she did not live close to the site to regularly just pop in:

What made you want to renovate? What is your background?

I have always love renovating and period properties. I have renovated my home room by room but wanted to challenge myself with a bigger project that required a building permit and complete an end to end renovations to see if I had what it took to be successful and hopefully find a pathway out of my corporate career.

My background is in IT, I’m currently working for a large financial institution as an IT program/project manager and have a background in software development. For over 20 years I have worked on delivering projects so I saw that there are a lot of transferrable skills that would apply to property development and an opportunity to learn new skills in an area that I was passion about.

What did you see in this property and how did you work out what you could do with it?

With the Everett Street project, I saw that it had good bones and it was a solid home, good size block with the potential to capture the northern light in the living areas and still allow enough garden space for a family home.

The façade was quite heavy and uninspiring but I was quickly able to find an inspo image on Instagram which enabled me to easily reimagine and transform the house into a charming home. For the extension living area, I fell in love with an image on Instagram with a raked ceiling which is a key feature of the home due to the natural light and feeling of space.

The floor plan was then workshopped during my DevelopHer one-on-one coaching call with Rebeka and Rebecca who were amazing, minor tweaks to main bathroom during a Q&A session. Then it was ready to hand over to my building designer to finesse and design the elevations.

I engaged a landscape architect early, she shared the same vision that I had for the gardens and the interaction of the internal spaces/features with the outdoor spaces. I was then able to ensure that I had a cohesive palette and well-connected spaces/sight lines.

When you engaged the designer or looked to renovate, what was your vision, who were you creating it for and what features did you have to have?

My vision for the home was to retain and enhance the period features in the front of the home and then flow into a beautiful modern extension. The target market was family or professional couples.

The key features that were non-negotiables were: 4 bedrooms, one of which is a flexible space depending on the owner’s situation, 2 bathrooms, secure undercover off-street parking, gas fireplace, feature natural stone, beautiful gardens, large laundry and kitchen that was not white! I have challenged myself with using colour as I wanted to create a home that had layers of texture and cohesive colour that hugged you when you came home and make you want to interact with the spaces.

“All of the self-doubt, late nights and questioning your decisions is worth it when you see the home that you have created.”

What is your favourite part of what you have accomplished here?

My favourite part is the overall transformation of the home, you wouldn’t recognise it from what it previously looked like. Being able to have a vision and execute it so well is quite an achievement for someone who doesn’t work in the industry.

I also have to mention to wonderful new people that you meet along the way through suppliers, consultants or BuildHer group that share a common passion.

What was the build process, how long did it take and how did you run it?

Prior to the builder commencing and whilst doing the paperwork for the building permit, I gutted (non-structural work) the original part of the home, re-stumped it, rewired it and framed up the WIR and ensuite to push the project along. I was able to then sell off anything of value or that could be restored/repurposed to avoid it going to waste.

Once the builder was appointed, I used the Blended model. I managed the oak floor supply and install, stone supply and install, supplied all tiles, electrical and plumbing fixtures and fittings. This model worked well for us as I knew what he needed and by when – the key was to ensure that I was not causing a delay to the project.

As I live on the other side of the city and couldn’t easily drop into the site, I ensured that my project documentation for each trade was exhaustive and available onsite before each trade started. I would then meet with each trade like the cabinet maker, stone mason, tiler, plumber and electrician initially and walkthrough the job to ensure we were on the same page and they had a relationship with me whereby they could ask me any questions.

“I ensured that my project documentation for each trade was exhaustive and available onsite before each trade started. ”

What was the most challenging part of the process?

The most challenging part of the process for me was the quoting process. I initially requested for one builder to quote who was with me on the journey and the construction cost was too high and it didn’t include all the scope I needed.

Working through value management when builders don’t want to re-quote or they say your design is great is difficult when you know you can’t fund the project or you are overcapitalising.

Now the challenge is waiting for the sales campaign to complete and finding out what the market thinks your property is worth.

What did you enjoy the most?

I really enjoyed getting hands-on with the renovation, from tearing things down to building them back up and seeing the house transform before my eyes. Watching the progress unfold step by step was incredibly rewarding, but what made it even more special was seeing the amazement and excitement on other people’s faces when they saw the finished home. Their reactions made all the hard work worth it, validating the vision and effort that went into every detail.

What is next? Will you do it again?

For now I need to see what the numbers look (sale price). When I do it again I need to restructure my finances and ensure I am more selective on the location of the project. I love renovating period homes and being able to see the potential that other can’t, plus I’m not scared of rolling up my sleeves and getting on the tools – I already miss it.

How did BuildHer Collective help you on this journey?

BuildHer Collective was instrumental for me on this journey, I learned so much in the Q&A sessions where you can just soak up all the information from other ladies’ projects or have your questions answered.

Also the content in the training modules was super helpful, I still remember going back to the negotiation module prior to putting an offer in on the property. In addition to that I have created some new friendships with like-minded driven women who you can lean on when you need support during the tough times.

If someone asked you if they should join BuildHer Collective, what would you say?

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you are new to renovating, an experienced renovator or working in the industry, there is always more to learn and there is also immense satisfaction in the gift of sharing or supporting others on their journey, plus celebrating success together.

I’m constantly so inspired by the talented women in the group, how they grow and what they achieve.