Complicated Home Renovations with Nexus Home Improvements

After years spent fruitlessly searching for a builder willing to take on the makeover of their home's elevation, the owners of this 80s home were frustrated.

But after a chance set-up with Nexus Home Improvements, they now have a home so beautifully renovated that strangers walking past have stopped to congratulate them.

The owners had built the two-storey brick, iron and timber home in the golden triangle in 1980 and at the time were advised to clad the timber-framed upper storey in treated pine boards.

"Back in 1980, treated pine was a very new product to the market, and it turned out that the advice we were able to get wasn't exactly accurate," said one of the owners.

Over the years the boards deteriorated to a point where many were in stages of decay with splits and cracks. The cladding had also darkened and weathered so much it aesthetically aged the house, which otherwise had a good profile with clean lines that were still modern.

The owner said they knew they needed to do something about the exterior.

"It had gotten quite sad," he said. "I knew what I wanted because I've been in the building industry for over 40 years, and I knew what we could do was peel the veneer off, replace it and the house would look totally different. Initially the job was just going to be repairs - not improvements or renovations. The trouble is, with an iron roof, lots of flashings and steel structural beams it soon became apparent that this wasn't going to be a straightforward task."

What started out as a simple repair job soon escalated into a complete makeover of the home's entire elevation. "It became bigger than Ben Hur," said the owner.

It soon became evident that to replace the cladding the windows and roof would also need to be removed and replaced. But the steep slopes of the multi-faceted, architect-designed roof intimidated so many builders that it took years to find a builder willing to take it on. "We got heaps of people around to look at it but we couldn't find anyone to do the job because they were scared of it," said the owner. "I was getting fed up."

It was a chance meeting with a colleague who sang the praises of Matthew Keogh that led the owners to Nexus Home Improvements. Within a year, their once-dated home has been completely transformed - first-time visitors have even mistaken it for a new home.

"When we've been in the front yard, people walking past have stopped to say, 'Wow - we can't believe how different your house looks now,'" said the owner, who said he was extremely pleased with Nexus Home Improvements.

It's been a pleasure to get the results. Matthew and the Nexus team were fantastic - you could not ask for a more friendly, helpful team of guys. They were very hard-working - nothing was ever too much trouble. This wasn't an easy job and we knew it, but Matthew got his head around my criteria very early on in the piece and we love everything about the finished result."

Despite the fact that the owners had to remain in the house while work went on, with scaffolding up for seven months, they said the Nexus team was always considerate of their peace and privacy.

"Matt's very pedantic about how the guys treat their clients - I actually said to him a couple of times how it was really nice to have a team of guys working here who didn't have to have the radio on some 94.8fm flat chat radio 24/7," laughed the owner. "They were also very tidy and cleaned up at the end of every day as well as they could."

Impressed by their work, the owners asked Nexus to make additional improvements. The old front veranda was enlarged and finished with new jarrah decking that complements the red brick walls. With the elevation's troublesome pine replaced with white-painted Scyon cladding, the carport was turned into a garage, giving the elevation a fresh, modern look.

At the back, a deck with a decaying timber roof was replaced with a new modern, galvanised steel structure that perfectly complements the home's warm, industrial look. A small balcony was enlarged and updated with glass balustrading to make the most of the beautiful parkland views beyond the home, and is now a spot where the owners love to sit back and enjoy their home's new look.

The owner said he and his wife could not recommend Nexus enough.

"We have no criticisms - we're more than happy," he said.