The home had been utilised as a rental, and she said it was a "mess" that looked "pretty terrible".

However, where others may have walked away, Ms Mitchell, a seasoned renovator, saw an opportunity.

Read more: 48 Robinsville Crescent, Thirroul for sale with a price guide of $3 million to $3.3 million

"It was neglected, but it had a lot of character, so much promise and was in a beautiful position," she said.

"It needed love, but it needed to be cleaned up. It had the bones; it was a sturdy, well-built double-storey house."

She made an offer on the spot, and over time the family set about upgrading it.

Ms Mitchell said she had previously undertaken house makeover projects in Sydney.

"This one, we had to scrub it, and get rid of all the rubbish - there was truckloads of old newspapers, bottles and all this stuff," she said.

"We cleaned it up, got rid of all that, and then we started to redo it in accordance with the way the building worked. So we didn't have to do much to the structure itself.

"We just had to use it differently and be kind to it, peel back old wallpaper and red bricks.

"The structure's original, and we made no great changes in that way except the pantry, which is internal. My son, an architect, added another wall to create a walk-in pantry.

"It wasn't so much adding to it, it was taking away what wasn't original, like the walls and so forth.

"We upgraded what we had. For example, there was a terrible front verandah that had a low railing, so we replaced that with a wooden structure."

For the styling, the family drew inspiration from favourite European spots.

"We've travelled a lot, and style-wise, we are very much in favour of everything and anything Italian," Ms Mitchell said.

"It's all painted white inside, and we've got our art in here."

Read more: Check out how this art deco renovation panned out in suburban Wollongong

Other features include villa-style accommodation options with multi-income potential; and self-contained studio flat.

Ms Mitchell said the home had a flexible floor plan and "the most fabulous features", including a flat block and three areas across the two storeys that can function as living options.

"Out the back, we turned the existing shed into a space that could be used as accommodation, could be for an Airbnb, or for an office," Ms Mitchell said.

"It's got so much going for it. You've got three kitchens, three bathrooms. You could rent out two-thirds of it and live in the other third."

The four-bedroom, three-bathroom home sits on 696 square metres, and is located at 440 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul.

It's now for sale via expressions of interest.

Ms Mitchell said while "we're proud of what we've done with the home", it was time to downsize and relocate closer to family.

"People locally have said to me, 'we love that house, and we love that you fixed it up and made it look great'," she said.

"Hopefully someone coming along will love it.

"This house would be fabulous for a big family, or could be for people who want to live in part of it and rent the rest of it out."

Read more: First retreat: Seven lockdown perfect homes in the Illawarra and South Coast

Selling agent, Peter Armstrong from Am Rutty Coastal said while there was currently no price guide, it had attracted interest in the high $1 million range.

Mr Armstrong said the property was drawing interest from young Sydney families.

"Also, because the house is divided up, you could almost have three separate incomes from an investment perspective, so there's been a few investors interested as well," he said.