Teresa Alenaddaf has two main tips for others looking to realise a vision for their home by undertaking renovations.
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“Get a good builder, that's number one,” she said.
“And never compromise on anything. If it's something that you want, go for it.”
Coniston-based A Class Building & Construction took home two categories at the recent Master Builders Association of NSW’s 2018 Southern Regions Building Awards.
The awards cover from the Illawarra down to the Victorian border, and also incorporate the Snowy Mountains, Southern Highlands and Campbelltown areas.
The Mount Pleasant property has been owned by Mrs Alenaddaf and husband Lee for the past 18 months.
The couple, born and bred in the Illawarra, have three children.
“We moved here because we like the privacy and a nice, large piece of land five minutes away from the city,” she said.
“We love the wildlife, everything about it.
“We decided to do the renovations because we love the spot and we love the outside of the house.
“The internal had a few problems, but we just wanted to make it extra special.”
Mrs Alenaddaf said having renovations done could be a stressful process – especially with three young children – but a worthwhile one.
“We lived in the garage on a sofa for about eight months while the work was being done,” she said.
“I wanted a specific look and feel for my house... That was a main priority.”
Mrs Alenaddaf said she believed the house was about 60 years old.
She said the work on the home entailed a “full gut-out, excavation under the house, and added a cellar”.
“It's got all new plumbing, all new electrical, all new pipe work.
“We've put in ten massive skylights throughout the house, a new roof.
“The whole of the internal is brand new, everything. A lot of sandstone work.
“They had to crane in what I think was one of the biggest domestic windows on the South Coast, and we had furniture custom-made.”
A Class Building & Construction co-director Scott Thompson said it was the first time the business, which launched in 2004, had submitted an entry for the awards.
Mrs Alenaddaf said it was an “awesome” feeling to be living in an award-winning home.
“I didn't go with what's in fashion, I didn't go for what's on trend – I went for what we like,” she told the Mercury.
“I went for a very Mediterranean style.
“That's not in fashion, and to find what I was after was hard.
“But we love the finished product. We are absolutely in love with the home, it's got a beautiful feel about it.
“We've always got family and friends over, so it's like the icing on the cake to win all the awards after putting in a year of 24-hour, constant research.”
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