Post War Cottage Renovation

We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make over this little post-war cottage in the inner city Cairns suburb of Westcourt.

To say she needed some TLC is an understatement.

The home was originally housing for Returned servicemen and the home remained with the original owner until it was sold in 2020.

This project was a complete restoration of the original home.  The focus was to repair areas of disrepair, including a complete restumping and creating street appeal by adding a front porch.

What was the inspiration for the renovation?

Inspiration was drawn from the post-war homes that have been renovated in Brisbane.  From the outset we wanted to add a small verandah which would not encroach upon the existing setbacks.  We replaced the front aluminium windows with custom made timber casements to add character.  The original front door had so much character but was unsalvageable so a new one was sourced.

What is your favourite part of the renovation?

The best part of this reno was when we landscaped. There is nothing like seeing green grass going down at the end of a reno!

What was the hardest part of the project?

The exterior had been clad in aluminium which needed to be removed to expose the beautiful original weatherboards.  This was a time-consuming job for our boys as all the weatherboards had to be sanded and filled before painting began.