28-05-2025
Stellar East Geelong renovation transforms ‘worst house' in best street
Some might say a Gippsland couple bit off more than it could chew when it took on the mammoth task of renovating an inhabitable cottage hundreds of kilometres away in East Geelong.
But many weekends spent travelling back and forth and roughing it in the back yard while chipping away at the luxe transformation may have finally paid off.
The renovators' hard work stands to add up to $700,000 to the value of the three-bedroom house at 192 Verner St, East Geelong, after it was listed for sale through Whitford, Newtown agent Heidi Trempel for $1.3m to $1.37m.
The newly restored and extended cottage is unrecognisable from when they bought 'the ugly duckling in the best street' less than two years ago.
'It was basically uninhabitable at the time. The hot water was rusted so it basically had no water and the power was on but it wasn't safe,' the vendor said.
'Obviously the front section is original but again they took out heaps of walls at different times in the living room and hallway, load bearing walls that had to be put back in.
'It had to be restumped so we went back to dirt inside the house … we knew it was a big job but it was bigger than we thought.'
They worked with Louise Andrew Building Design Solutions to bring their high-end vision to life, employing a builder for the major works before taking on much of the fit-out themselves.
A new rear living zone is a highlight, showcasing feature arches, a gas strut kitchen servery window and a wet bar.
As a carpenter by trade, creating all the custom timber features was a labour of love for vendor.
This includes subtle arches above the bed in the main bedroom suite, built-in storage in the second lounge and the kitchen cabinetry.
'We love timber but my wife had to rein it in a little bit so it's just accents,' he said.
Another custom feature of the house is a large combined laundry and butler's pantry accessed via an arched doorway off the kitchen.
The vendor, who hopes to use the house as a stepping stone to one day tackle a Melbourne project, said they targeted East Geelong because it stacked up as a place where there was scope to see good return on a quality renovation.
'We didn't realise until we had the house what a great little area it is,' he said.
'There's all the cafes and you can walk to the bach or the Barwon River.'
